Looks like we should have taken 3 @ 19"

[WaltNJ]

The attack on recreational fishing has been going on for 20+ years. "They" are relentless. When the rules get to the point where they are ridiculous...people simply stop following the rules. We, collectively, on this site are "rule followers" for the most part...but I can't count how many times I've seen certain people out on the hook surf fishing keeping every single thing that bites their line...or guys in Trout Conservation Areas fishing with salmon eggs throwing everything they catch in a mesh back under a rock. Heck, I even had a person run into the surf in 55 degree water with jeans on because I threw back a short bass. He couldn't believe I threw a fish back!

While these rules will exist, regardless of what rules get adopted...how are they planning on enforcement? Once in a blue moon there's a guy with a measuring board at the dock checking boats. Heck, he asked me once if I caught anything. I said, "No luck today...maybe next time." That was it...he moved on. I know that sometimes they check...but its pretty rare overall.

Regarding charters, party boats, and tackle shops...what is anyone going to fish for between September 5 and say mid-October? And are guys going to really run boats for ONE tautog?

Not to mention all the "good things" that would come out of making Sandy Hook Bay some sort of federal sanctuary or whatever term they're scamming us with these days.

I'm sure people put lots of time into fighting for our rights as recreational fisherman, but it's a numbers game. Only something like 3% of the population of NJ are fisherman...and not all of those are saltwater fisherman. Small voting block equals little (if any) attention from the rule-makers. Yeah, there may be a guy from time to time who shows some support, but that support usually fades out as you follow our interests up the chain of bureaucracy.

And guess why the commercial guys can dump literally tons of dead fish per day. It's because of the insatiable demand for fish by the public...mostly the non-fishing public who, many times, don't want to know how the sausage is made as long as they get their red snapper presented properly...or their blackened swordfish served just right.

And if you think this whole "free" Saltwater Registry thing doesn't have some sort of intention to eventually charge another "tax" otherwise called a "license", you need to get your head out of the sand. Let's not forget about the excise tax already placed on our fishing purchases.

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be a battle over preserving our rights, but my expectations are pretty low. This incremental erosion of our right to "pursue happiness" how we see fit is remarkable.

Welcome to today's United States...where common sense is no longer common.

And I conclude this rant...unapologetically.