A real winter?

[Detour66]

So far it looks like we will be having something that resembles a winter that we haven't seen in awhile. Although I am not a fan of the cold at this point I am hoping it brings us some good inshore spring fishing for cod, ling, snowshoe flounder,small pollack, whiting and boston macks. It would be nice. Plus on the FW side some ice fishing. We will see! Stay warm and Happy New Year!

[togzilla]

Let's hope so. Already hit the hard water once back on the Dec. 27th and plan to do more now that we have plenty of safe ice!

[bulletbob]

I dunno .. Not sure I agree with your theory.. Most of the species you listed have preferred water temp in the mid 40' to low 50's.. All cold water species.. the water temp dropping down into say the upper 30's for a couple months isn't going to drive new fish into the area.. Years go when the ocean was full of Whiting/Ling/Flounder Mackerel, when the water temp in mid winter would drop under 40 degrees, the Ling/Whiting bite inshore got slower. I think the fish simply went further offshore out of reach in those days for most party boats. Back in the 70's I recall reading in NJ Fisherman, that 39 degrees was the "cut off point'. Once it got lower than 39 degrees, winter fishing slowed down.. Maybe , maybe not.. One thing I am sure of- a cold hard winter with very low water temps in winter is not going to magically bring in fish that simply don't exist any more come spring.. I think the reason we no longer have a good winter/early spring fishery is because the fish were killed and eaten. .. long ago... Colder water won't bring fish in that just aren't there any longer... Thats kind of blaming "climate change", and I won't comment on that debacle one way or another.

Yes, it might help winter ice fishermen, but personally, in hard hit lakes I welcome warm winters so that ice fishermen can't clean the fish out.. Get 50-60 fishermen out on a small lake every weekend day all winter, and they can put a big dent in populations of Panfish... Fish get hit harder every year, with ever improving access, baits,lures and electronics by more and more very efficient anglers, and could use a break once in a while...

[Duffman]

What the hell is a Boston Mack?

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Duffman

What the hell is a Boston Mack?

Plain old Atlantic Mackerel.. back in the day, a lot of NJ party boat anglers called them Boston Mackerel, or Boston Macks... These days i don't see that term used very often, and typically its old timers like me that might use it these days... bob

[Gerry Zagorski]

Navesink is frozen over and certain parts of the Shrewsbury are too. I can remember some time ago when it froze solid from the tip of Sandy Hook all the way over to the end of the Earle Weapons Peer..

This from Kevin/ Islander at Leonardo State Marina a day or two ago...

[Ol Pedro]

Originally Posted by Duffman

What the hell is a Boston Mack?

That's my wife's Uncle .

[Duffman]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Plain old Atlantic Mackerel.. back in the day, a lot of NJ party boat anglers called them Boston Mackerel, or Boston Macks... These days i don't see that term used very often, and typically its old timers like me that might use it these days... bob

LMAO. Yes Bob I know, just being facetious. You ain’t the only old timer here

[AndyS]

Whiting, yes, the old magic hours trips on the Norma K III back in the 70's.

[Pennsy Guy]

I always thought a Boston Mack was a larger mackerel, at least that's what we called them, not the smaller ones--they were just mackerel (to be scorned when catching them). Always wanting the Bostons. Damn, I miss those runs of yesteryear.