Fluke Season is Open

[bhackemup]

It seems a little harsh to wish something bad on anyone who happens to have a different view on something that IS, perfectly legal. Commercial fishermen actually feed people and I would certainly prefer a fluke fillet when I go out to eat rather than a poison piece of TALAPIA!

[NoLimit]

Originally Posted by bhackemup

It seems a little harsh to wish something bad on anyone who happens to have a different view on something that IS, perfectly legal. Commercial fishermen actually feed people and I would certainly prefer a fluke fillet when I go out to eat rather than a poison piece of TALAPIA!

Sorry but you are wrong. Commercial fishermen destroy fisheries and habitat.

And there is nothing wrong with farm raised fish if it follows basic rules. Considering the prices they charge, there is no reason why they cant make perfectly edible food and they do.

[bhackemup]

I know people who show complete disdain for commercial fishermen insist that the ocean bottom is destroyed whenever a net is dragged over it. Please explain to me then why, since drag nets were first used, has the area south of the Hudson Canyon between 45 and 60 fathoms been so productive till this day during the winter months? The Klondike and Manasquan ridge get dragged every fall yet the fluke seem to hit those same spots every year. (Don't misunderstand me ...I am not a fan of roller rigs on rough bottom)

I think you might be wrong about the Talapia being safe to eat. It has been reported many times about fish food that Canada bought from China was indeed contaminated and the Talapia that comes from Vietnam is raised below the chicken coops so the waste from the chickens helps feed the fish and saves them from having to dispose of that waste. (did not figure out how to attach article from the Post yet, but I'll work on it some more?)

[NoLimit]

Originally Posted by bhackemup

I know people who show complete disdain for commercial fishermen insist that the ocean bottom is destroyed whenever a net is dragged over it. Please explain to me then why, since drag nets were first used, has the area south of the Hudson Canyon between 45 and 60 fathoms been so productive till this day during the winter months? The Klondike and Manasquan ridge get dragged every fall yet the fluke seem to hit those same spots every year. (Don't misunderstand me ...I am not a fan of roller rigs on rough bottom)I think you might be wrong about the Talapia being safe to eat. It has been reported many times about fish food that Canada bought from China was indeed contaminated and the Talapia that comes from Vietnam is raised below the chicken coops so the waste from the chickens helps feed the fish and saves them from having to dispose of that waste. (did not figure out how to attach article from the Post yet, but I'll work on it some more?)

1) Off shore dragging is productive? Nothing has happened to whiting and ling or fluke or flounder? If you believe that, I have a nice new bridge in Highlands to sell you.

2) That Tilapia scare mongering is BS. Half a billion pounds of Tilapia is consumed every year and it has the commercial fishing industry running scared because it is so successful. 99.9% is perfectly good for you and some say it is the perfect farm fish.

Scaring people about Tilapia might increase the demand for commercially dragged fish but not for long. The draggers are putting themselves out of business and farmed fish will more than take up the slack. Hopefully it will allow whiting, ling, fluke, flounder, weaks, etc to come back from near extinction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/sc...o7xY1PGqQ&_r=0

[Blackfish Doug]

Originally Posted by NoLimit

1) Off shore dragging is productive? Nothing has happened to whiting and ling or fluke or flounder? If you believe that, I have a nice new bridge in Highlands to sell you.

. Hopefully it will allow whiting, ling, fluke, flounder, weaks, etc to come back from near extinction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/sc...o7xY1PGqQ&_r=0

First lets start with Whiting the biggest problem is cannibalism about the same time the Whiting disappeared is when Giant Tuna fishing was reduced to the levels they are today. The Whiting we catch used to show up at Scotland & Ambrose channels during December taking the Labrador current south right into the heart of Giant Tuna,Dogfish big huge southbound Bluefish. & please don't forget the Whales they are good for how many pounds a fish a day & there's no balance of nature for the big predators. Big fish eat small fish & when there's no more bait they eat whatever is in their way. Even the Mackerel used to be chased up north by the Bluefish only to settle in to be Tuna,Whale,Seal & dogfish bait. Ask anybody who fish's up north they will tell you the Herring are wiped out in about a month by the predators then they seek out whatever is in their way.
The Ling are no longer a winter fishery but a summer one. I have no problem getting my fill of Ling fishing during the summer months. Even the Flounder as well The last couple of summers I had the best Ling & Flounder fishing I had in quite some time. This is my opinion but I'm going on a theory I feel it has a lot to do with our storm drain runoffs. Our fertilizers are much better today growing up as a kid all we used was horse manure now we use chemicals.Did you ever notice how bad our Algae blooms are after a runoff. Plus Calcium Chloride it began to be used during the late 70's when I was a kid all we used was rock salt. Once our snow melts off & goes into our bays the bottom temps get outright frigid. That's why the bay Flounder fishing does not get real good until late April into May.
As far as Fluke is concerned it's NJ size limit if it was 17" nobody would be crying over how many fish they got & would be bragging about getting limits again. Yes we do get a good share of 18" fish or better but our average size fish is about 17". Going by your screen name it seems that Limits are very important to you. Maybe you should fish with some of our many fine sponsors who will increase your chances of getting your limits. I'm not trying to knock you in any way but if it's limits your looking for that's the way I would go.
I honestly feel the fishing has improved quite a bit & last year was one of my best years down here in NJ. I don't Fluke fish anymore but I did see quite a few 10lb plus fish that were caught & released by our sponsors.

And if your looking to buy a bridge I got the Brooklyn Bridge for sale being I'm originally from Brooklyn. Plus the Striper fishing under that bridge is off the charts I even caught quite a few Fluke & Flounder nearby as well.

[RussH]

I can't find it now and honestly it may have been produced by terrorist group like PETA but I once watched a before and after video of what a trawler does to the bottom and even if it was one hundred percent exaggerated it still would be absolutely horrible.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Blackfish Doug

First lets start with Whiting the biggest problem is cannibalism about the same time the Whiting disappeared is when Giant Tuna fishing was reduced to the levels they are today. The Whiting we catch used to show up at Scotland & Ambrose channels during December taking the Labrador current south right into the heart of Giant Tuna,Dogfish big huge southbound Bluefish. & please don't forget the Whales they are good for how many pounds a fish a day & there's no balance of nature for the big predators. Big fish eat small fish & when there's no more bait they eat whatever is in their way. Even the Mackerel used to be chased up north by the Bluefish only to settle in to be Tuna,Whale,Seal & dogfish bait. Ask anybody who fish's up north they will tell you the Herring are wiped out in about a month by the predators then they seek out whatever is in their way.
The Ling are no longer a winter fishery but a summer one. I have no problem getting my fill of Ling fishing during the summer months. Even the Flounder as well The last couple of summers I had the best Ling & Flounder fishing I had in quite some time. This is my opinion but I'm going on a theory I feel it has a lot to do with our storm drain runoffs. Our fertilizers are much better today growing up as a kid all we used was horse manure now we use chemicals.Did you ever notice how bad our Algae blooms are after a runoff. Plus Calcium Chloride it began to be used during the late 70's when I was a kid all we used was rock salt. Once our snow melts off & goes into our bays the bottom temps get outright frigid. That's why the bay Flounder fishing does not get real good until late April into May.
As far as Fluke is concerned it's NJ size limit if it was 17" nobody would be crying over how many fish they got & would be bragging about getting limits again. Yes we do get a good share of 18" fish or better but our average size fish is about 17". Going by your screen name it seems that Limits are very important to you. Maybe you should fish with some of our many fine sponsors who will increase your chances of getting your limits. I'm not trying to knock you in any way but if it's limits your looking for that's the way I would go.
I honestly feel the fishing has improved quite a bit & last year was one of my best years down here in NJ. I don't Fluke fish anymore but I did see quite a few 10lb plus fish that were caught & released by our sponsors.

And if your looking to buy a bridge I got the Brooklyn Bridge for sale being I'm originally from Brooklyn. Plus the Striper fishing under that bridge is off the charts I even caught quite a few Fluke & Flounder nearby as well.

I dunno BD... With all due respect, I must say, I don't buy any of that... Ling numbers are WAY down.. Yes they have become a summer fishery, but when I was in my 20's and 30's we caught them all year and they were always abundant in the extreme whenever you wanted them.. just had to fish deeper in mid summer and dead of winter some years.. I can see your theory and I think I understand where you are going with it, but I guess can't think in color the way you can.. My theory is more in black and white-, The species mentioned have become less numerous because people have caught and eaten too many for too long, and have killed too many of their young "incidentally" by dragging weighted nets across their habitat mile after mile year after year, decade after decade..bob

[Ry609]

You couldn't pay me enough to eat tilapia. Google the conditions they're raised in, the amount of antibiotics they pump into them to keep them disease free, and you won't eat it anymore either. Disgusting conditions.

gentlemen,I have been fishing these waters for over68 years and have a great memory.I could bore all of you with many examples of waste and overkill,instead i will give you one example that many of you can recall.Not to many years ago when the whitting fishing was super ,there were days when we could see dead ling floating as far as the naked eye to see.All this to box a few hundred pounds of whitting.The ling would be shoveled off the decks like some kind of garbage.wonderful way to treat a great eating fish.ENOUGH SAID.CAPT.TOMMY JOSEPH

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Rightaway III

gentlemen,I have been fishing these waters for over68 years and have a great memory.I could bore all of you with many examples of waste and overkill,instead i will give you one example that many of you can recall.Not to many years ago when the whitting fishing was super ,there were days when we could see dead ling floating as far as the naked eye to see.All this to box a few hundred pounds of whitting.The ling would be shoveled off the decks like some kind of garbage.wonderful way to treat a great eating fish.ENOUGH SAID.CAPT.TOMMY JOSEPH

What really is ridiculous is the fact that Ling are way better eating than Whiting.. both are very good of course, but I think most will agree that Ling is better.. Whiting "look" better on ice, and probably keep a little better I would imagine.. yes, i remember the days of thousands upon thousands of dead ling of all sizes after the "fishermen" came through with their damn nets.