The Honorable Frank E. Pallone

420 Cannon House Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Representative Pallone,

As you know, recreational and commercial fishermen are facing deep cuts in the summer flounder quota for 2007 and into the future. The biomass of summer flounder is at the highest level ever recorded yet the National Marine Fisheries Service is threatening to significantly reduce quota. Their quota proposal will deny anglers a reasonable opportunity to land summer flounder for at least the next 3 years. The reason for these unprecedented restrictions is not just an unrealistic target biomass, but also the arbitrary l0 year rebuilding requirement of Magnuson-Stevens. NMFS says its hands are tied because of the 10 year rebuilding requirement.

Summer flounder stocks are robust and continue to rebuild, but NMFS says they are not rebuilding fast enough to meet Magnuson-Stevens’ 10 year rebuilding requirement. To meet that unrealistic goal, the quota will have to be reduced to a level that will not allow fishermen reasonable opportunities to land summer flounder. The result will be the destruction of livelihoods and devastation to fishing communities such as Belmar, Barnegat Light, Cape May, Brielle, the Atlantic Highlands and others. We need flexibility in rebuilding built into Magnuson-Stevens.

HR 5018 provides a valuable opportunity to address shortcomings in the current Magnuson-Stevens Act. I respectfully request that you support the fishing community on two important points;

1) to allow for flexibility in the 10 year rebuilding requirement for recovering stocks and

2) to remove language that requires that over fishing be ended in two years.

Even NMFS biologists and attorneys see the ten-year rebuilding period as arbitrary and support flexibility in the time frame. To now add an arbitrary period to end “over fishing” makes management even less flexible and more destructive.

These two critical points would not compromise the long-term sustainability of marine resources. They will help assure that the small businesses and culture which make up fishing communities survive, and allow reasonable fishing opportunities. Please support the fishing community.

Without the needed flexibility and elimination of a two-year end to “over fishing”, the infrastructure of the recreational fishing communities of New Jersey and other coastal states will be forever lost.

Respectfully submitted,

###



The above petition is circulating at several tackle shops to in an effort to stop this
legislation from going into effect. If you're a fluke fisherman, or someone who lives in the areas
affected (darn near all of the NEW JERSEY), I would STRONGLY encourage you to contact your local tackle shop
to get a copy, or simply print this one out yourself, sign it, and send it to:

 The Honorable Frank E. Pallone
      420 Cannon House Office Bldg.
       Washington, DC 20510

But don't stop with him. Every Representative from New Jersey should be made aware of the
potential devastation this will have on the Jersey Shore economy.  If you live in NJ, and you want
to know WHO your Congressman is, go here:  http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and follow the
instructions provided.

This is MID-TERM ELECTION YEAR.  They WILL listen to you.

 Skip, who's not only a shop owner, but a resident, had some stunning revelations.

"I've lived on this bay for most of my life, and I can remember just two years ago seeing schools of bunker hitting the bay every day, and you'd know...because you'd watch the seagulls bombing them as they come

through. Now? I might have seen FOUR schools all season. Something's wrong."
 
 Skip believes the missing bunker could be from one of two things:
 1) Commercial overfishing at the mouth of the bay. Manufacturers have a variety of use for this fish, including lipstick.
 2) Environmental conditions in the Bay. We've already seen this year recommendation about the hazards of PCB's:

>>>"

Today's demand comes after the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a consumption advisory warning people not to eat more than one serving per month of winter flounder caught from Raritan Bay.  Pallone said the flounder in the Raritan Bay are contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) left by GE in the Hudson River, which flows into Raritan Bay."

http://www.house.gov/list/press/nj06_pallone/pr_apr12_hudsoncleanup.html



It's actually pretty simple. NO BUNKER = NO GAMEFISH, so I'd get in touch with your local congressman
to find out if he or she is aware of the situation in the Bay.

 Yeah, we were rolling with the players out on the Strip this past week,
as the 2006 ICAST show came to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Yours truly had most of the grunt work...



What started as two crates and empty space.....



....slowly and methodically...gridwall by gridwall......



....to a 40' wide Jeros Tackle City of a display. If they had turned on
the air conditioning day one of set-up, it would've been a fun time for all.
No such luck.



 The great thing about gridwall with hooks is the uniformity. Look at how
the hooks on the far left, and rigs sit like soldiers on the pegs without constant
straightening or adjusting. You don't have to worry about heat affecting velcro
glue, or jostling knocking off product.



We made a big push on the Pro Series of Rigs and Hooks, and
even had the head of Gamakatzu hooks drop by to see the display.



  We also had to make sure tackle accessories were represented well,
as most of the attendees are from areas of the country that have absolutely
NOTHING to do with Northeastern Saltwater fishing.



After all that work, however I still had some time left to drink in
the rest of the show, and meet some interesting booth personel...



...like the Hula Girls from the Maui Sunglasses booth.
Very interesting indeed!



 All in all, I didn't think the show was as well attended as the 2005 show.
We still made some decent contacts, but it definitely seemed like traffic
was down. Perhaps fuel costs and the state of the leisure economy right
now is playing a factor, but I hope it's not a trend for the future.

 As the summer heats up, the crabs are teaming down on the
Jersey shore, delighting both locals and vacationers with hours
of fun, and good eatin'! Here's a basket of blue claws caught on
the west side of Barnegat Bay using a box trap and bunker for bait.

A box crab trap, like Jeros Tackle's model# 200-CT is an excellent
option for crabbing, with bunker or bait tied just right.

 

The Dock Outfitters, on South Fishing Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ has
not only a great assortment of tackle, rod reels, live bait and snacks,
but a first class pier for fishing and crabbing right on the east side of
Barnegat Bay, and people like Kevin and Eddie from Marsville, PA were
taking full advantage of it!





They used both trout and bunker in a box trap to get these keepers.
Make sure you get QUALITY crabbing accessories when you visit your
local tackle shop, whether it's traps, drop line, bait tie downs or tongs,
and if you really have to ask for MY recommendation....

I met all kinds of interesting folks there, including journalist Martin Armstrong,
 who writes a fishing collumn that appears in both the Stafford Advocate and
Greenwich Times. With the wealth of information he possessed, I could easily
see his passion for the sport of fishing.

I demo'd the FCB, our new Flexible Cutting Board for bait instore, using
a K-12 Bait Knife and a bananna. The FCB is great because it's light and
easy to roll up and carry in a tackle box, or your back pocket. It doesn't
puncture under normal usage, and has a non-slip back surface, perfect for
use on boats, slips and pier railings. And it's darn reasonable in price.  I
moved a few of those because Jimmy was moving fresh squid and bunker
like mad.

All day, Jimmy was keeping tabs with his patrons out on the water on
the cell phone. Buoy #18 seemed to be the place where the striper action
was taking place. And when they hit...they come back and let Jimmy know,
like Foots Fedak here, with his 37" 21.5 lb. Striped Bass, caught with a
Jeros Tackle 2461-BF hook, by the way.




All in all, a very good day. Moved some goods, and increased product
awareness in the angling public. Stop on by Jimmy O's if you're ever
on Fairfield Ave in Bridgeport. It will be worth your trip, trust me.

Here, Pat's featuring Jeros Tackle's brand new Snap-On Popping Floats.
You just can't miss the distinctive Southern style green body and
hi-visibility white and fluorescent orange striping. 2" -5" in length,
weighted or non-weighted, the PF/PFW series offers an alternative to
those tired, home-packaged snapper poppers flooding the industry.



I can't mention this shop without talking about "Blue".
And No...I didn't stick my finger in the cage.

Quick sales plug...doesn't that new species specific packaging
look hot on their wall? Whether it's on our traditional Jeros Tackle
rigs and hooks, (left) or our new Pro Series featuring Gamakatsu
hooks and Seaguar flourocarbon (right), even a beginner can
easily find what he's looking for.  And hey, a striped bass or a
fluke looks the same in ANY language.

 And bait wise? You gotta go see Tony. He's the undisputed

Bunker KING. I watched him snatch this bad boy up first shot,
one-handed.  He filled me in on a couple of Tournaments coming
up. The 3rd Annual Hi-Mar Charity Spring Bass Tournament is
Saturday June 3, 2006 from 5 AM to 4 PM. Entry fee is $100, and
proceeds benefit Jason's Dreams For Kids. Last year it had
$10,000 in prizes. The 1st Annual Pete Pauels Father's Day Weekend
Striped Bass Tournament is running June 17th, 2006. There is also
$10,000 in prize money, so make sure you go to the Twin Lights Marina
 website www.twinlightsmarina.com  for directions and information.