penguins

Not really, but it sure seemed cold enough. I have left the Beach due to the fact that the cold water has pushed virtually all of the rockfish out past the three-mile line where it is illegal to possess striped bass.

I want to sincerely thank all of you again for what was a pretty good year, especially considering the economy. Your business means everything to me and my family, and I honestly don’t know what the heck I would do without it. Overall fishing was very good and so was business.

Virginia Beach, however, was another story. It was hardly worth the trip this year. I had to cancel a bunch of trips due to the horrendously cold and windy weather and poor fishing in legal waters.

Some captains are still fishing. I have read claims on web sites that the fish are ‘well within the three-mile line.’ (Hahaha! I just double-checked afore mentioned web site and they took the lie off the report! The noose is tightening apparently) They go on to claim the ‘warm spell’ will move the fish even closer. What’s it going to do, push the fish up on the beach? I couldn’t believe it when I read these outright lies on the web site of one of the prominent marinas on Rudee Inlet. Do any of you really think I would just cancel a bunch of trips and bring my boat home if fishing were that good in legal water? I hardly think so.

The truth is that the captains who are still catching fish consistently go well offshore, sometimes as far as 30 miles, where the fish are incredibly thick. They catch their fish and run as fast as they can to get back to the three-mile line. During this time, they have their fish in trash cans, ready to dump overboard at the sight of the marine police or Coast Guard. With the increased enforcement, I have heard about several boats doing just this lately. How DESPICABLE! These are 10-20 year-old rockfish that are the breeding stock. They are our future. They dump their fish, then go right back out after the police leave and catch more fish. I can only hope that NOAA and/or the US Coast Guard catch these guys and make them pay. I have watched it and, stupidly, kept my mouth shut for a long time now, but I’m done. If any of you find yourselves on one of these boats, be careful because you could be charged. This is not a minor offense. It is a federal crime, possibly a felony.

If you find yourself fishing with one of these intentional, egregious violators, or just have information that will help put these guys out of business, I strongly encourage you to document the name of the captain, name of the boat, name of the marina and area fished and call the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement at 727-824-5344.

Sorry to end on a sour note, but it’s a horrible situation down there that needs to be addressed.

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