Flounder & Whiting.......... They're biting!

[OVERBORED]

Might be extinct on Long Island but there's a different world up north...
Busy - Eastman's Docks Busy - Eastman's Docks

 

[captmike28]

Might be extinct on Long Island but there's a different world up north...
Busy - Eastman's Docks Busy - Eastman's Docks

Whiting are not quite "extinct" in our area but most of the fish we have seen as a by-catch lately are too small to eat. However, they do make excellent strip baits for Fluke!

What I find particularly interesting is that for many years we only saw them in the 100' depths south of Montauk on our Fluke trips but for the last 2 years there have been quite a few caught as shallow as 65'.

I also reported last spring on a couple trips in Plum Gut I witnessed the Stripers spitting up small Whiting, something I have never seen in over 60 years fishing the LI Sound. Maybe there is hope for a comeback of this tasty fish in our local waters.

Also makes me question even more the supposed "global warming" claims. Must be some really cold currents near the bottom to keep the Whiting around.

 

[Nontypical]

A friend told me that the limit of fluke they caught this week were feeding on Whiting. Somewhere east of Orient.

 

[Roccus7]

Have to light a fire under my NH friend to splash his new boat. I'm up for a flounder run for sure!!

 

[captmike28]

A friend told me that the limit of fluke they caught this week were feeding on Whiting. Somewhere east of Orient.

Somewhere "east of Orient"?? I assume that means long before you reach Europe, correct?

 

[Nontypical]

Somewhere "east of Orient"?? I assume that means long before you reach Europe, correct?

I would hope so . That was the information given to me, word for word… I did not ask too many questions.

 

[OVERBORED]

Whiting are not quite "extinct" in our area but most of the fish we have seen as a by-catch lately are too small to eat. However, they do make excellent strip baits for Fluke!

What I find particularly interesting is that for many years we only saw them in the 100' depths south of Montauk on our Fluke trips but for the last 2 years there have been quite a few caught as shallow as 65'.

I also reported last spring on a couple trips in Plum Gut I witnessed the Stripers spitting up small Whiting, something I have never seen in over 60 years fishing the LI Sound. Maybe there is hope for a comeback of this tasty fish in our local waters.

Also makes me question even more the supposed "global warming" claims. Must be some really cold currents near the bottom to keep the Whiting around.

Gotta disagree but again, semantics.

As far as using the word "extinct" to describe a species, I usually refer to harvestable numbers. Seeing whiting in the belly of a Bass is an anomoly which has become more common.

That said, I believe there is and has been a good body of ling and whiting South of Block. Just a matter of spending some time finding them.

 

[captmike28]

Gotta disagree but again, semantics.

As far as using the word "extinct" to describe a species, I usually refer to harvestable numbers. Seeing whiting in the belly of a Bass is an anomoly which has become more common.

That said, I believe there is and has been a good body of ling and whiting South of Block. Just a matter of spending some time finding them.

No argument here, Overbored, about the term "extinct". Some may take the word literally, but I actually agree with you that if the numbers are so low that harvesting is almost impossible you might consider that species to be approaching extinction. Kind of like winter flounder in our NY waters. Still a handful around but who really tries for them anymore.

Regarding seeing Bass feed on Whiting, I would love to hear from others who have also seen this happen. As I commented earlier, this was a first for me so if others have observed this then perhaps there is a wider resurgence of Whiting beyond just the deep and colder waters offshore, such as south of Block.