Think we will see Whiting in our lifetime?

[shtriton207]

i too remember the long branch pier , 3-9 magic trips, buckets of whiting and made a tradition every friday after thanksgiving going out on the paramount ii for the afternoon 1/2 day trip it was the first party boat i went on that had heated rails

[Inishmore3]

About four years ago on the Voyager offshore sea bass trip I caught two nice size whiting. I had forgotten what they looked like.

For those who fish Long Beach Island you would remember the whiting trips on the DM out of Barnegat Light. Folks would get off the boat and drop them off in Tucketon to get them smoked. The next weekend they would drop off a fresh batch of whiting and pick up their catch from the week before.

The Norma K did those trips as well? I forget.

[Reel Class]

I remember the NK doing 2 half days and a half night trip even during whiting season - the only boats in Manasquan Inlet that did magic hours (that I remember!) were the Dauntless and jamaica... I could be wrong!

[kevin kovach]

caught these on the voyager couple years ago


http://www.voyagerfishing.com/html/2008-1_34.html

[billfish16]

pics of LB pier from njscuba.net. Over the years I spent many days and evenings(for Whiting) on that pier.

http://njscuba.net/sites/site_long_branch.html

Bill

[Leif]

Originally Posted by billfish16

pics of LB pier from njscuba.net. Over the years I spent many days and evenings(for Whiting) on that pier.

http://njscuba.net/sites/site_long_branch.html

Bill

I remember Billy! I remember! I'll take 2 whole mackerel wrapped in newspaper..

Whiting and ling under the lights of the Long Branch peir..

Leif

[billfish16]

Here is another pic of the pier.

[frugalfisherman]

Best I could do

[Blind Archer]

I grew up on the LB pier in the 50's and 60's and some 70's. The first fish of the year board in the tackle shop (which I made in 1962 for a striper, ironically I was fishing with herring strips for whiting) . 75 cents got you bait and a day's fishin. I owned the baseball home run derby pinball on really cold nights. George's clam chowder is still the standard I use. Having to "earn" your way onto the NE corner with the regulars as a kid was no small accomplishment. Once there, the old timers considered you one of their own. Offers of a whiskey spiked coffee "warmin-up" to a twelve year old wasn't even given a second thought. Gone are the days of whiting on the shore. I witnessed first hand, as many have, offshore, miles of juvenile spikes and ling floating and dying behind multiple trawlers . Were the nets full or were these crushed before getting squeezed through the large mesh? This waste is out of control. Larger mesh only works in the early set. Once the floor is covered everything gets pressed in. It's my belief that the winter fisheries we grew up with don't stand much of a chance of returning even with tighter restrictions imposed.
Global warming will move everything north, just as the southern summer fish species we see now in numbers.

[SaltLife1980]

All the older guys did work on them back in the day.. I dont think we will see them back as thick as they used to be.. Last year we picked up one while fishing.. was the first one i had ever seen in real life. My dad has pics of him out on my great grand fathers charter boat " Tillie" with more whiting then u could count