New Long Branch Fishing Pier

[dales529]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

The part no one will want to believe is those whiting were caught in the first week of May , not the typical time they were fished for .

Seems ling fishery that also was a favorite wintertime fishery even only back 12 years or so is also a much better spring fishery now

All the talk of everything moving north doesn’t fit that timeline .

So next question is why such a shift of seasons .
Is it because they are here more than we think ? And actually left alone by the commercial guys who are usually targeting a different species then .

And is the amount of ling and whiting around in May, June really why the giants have been back here at that same time frame .

If no one targets them , no one knows they are there !

.

Good point about no one targeting them often enough. Hard to say why the seasons changed but nature has a way of taking care of itself regardless of what we do as recreational / not always in the case of huge exploitation by commercial.
Trying to find an interesting article I recently read about the lower levels as in the prey for most species: Sandeels, Sardines, Herring, Shrimp, even Krill and how they have changed their patterns based on water quality, temps etc.
Not always about the target species we go after and their habits but the habits of what they eat.

[Broad Bill]

Originally Posted by dales529

Not always about the target species we go after and their habits but the habits of what they eat.

I think that's true in most all cases and with most all species. Even on open ground, if there's forage you'll find predators. If fish seek colder water, they don't have to travel north, they can just as easily make a slight shift east in our local waters to find temps they're comfortable with and off course forage.

[tautog]

If there is any number of whiting around in the spring and early summer, that are not anywhere that I've fished. I bottom fish all year from 25 feet to 300 feet and am lucky to catch a half dozen a year, mostly spikes. Ling fishing has become pathetic as well. If sea bass was open all summer, ling just might bounce back a bit.