I was told, tonight , that we'd better fish Wednesday, because "the commercial guys start fishing on Thursday". Does anybody know about this? It was a pretty reliable source.

4 VAC-20-252-140. COMMERCIAL SEASONS, AREAS, AND SIZE LIMITS.
Except as may be adjusted pursuant to 4 VAC 20-252-150, the open commercial striped bass fishing seasons, areas, and applicable size limits shall be as follows:


A. In the Chesapeake area, the open commercial season shall be from February 1 through December 31, inclusive. The minimum size limit shall be 18 inches total length during the periods of February 1 through December 31. The maximum size limit shall be 28 inches from March 26 through June 15.

B. In the Coastal area, the open commercial season shall be February 1 through December 31, inclusive, and the minimum size limit shall be 28 inches total length.

Well, there goes the neighborhood.....only got one good day of fishin since they started biting. Was going to come down on Thursday, but I guess this really sucks....is this net or hook and line??? Does anyone know, or is there a difference by the book???? Tom

They have a certain number of tags after they fill all their tags they quit.It isnt as bad as it sounds.They dont rape the ocean like the Manheaden boats do.

You're right Mega Bite. That fishery is very tightly regulated. A couple of my commercial rod and reel buddys were complaining last year about a reduction in the number of tags they were alloted. And there was talk of making them use 2 tags per fish over a certain length to try to perserve the ocean spawning stock. I don't know what happened with that. All of my friends that net have sold their tags, gear and licenses. It's a tough way to make a living these days.

You aint kidding,you wont see a comm. fisherman in the Rolex section anymore.They have been pushed back to the Timex isle.