Your thoughts on releasing large stripers

[Brian L]

I've been a commercial angler for the last ten years and just gave up my license this spring. In the past, of course, I always kept the bigger fish because they pay more.

Now from a rec standpoint, I usually keep at least one and occasionally two every time I go (fishing probably 4-5 times a month). I have neighbors and friends who really appreciate getting fresh striper fillets and I put one on my own grill once or twice a month. I prefer Tautog, Fluke, Seabass, etc.. to Stripes and those fish are usually abundant enough where I fish to bring home enough to fill the freezer for a week.

As far as releasing big ones, I do it whenever I can now. For me, it's all about food quality and protecting the stocks. When I'm catching fish to eat, I believe the big ones taste like %$%$%$%$ compared to the smaller ones. So, if I'm looking for one to grill, I'll release a bunch of 36+ inch fish in order to get a 28-32" fish. The only exception to that rule is if I gut hook or injure a bigger fish, I'll keep it if I don't think it will live if I release it. 1 at 28" baby.