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Thread: Flounder restocking program

  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by SouthernWake View Post
    What impact does gigging have on South Carolina’s flounder population?

    From past estimates, we believe that somewhere in the neighborhood of 15% of licensed saltwater fishermen may participate in flounder gigging in a given year. Surveys of flounder giggers have shown typically larger landings per person than are estimated for the average recreational hook and line flounder fishing trip. However, given the limited number of available days with the proper conditions for tide, moonlight, water clarity, current, etc. it is most likely that total recreational flounder gig landings are much less than total estimated recreational hook and line flounder landings.

    – Mel Bell, director of the Office of Fisheries Management
    i have been gigging for 50 years, we have slayed them many times and been skunked way more
    or scratch out a fish or two if lucky but apparently, the wind never blows or it never rains and dirties up the water and the tide is perfect and the fish are always there in Charleston.
    Last edited by ecu1984; 05-09-2021 at 04:47 PM.

  2. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by Palmetto Bug View Post
    If you ever get a chance to ride the ferry to Ocracoke, notice what looks like standing timber. Most of those are net posts for gill nets. Pamlico Sound could be the biggest recreational fishery on the East Coast but instead has been sold or given to the commercial lobby to ruin with netting.
    My backyard, those are flounder "pound nets" and I have seen skiffs come in about to sink with so many flounder in them from pound netting.

  3. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duck Tape View Post
    Previous data suggests gigging is 1.5 times more effective than hook. Of course the mortality of released undersize fish is higher with gig method. LOL
    the contrary, with hook and line there is no discretion on size (and gut hook death) but giggers see and can pass on under size fish .
    This past season, I never saw so many under size flounder before. Each night we went, we saw hundreds of small flounder and maybe one or two
    keepers.

  4. #44
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    Ultimately, 10 a day or 20 a boat is just not good for a fish we all seem to agree is in decline.

    Even if it is not altered by law I encourage anyone concerned to act on their own and implement a stricter limit on their boat.

  5. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by SouthernWake View Post
    Ultimately, 10 a day or 20 a boat is just not good for a fish we all seem to agree is in decline.

    Even if it is not altered by law I encourage anyone concerned to act on their own and implement a stricter limit on their boat.
    I agree 100%

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by mudflat View Post
    Scdiver, I will trade you grouper filet for flounder filet any time you want to.
    In all day. Had some fresh scamp last night and it made me ready to get some more as quick as the wind and my schedule line up.
    Last edited by scdiver; 05-10-2021 at 12:56 AM.

  7. #47
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    Most of our flounder are male. They will never reach 15 inches.
    Either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.

  8. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duck Tape View Post
    Most of our flounder are male. They will never reach 15 inches.
    And that is the crux of the problem.

    - What factor(s) are leading to the the lack of female flounder in our waters
    - Almost every flounder harvested is female

  9. #49
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    When raised in captivity a one degree change in the water temp creates nearly 100% males. I am not sure how you change that in the wild.
    Either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duck Tape View Post
    When raised in captivity a one degree change in the water temp creates nearly 100% males. I am not sure how you change that in the wild.
    My thoughts as well, this is why I think you have to look at the band aid you can apply by controlling the human affected variables.

  11. #51
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    Maybe the size limit needs a slot limit on the small side.

  12. #52
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    My dad is an old school MI mud minnow dragger......He has witnessed what so many others have in recent years......The decline of his favorite fishery.....me thinks gigging is mostly responsible. It happens from 10 pm to 5 am. I guess its hard to police. I dont know.
    \"Go to Know\"

  13. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by FBT View Post
    My dad is an old school MI mud minnow dragger......He has witnessed what so many others have in recent years......The decline of his favorite fishery.....me thinks gigging is mostly responsible. It happens from 10 pm to 5 am. I guess its hard to police. I dont know.
    If our waters are warming which one would assume given the science, I would say that could be the culprit mostly responsible for the lack of females.
    \"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.\" <br />D.H. LAWRENCE

  14. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by Calibogue View Post
    If our waters are warming which one would assume given the science, I would say that could be the culprit mostly responsible for the lack of females.
    Joe Blow weekend gigger isnt going to deplete the resource. OOS fishermen are more of a nuisance to the regular instate resource depleters. Gigging...too many factors play in to a successful gigging trip. Wind, rain, tides, etc.

    As much as it pains me to admit, I believe Cali's proposal is the most plausible answer. Equally painful admission is that I think to maintain the quality of the fishery, we need to augment the population with restocking efforts. I dont know if I want to pay for the NC commercial guys to catch the fish we hatch in their nets, without some equitable backing from the NCWRC.
    Last edited by BigBrother; 05-11-2021 at 07:29 AM.
    "Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration" -Izaak Walton

  15. #55
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    gigging is the cause......says every person that has never been gigging in their life.
    Yep, you just drive around with lights and a trolling motor and suck the flounder up like a Dyson D14 vacuum.
    Let's not let data get in the way of some idiots' emotions

  16. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by ecu1984 View Post
    gigging is the cause......says every person that has never been gigging in their life.
    Yep, you just drive around with lights and a trolling motor and suck the flounder up like a Dyson D14 vacuum.
    Let's not let data get in the way of some idiots' emotions
    man.......such an angry cock lover. A cock lovin' gigger'........yep i hate him.
    \"Go to Know\"

  17. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duck Tape View Post
    When raised in captivity a one degree change in the water temp creates nearly 100% males. I am not sure how you change that in the wild.
    This statement here certainly raises a red flag for me.
    And Justin, I agree with you that regular stocking efforts from hatchery raised fish may be required if the above statement is true.
    \"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.\" <br />D.H. LAWRENCE

  18. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by SouthernWake View Post
    Ultimately, 10 a day or 20 a boat is just not good for a fish we all seem to agree is in decline.

    Even if it is not altered by law I encourage anyone concerned to act on their own and implement a stricter limit on their boat.
    This. I think the Release Over 20 social media campaign on trout is making a difference. I wish it would take hold on flounder, but it's about impossible to convince people to not keep a legal flounder.

    About half of the flounder I've tagged have been recaught. I don't know if that means they're dumb, there are not many to go around in the ACE Basin, or just luck. The percentage of redfish recaught is significantly lower.

  19. #59
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    Quote Originally Posted by WNM View Post
    This. I think the Release Over 20 social media campaign on trout is making a difference. I wish it would take hold on flounder, but it's about impossible to convince people to not keep a legal flounder.

    About half of the flounder I've tagged have been recaught. I don't know if that means they're dumb, there are not many to go around in the ACE Basin, or just luck. The percentage of redfish recaught is significantly lower.
    We released a legal flounder yesterday without much thought, I rarely get any pushback on releasing fish. I am a fan of the release 20 initiative for both flounder and trout, being selfish the fish are worth more to me in the water than in someone's cooler.

    I have not run into a tagged flounder yet but can say usually the tagged redfish come with quite a sheet of recatches. Proper handling of the fish can go a long way to their survival.

  20. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by SouthernWake View Post
    We released a legal flounder yesterday without much thought, I rarely get any pushback on releasing fish. I am a fan of the release 20 initiative for both flounder and trout, being selfish the fish are worth more to me in the water than in someone's cooler.

    I have not run into a tagged flounder yet but can say usually the tagged redfish come with quite a sheet of recatches. Proper handling of the fish can go a long way to their survival.
    I caught one in Sept that I tagged last summer at the end of May. Went from 13.5" to 15.5" in about 3 months.

    I don't see many people tagging them on the reports that I get. That is the reason I got involved because I wanted to know what they do.

    Have had a few offshore fish recaptured with seaqualizer, a handful of sheeps and red drum, and probably 10 flounder recaptures.

    The flounder don't move much from where I have tagged them.
    Last edited by scdiver; 05-12-2021 at 02:54 PM.

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