scarce ling
 

does anyone know why the ling r so scarce, is just a cycle there going through, or to many dog fish, or r they getting killed as by catch, its getting hard to put a decent catch together

Re: scarce ling
 

Was thinking the same thing.... Last winter we had them good and now not so good. Would be interested in thoughts as well.

Re: scarce ling
 

The doggies has to be a big part of it I believe. You catch those damn things all year long now and everywhere you go. A friend of mine catches dog fish up in the Hudson.

Re: scarce ling
 

Ling don't like ultra cold water. They just like cool water. So during a warm winter, we have ling. During cold winters, we don't have many ling.

Re: scarce ling
 

I'm with Mark215, I think the overpopulation of these doggies has an impact on every fisheries juvenile fish. I guess that's why we treat them like we do when caught. ;)

Re: scarce ling
 

Nailed it, Kirk!:)

Re: scarce ling
 

An extra large pair of scissors to the nose area and they're good to go back...after their plastic surgery, **edit** those biatches!!! Let's feed the poor!!

Re: scarce ling
 

Bingo! :)

Re: scarce ling
 

the water's too cold - no scarcity just you wait and see them jumping on your hooks by the end of april :)

Re: scarce ling
 

Personally, I think ling have too much pressure these days.. That being said, I remember the "old days" 35 years ago ,when there were more ling[and whiting] than anyone today could imagine, it would slow down in late winter as well...However I recall fishing getting real slow in February and March even when there were huge populations. I recall one of the head boat captains saying they just stopped hitting when the water temps hit 36 degrees..
We have had water temps this year that are simply too cold for optimum ling fishing.. Probably best to wait for April an May before we push the panic button..
If we are still seeing catches of 2-3 ling a man when the water temps get well into the 40's, we can start worrying.. I really do fear for ling as they get pounded year round these days, mainly because other species are off limits..bob

Re: scarce ling
 

I hope the cold water theory is correct.

Until they bite again, we could all learn to clean and eat doggies!

God I hate those things. Are they still protected?

Re: scarce ling
 

As a interesting fact I looked up on the NMFSC website, on the NW Atlantic seaboard we have two stocks of Ling. Our stock we fish for is the titled "Long Island and NJ Stock" where most of the south shore of Long Island and most of NJ fishes. This stock has been in overall good shape throughout the last few years.

The other stock is the George's Bank stock and it extends from the waters off of the Gulf of Maine to Block Island/Montauk. This stock is in bad shape and is considered vulnerable by the NMFSC to future depletion. Most of this depletion has been linked to overfishing,which I believe which was mostly done by commercial draggers, unless the recreational pressure has been bad in the last years. I am not completely sure, but I think it has been mostly from the commercial fishery.

Anyway, a little info for those who did not know this.

SNAPPERHEAD

Re: scarce ling
 

to cold for just about everything right now. normally by April but this year I am guessing by may the cockolla canyon will be full of mountain trout

Re: scarce ling
 

So by too cold you mean they dont feed when it gets too cold?

Re: scarce ling
 

like people they move and adapt to conditions ... just like how now the fluke would be in the canyon ....this time of year with mid 30-40 degree water, its more a 'be happy to get out on the water and catch dinner" with ice flow moving out of the rivers , temps will be low .... but soon enough the temps will rise and the fish of all kinds will move in

Re: scarce ling
 

They go to sleep like blackfish. Don't eat very much and when they do they tend to hang on the bait.

Re: scarce ling
 

thats what i was always told, they may be there but are almost in suspended animation. once that water gets to the upper 40's or so they gone be hungreeeeeeeeeee!

Re: scarce ling
 

I can almost guarantee that by sometime in may or june when those temps in 220 or so get where they need to be the lings will be committing suicide... shallow water up by the hook? should be good by the beginning of may... ling are not in any trouble around here folks, not right now anyway...

Re: scarce ling
 

Agree.

Re: scarce ling
 

I would love to go catch fluke in the canyon!!

Re: scarce ling
 

The day is coming gentlemen when u will see magic hours bergall fishing and dogfish will be game fish

Re: scarce ling
 

I think it already is, know as "Philadelphia lobster" by some!

Re: scarce ling
 

The interesting thing about eating doggies is that the us government says that we should only eat one per month because dogfish hold high levels of mercury. Go figure.

Re: scarce ling
 

your ignorance is saddening. a philly lobster is a sea raven.bergalls are just yummy

Re: scarce ling
 

My bad I was looking at the wrong score card.:p

Re: scarce ling
 

its ok i can't be upset with you cutie pie

Re: scarce ling
 

It might be because of the run off from all the snow hopefully the cod will come in similar situation happened in 2009

Re: scarce ling
 

We beat them up in 2009 and 2010. :D Let's hope it happens this year again.

Re: scarce ling
 

My dad and I used to love fishing them in late april-mid may @ the Cedars a couple miles off sandy hook. Big ocean winter flounder and nice sized ling. I remember flounder/ling double headers. Good memories:)

Re: scarce ling
 

I guess most of you guys are too young to remember the glory days of whiting and ling fishing in the 40's, 50's, and 60's.
In those days you could literally fill up a coal bag or a bushel basket with a mixture of these fish while fishing off the surf or jetties around the Long Branch area. The Long Branch Pier (Burned down around 1985) was a mecca for whiting and ling fishing when the ocean was calm and a light NW wind kept it flat. The guys literally fished 3 deep at the railings. It was a mad house out there.

Then sometime in the late 70's, I believe, the federal fisheries guys determined that this great fishery was under utilized, and that it would be both politically and financially beneficial to open up the fishery to the Russian and Eastern European factory ships. In a few years you couldn't catch a whiting or ling along the Jersey coast. They were essentially wiped out until the federal guys put a stop to it. I think they assumed the the fishery would recover without the factory ship pressure. In the 40 years since, maybe it has slightly recovered, but it never became fully restored and I don't think it ever will.

Denny

Re: scarce ling
 

Denny,

FYI the pier burned down in June of 87' and it was a travesty when that happened and it's a shame they never rebuilt it. I wish I enjoyed the fishery there (born in the mid 70's) when it was in it's hey-day!

Ling fishing was different "back then" as ling were viewed by many (and many old timers see it the same way now) as trash fish. But we caught ling until the 80's right inshore with the whiting when they schooled up, just #'s were less. Ling are now mostly a deep water fishery and I haven't seen a ling in on the beach in years... :(

Whiting are on the rebound, somewhat. Rebound is a term used loosely here. There have been a good deal of whiting the past few summers out to the east, mostly spikes, but we've seen some bigger ones and we've even caught some while fluke fishing. But, the traditional late fall, winter stuff we know years ago is long gone like you said.....

Re: scarce ling
 

I think the whiting are a lost cause. There are some ling at times and it is ok. Both are in trouble more so the whiting! I see no rebound in twenty & years with whiting. I have mates that would not know a whiting if they caught it.They are still netting them and you see the ''spikes'' in the fish market.


We did let the Russians devastate our cold water bottom fish. Problem is our own commercial guys pounded it to extinction also and will keep anything and everything as long as it has a price on it's head. The only reason there are some whiting in Mass. is because the netters target cod. If there were no cod there would be no whiting there. We do not have enough cod in NJ to net so they are not a target. I wish that the younger generation could enjoy what we older fisherman had in the winter ''inshore'' fishery but I see no light at the end of the tunnel. Whiting are not protected in any way,shape, or form and never will be !

Re: scarce ling
 

amazing the stir mountaintrout are causing lol come May 90% of anglers will forget they exist meanwhile i will be killing 400 with Hank & company

Re: scarce ling
 

The foreign fleets only started the carnage in places like red square !
Anyone like me who voted for the. 200 mile limit back in the day screwed themselves totally !
Took the foreign boats off the scene & let R commercial fleet run rampant with virtually no impunity!
If u fished giants in the day like I did u will vividly remember all the floaters in back of draggers , hel we would scoop up plenty to add to r chum slicks .
I vividly rememberi in the fifties, sixties the bags of ling
g taken I the spring at the Cedars . The fall whiting run was awesome insight of the Scotland & Ambrose lightships ! Winter Shrewsbury rocks 17 , Cholera , Farms & many more held nice quantities of Cod. .
Given what's going on ow I don't envision any type comeback soon!
Just glad I fished through this period on many old style PB's that most don't even know existed !!

Re: scarce ling
 

Maybe it was a fluke while drifting, but early last flattie season we switched over to ling we were getting so many...small cod and pollock and had a number of buddies come back with decent size whiting in less than 50'- like I said: maybe it was a fluke:rolleyes:

Re: scarce ling
 

You, Orr and myself will be going wild while Danny is shaking his head at us.

Re: scarce ling
 

There's only 2 whiting left in the Atlantic Ocean. They have JMurr's name written all over them :D

Re: scarce ling
 

Most people think that trout fishing opens in early April...WRONG? Our trout season opens up when Hank takes us out to the canyon that we all know and love!!! Cockola Canyon!!!!

Re: scarce ling
 

April 27th bring your gulp shrimps

Re: scarce ling
 

Like this?:confused: