Ryan Collins
-
The Basics
-
Ryan on Patch
-
More Stuff
Comments
-
On the article 7 Secrets to Catching More Fish this Spring on Cape Cod
-
On the article Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Opens July 12
Ryan Collins
9:14 am on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
ReplyWednesday, March 14, 2012
Gloucester, MA
7:00 – 9:00 pm
MA DMF Annisquam River Station
30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930
Phone: (978) 282-0308Thursday, March 15, 2012
Portsmouth, NH
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Sheraton Harborside Hotel
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603) 431-2300Monday, March 19, 2012
Fairhaven, MA
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Seaport Inn
110 Middle Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719
Phone: (508) 997-1281Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Portland, Maine
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Holiday Inn By the Bay
88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101
Phone: (207) 775-2311Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Plymouth, Massachusetts
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor
180 Water Street, Plymouth MA 02360
Phone: (508) 747-4900Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Warwick, RI
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Hilton Garden Inn
One Thurber Street, Warwick, RI 02886
Phone: (401) 734-9600Thursday, March 29, 2012
Cape May, New Jersey
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Congress Hall Hotel
251 Beach Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204
Phone: (609) 884-8421 -
On the article Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Opens July 12
Ryan Collins
9:14 am on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
ReplyHi Chris, Ryan and Jim,
Thanks for reading the article and leaving a comment-much appreciated.
For anyone who would like to take action, and possibly be part of a movement that could have some real. long lasting positive impact on our inshore fishery, please consider attending one of the upcoming herring hearings.
For those not familiar with pair trawling for herring, these 100 foot plus long boats often come nearly within casting range of shore to scoop up millions upon millions of herring. They have gone way over quotas in past seasons (up to 150% their allotted catch) and are successfully taking a big bite out of the bottom of our local food chain.
It's very difficult to say just how much of an impact these boats are having on striped bass fishing, but it's very easy to imagine that inshore bass fishing would significantly improve with millions more herring swimming in tight to the beach.
Banning these operations could produce a positive lasting impact for the entire marine ecosystem.
I've listed the dates below. Thanks!
-
On the article A New Perspective on Scorton Ledge
Ryan Collins
4:10 pm on Friday, January 27, 2012
Hey Stan,
Thanks a lot for the comment. Having your 23' CC with you this year would definitely broaden your fishing horizons. June and August can be great times to be on the water.
Thanks for the compliments about the info on Scorton. I hope you are able to get into them good this year.
If you're looking for more information on fishing the Cape Cod area, feel free to check out my fishing blog http://www.myfishingcapecod.com
All the best,
Ryan
-
On the article Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Opens July 12
Ryan Collins
9:56 am on Wednesday, October 26, 2011
ReplyGreat news for anyone who fishes for striped bass! Survey results in both Virginia and Maryland indicate near record highs for striped bass recruitment. This means more striped bass (about four times more than average) successfully hatched in 2011.
http://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/striped_bass_survey_results.php
http://www.onthewater.com/fishing/good-news-a-banner-spawn-for-stripers/
-
On the article Fishing Heats Up as Beach Days Dwindle
Ryan Collins
4:51 pm on Wednesday, September 28, 2011
ReplyHey Rick. I went for a swim in Cape Cod Bay today-water was incredible, had to be close to 70 degrees. Hopefully we'll have a mild fall and winter. I remember one unusually warm night in January five to six years ago when it was 65 degrees. We had a fire on the beach, all of us wearing flip flops, shorts and t-shirts. Crazy! The following weekend we were hit with a snowstorm.
For me, this is the best time of the year, for many different reasons, including the weather.
Take care!
-
On the article Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Opens July 12
Ryan Collins
1:03 pm on Wednesday, July 20, 2011
ReplyI appreciate how qualified you are to comment on the fabric of commercial fishing. Then you would certainly understand that commercial striped bass fishing has been in practice hundreds of years before anyone recreational fished.
Ending commercial striped bass fishing would hurt the fabric of life on Cape Cod. It is one of the 3 oldest forms of commercial fishing we have.
Saying that commercial fishermen are just "recreational fishermen paying for their fun" shows just how far removed your are from our fishery.
Over 1/3 of my yearly income comes from commercial striped bass fishing. I used the money to buy my car, pay my rent, my boat, groceries, and everything else we all need to survive.
Sure there are guys who sell a few fish to pay for their fun, but then there are people like myself who rely on the fishery to get them through the year.
You are right, all but a tiny handful of fishermen can profit from commercial striped bass fishing. How many fishermen have the ability to catch 700 pounds of striped bass in one trip? These talented, and hardworking fishermen are few and far between, and should not be penalized for being able to turn a profit in an inherently difficult industry.
By the way Brad, it's not a big deal at all, but my name is Ryan, not Ray.
Tight lines!
-
On the article Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Opens July 12
Ryan Collins
12:57 pm on Wednesday, July 20, 2011
ReplyHi Brad and Nick,
Thanks for the insightful comments. The comment section is an awesome feature of patch!
Like all statistics, there are reasons behind the numbers that can be easily overlooked by the untrained eye.
For example, a decline in recreational catch numbers does not mean that striped bass are in trouble. There are a lot of other factors influencing the estimated recreational catch. Near $4 a gallon gasoline for starters makes me think twice about filling up the boat's gas tank. Plus the boat market is absolutely flooded with boats right now.
A lot of folks up and down the striper coast are struggling in this economy-the last thing on their minds is learning and investing in new ways to catch stripers.
The declining economy is just one of many reasons why there is a declining recreational catch. The entire commercial quota last year was caught in under 6 weeks-fast than usual, indicating that there were far more fish in MA than years past.
Other states banning a certain practice does not mean in any way that it is the right thing for Massachusetts to do. Just ask anybody petitioning for gay marriage rights. Implying that Massachusetts should ban a practice because a few other states have banned it is unfair.
Lets remember that commercial striped bass fishing is allowed in 8 of the 14 "striper states" along the East coast.
-
On the article Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Opens July 12
Ryan Collins
4:48 pm on Tuesday, July 12, 2011
ReplyIf there is no question that the recreational catch needs to be reduced, because it is the largest influence on striped bass mortality, then why didn't you mention anything about it in your recent CCT article? Instead you focuses solely on commercial fishermen, the very people who are responsible for making Cape Cod what it is today.
Based on the statistics you choose to use, and the perspective you take on things, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you are a member of Stripers Forever. The group is notorious for making above and beyond exaggerations, and taking a doomsday approach to anything striped bass.
How did you gather the stat that the recreational catch has been reduced by 70%? That means that your average Joe and charter captain is catching 70% less fish today than 5 years ago.
Most guys "in the know" that I've spoken with this year alone are topping their all time catch records. One well known charter captain caught over 1,000 fish in one week this past spring. Oh, and out of those 1,000 bass, I'd imagine a good 100 of them ended up dying due to wounds received from catch and release.
Anyways Brad we are never going to agree 100% on these issues, which is fine. I respect your stand. The last thing I want to do is start an argument.
But please be aware that articles like the one you've written, have the power to destroy the livelihoods, and fishing communities that Cape Cod and New England are so well known for.
-
On the article Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Opens July 12
Ryan Collins
7:10 am on Tuesday, July 12, 2011
ReplyHi Brad,
Thanks for your comment. You most certainly have an extensive knowledge on the subject. You make some interesting and important points to say the least.
The recreational catch exceeding the commercial catch by a factor of 4 or 5 makes perfect sense based on the larger number of recreational fishermen vs commercial fishermen. Regardless, the recreational sector still did harvest 4 to 5 times more bass, according to that specific study.
According to the statistics, the recreational sector had a greater impact on our fishery than the commercial sector.
I'm not pointing fingers, or placing blame, just stating a statistic that is often overlooked, that's all.
Of course I am not trying to mislead my readers. All the numbers in the above article were taken from a published study conducted by a credible organization.
However in a recent article that I believe you wrote for the Cape Cod Times, you stated that spearfishing is an additional source of mortality for striped bass along with commercial fishing. Spearfishing? Have you ever shot a fish with a spear before? It is extremely difficult, and certainly has a next to zero impact on the bass population.
Oddly enough, in that article you mention nothing of the impact recreational fishing has on the species.
If that is not misleading to your audience, then I do not know what is.
Here's a link to the article: http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110613/OPINION/106130328
Ryan Collins
11:11 am on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Hey Ryan,
Thanks for the insight and intel. That sounds like a deadly technique to me.
Do you need to be cognizant or hitting rocks and boulders at Bishop and Clerks. I am yet to take my boat there but would like to someday.
Thanks!
Ryan