Is the water just REALLY cold this year??

[bulletbob]

I keep seeing in the reports about the party boat fluke fisherman are getting some ling with their fluke.. er umm,, ok,

Then I read about how the bluefish boats are loading up on big mackerel as well..
ok....

Then I read some great reports from capt Sal about really hot striper action... In August... DAYTIME in august...

I dunno, I live hundreds of miles from the shore and am certainly out of the loop, but in all the decades I lived and fished in Jersey, I can never recall ling being caught routinely alongside fluke, even on the hard bottom.. If one was caught, it was an oddity, not a bycatch..
Also, since when are Atlantic Mackerel found alongside schools of blues in NJ in August.. Shouldn't they be in the harbors in Maine , or Newfoundland this time of year?..

Lastly, I enjoy reading capt sal's reports, and he is obviously a very capable charter captain that knows his fish and fishery.. where, when and how..
However, in NJ stripers in August were typically a night time fishery, for those that knew where they were, and how to catch them.. Busting on top during daylight was always a may/June type of thing..
Even capt sal seems at least a little surprised these bass are so active in daylight in august..
I dunno, maybe I am wrong but the water simply must be considerably cooler than normal if we are seeing ling caught with fluke in 50 FOW, and massive schools of macks a few miles off... in august... where am I going wrong??/.. bob

[Dino]

personally i wouldn't try to construct a grand theory connecting a few isolated fishing reports. the ocean is a massive, complex place. fwiw i think the mackeral turning up with these small bluefish catches are chub and spanish mackerals.. not boston macks. I could be wrong though.

[BigChalupa]

About a month of so back while sharking, we had thousands of Boston macks in our chum slick all day. We could have filled the boat with them if we wanted, but only used what we needed for bait. We were fishing about 8 miles east of SRI. I've never seen them around like that before....

This was right around the time where all the Threshers were being caught...Coincidence? I think not....

[Capt. Debbie]

Not sure. Omplex is the word. Bait, currents.

Notice sea robbins down- fluke down? Are Sea Robbins connected to fluke? Never thought so before, but now I'm rethinking that one.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Dino

personally i wouldn't try to construct a grand theory connecting a few isolated fishing reports. the ocean is a massive, complex place. fwiw i think the mackeral turning up with these small bluefish catches are chub and spanish mackerals.. not boston macks. I could be wrong though.

I realize that of course.. However, I go from many years of experience and observation.. I doubt very highly the mackerel being caught are spanish macks.. They are much more of a game fish , and colored differently, and you typically don't catch them in big schools the same way as Atlantics,,, Chubs are small fish, yet the party boat reports guys are bailing big macks..

I never saw ling caught regularly alongside fluke inshore in any numbers at all.. Yes out in deeper waters on sea bass/ling wrecks, you would find a fluke here and there, but not on rocky bottom inshore- in lets say 60 feet or so. Those 2 species have very different temp requirements.
and stripers during the day in august?? Pretty rare in NJ, at least historically...

I could be wrong of course, you guys live there, I don't, but it does seem odd to me...bob

[MrAC1980]

I was out on Friday before the storm and 10 miles out we had 76 degree water! Then when we hit the bay it dropped down to 67!! Couldn't believe it!

[tropics]

Must be the south wind, even the water in my pool is cold.

[NoLimit]

Global Warming!!

[reason162]

Originally Posted by NoLimit

Global Warming!!

Climate change.

["Reef Donkey"]

Originally Posted by tropics

Must be the south wind, even the water in my pool is cold.

That was funny..