artificial bait for croakers?

[swamp snorkler]

Originally Posted by keakar

wow, I haven't seen any over a one pound being caught inshore since the 80's. in the last 20 years I cant remember seeing anyone catch over a one pound croaker unless they went offshore.

I dunno if its the large increase in the numbers of people trawling increasing, thereby vastly increasing infant mortality in trawling by-catch.

that said there seams to be no end to the amount of the small 2" fish so so that seams to indicate by-catch isn't the main cause of why we are not having larger sized fish caught, although im sure it has to have an impact.

I have a hard time believing the bigger fish are all just being eaten by other fish, every single one of them, as they get bigger.

its like they don't get big anymore for whatever reason, you just don't see them. finding a 16" or bigger croaker is about as hard as finding free money

I have a wish that they would do research into finding out why they no longer survive long enough to grow bigger but then at the same time, I am afraid, as with everything else they research, they would start slapping ridiculous restrictions and regulations on catching them. while I would welcome reasonable and scientific based regulation it rarely is and all they ever want to do is stop fishing rather then properly regulate it. I honestly believe all they ever thing is the right thing to do is restrict catches rather then actually find out what and why things are happening with fish populations.

it is a shame when you cant trust those who are supposed to be entrusted with regulating fisheries to solve the real problems of fish mortality and breeding rather then just create burdensome regulations as there answer to every problem.

when I used to fish with my dad and uncle back in the 70's we would catch a 3-5 lb croaker on almost every trip we made, they were about as dependable to be caught as a redfish or drum. since then the number of people who fish and the number of people who trawl has increased 100 fold and the dramatic loss of land and habitat must be partly to blame as well but it drives me crazy to know that no one even cares or is trying to find out why this particular fish has an almost absolute mortality rate to where no adults survive.

I wouldn't put money on that, I would say it has went down....... and a lot. Since the late 90's I have seen more people get out of trawling than into it and it's not even close.