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A post-holiday fishing trip to the Shetucket River by Frank Corsini of Guilford paid off with this 14-pound, 35-inch Atlantic salmon breeder. Photo courtesy Captain Morgan

Draft Addendum XXVIII to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Plan is about to come up for public scrutiny when the public information document is presented. This addendum to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan will address the recreational management of summer flounder for 2017.

There has been a substantial pushback from some members of the recreational fishing community against the potential 11.30-million pound Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) that would mark a 29-percent reduction from 2016’s RHL. Additionally, it’s suggested by National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries that recreational fishers previously exceeded their harvest limit, further reducing the annual acceptable harvest by that overage. If true, the recreational sector could be looking at close to a 40-percent reduction in 2017.

The main point of the pushback is that concerned fishers wish to maintain the status quo of 16.26 million pounds on the basis that the summer flounder stock assessment hasn’t been updated since the stock has expanded north and east. They believe this causes deficiencies in the stock assessment and that improvements are needed in the modeling. Secondly, they believe the recreational sector met, but did not exceed its 2016 harvest. Consequently, it’s believed that maintaining the status quo would be a fair compromise until a new benchmark is established, incorporating new and more up-to-date data that, in all probability, could eliminate or lessen quota reductions.

To make a point, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) realizes there are shortcomings to this draft addendum and emphasizes that any option adopted will be an interim one, while continuing to iron out disproportionate impacts among states from age-old based allocations and state-by-state management measures. Due to the limitations of producing statewide timely landing estimates to manage a real-time quota, it’s recognized that inaccuracies and inconsistencies will occur. Note that the RHL of summer flounder is a target quota set at 40 percent of the total allowable landings.

The most recent benchmark assessment for the northeast regional stock was updated in 2016. It indicated that the stock was not overfished, but that overfishing in 2015 was occurring. Final results from the Marine Recreational Information Program for 2016 will become available in the spring of 2017. Unless an alternative method is selected under this addendum, management of the 2017 recreational summer flounder fishery will default to state-by-state regulations based on the 1998 harvest in order to restrict the RHL harvest.

Here, state’s regulations would be based on their individual harvest allocations. There are precautionary default measures in place ready to be imposed by the NOAA in the event that any state or region is deemed not to be following coastwise measures restricting the RHL. Those defaults would include a 20-inch minimum size, two-fish limit, a season that runs in July and August, as well as a possible non-compliant season closure if not corrected.

There are five alternative regional management approaches that are being considered under Addendum XXVIII that would require each state to implement the same possession limit(s), size limit(s), and season length. They are: 1) fish sharing, 2) one-inch size increase as a minimum reduction, 3) 30-percent reduction as a minimum, 4) one-inch size increase and 30-percent reduction as minimums, and 5) more coastwise consistency each with their own set of requirements.

To date, the NOAA appears to have no plans to update the assessment before approving the 2017 RHL. As a result, a grassroots campaign is underway and circulating petitions asking Congress to intervene to maintain the status quo. A scheduled public hearing of the ASMFC hosted by the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Marine Fisheries in Old Lyme was scheduled for Jan. 10.

The third snowstorm of the season, Helena, left little doubt that winter is encroaching. Air temperatures are about right for this time of year and generally leaning more and more toward winter. However, in many locations by the shore, snow wasn’t piling up due to brief warming trends and rain. That could easily change as we get past mid-January. Inshore water temperatures have been around the 41-degree mark, while farther out, the temps are closer to 45 degrees.

Seas of Long Island Sound are shifting from calm to downright angry and back again with winds requiring gale force warnings at times. Other than making for interesting scenery for the photo buffs, fishing has been limited to offshore when weather permitted. Cod catches were around market with 10 pounds being a good fish and most coming from comparatively shallow water on bait, while those jigging were working a bit harder for fewer hookups.

Of course, we’re still enjoying an Atlantic herring run and, as long as any holdover tidal river continues to flow, striped bass can be caught. Usually, a weighted swim shad, small jig with a trailer, or swimmer fished slow and deep will catch several small stripers, provided it’s feeding time. Keep in mind that metabolism slows down as water temperatures drop and that correlates to feeding less often.

Atlantic salmon activity took a slight bounce back as fish in the Shetucket began their selective feeding. Some good breeders to 15 pounds clearly were interested in spoons, jigs, and inline spinners, and those caught were hugging the bottom. There was also better trout fishing in stocked rivers like the Farmington and Salmon. Here, flies like streamers, buggers, and the occasional nymph, along with conventional swimmers and inline spinners slowly fished, attracted and caught mostly cautious and hard-to-hook trout.

There are probably more ponds and small lakes frozen over than imagined. We’ve had some decent first ice in several locations where bass, perch, crappie, and pickerel have been flagged and iced. However, it’s important to take the necessary precautions to remain safe when attempting to ice fish, especially early in the season and when closer to the shoreline. Many of the larger lakes still have soft or tentative centers, while the northern and southern coves may be solid. Keep your ice awls handy and bring along a spud for a test hole.

Note: Email us pics of your catches to share with our USA and international fishing friends who keep up with the latest fishing news and frequent social media.

For all things fishy including reel repairs, swing by the shop (203-245-8665) open seven days located at 21 Boston Post Road, Madison. Until next time from your Connecticut shoreline’s full-service fishing outfitter, where we don’t make the fisherman, we make the fisherman better...

Summer flounder are expanding north and east from mid-Atlantic waters, and the Rutgers University Marine Field Station is part of a group of scientists researching the cause. Photo courtesy Captain Morgan