Keeping busy

[lingding]

With the current weather the way its been, I:):) have been busy taking squirrel hake in lower NY bay. I know you fellas will say they are ling, but they are only a cousin, - and not as good eating, but Ok in the pan.

Thought you all would get a kick out of seeing this illusive species as they are in the middle of a very strong run.

[bulletbob]

I think you are incorrect... Those are not squirrel hake which are what most of us call ling.. Look at the unusual "dotted"lateral line, and smaller mouth. Those are Southern Hake.

We also see some red hake mixed in with squirrel hake, and we typically lump them all together as ling.. What you seem to have there is a catch of Southern Hake.. Look them up.. they are more of a bay fish than squirrel or red hake are, and we see them around here spring and fall some years.. I have caught them years ago in Great Bay in Tuckerton., and although they are similar to ling, they were NOT the same... I have also read guys say they have caught "spotted hake" in NY/NJ in shallow water... Might be they are the same fish, not sure, but I always thought Spotted Hake were only in very deep water.. bob

[mike1010]

At the risk of hijacking this thread, I want to say that I'm a strong believer in using accurate names; it avoids confusion. Some folks here write about "giant sea bass" when referring to our offshore big knuckleheads, but giant sea bass are actually a different species not found in the Atlantic. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_sea_bass. "Jumbo sea bass" would be accurate for what we have. Or maybe BFBSB (big freaking black sea bass).

[lingding]

Bob, Thanks for the clarity on the name, "southern hake". These fish seem to be on the upswing over the past few years in our area. I wonder is this is a shift in their migration habits due to warmer waters.

[bulletbob]

Bob, Thanks for the clarity on the name, "southern hake". These fish seem to be on the upswing over the past few years in our area. I wonder is this is a shift in their migration habits due to warmer waters.

Just to clarify, I am not absolutely 100 % certain they are Southern Hake, but I am pretty sure, as I had caught a few in the past, and always thought thats what they were.. They have some different features from the fish we normally call "LING" which I always thought were squirrel or red hake..
The distinctive spotted lateral line, smaller mouth and smaller size are pretty good indicators.. I have only caught them in pretty shallow water under about 25 feet.. It was interesting that you wrote they weren't as good to eat as Ling..Thats not the first time I had read that... They are not commonly caught , but I would bet many that are caught are simply thought of as ling... My brother saw what he called a "dead ling" in the Hackensack River years ago.. I would bet if it wasn't a Tom Cod, it was the species you caught.... bob