Seabass

How many anglers out there are interested in taking action regarding New Jersey's current Seabass fishery? Only a few years ago we relied on Summer Seabass as a 'plan B' when going out Fluking. As you all know, Fluking is hit or miss at best and one could always come home with a Seabass dinner if the Fluke weren't biting. I'm hearing of so many in-shore anglers resorting to 'filleting-and-releasing' many large Fluke just so that after spending big $$, they would have something to bring home. There are, in reality, very few alternatives to Fluking. The Ling have moved out to the mudhole, a one Tog limit isn't worth the effort, Bluefishing isn't for everybody, and you have a tough time getting past the hoards of jumbo Seabass to get to the Porgys. Are Seabass endangered in New Jersey and not in NY or Delaware? Is an 18" Fluke a realistic minimum size? I am a life-long Jersey Shore fisherman and I, like many others, am tired of taking it on the chin year after year. A little feedback from my fellow fishermen just may go a long way. Captain Ed Piersanti