Steeplechase Pier,

Steeplechase pier was one of the best fishing spots when I was a kid. We lived only 3 subway stops from CI so I'd go with my dad in the dead of winter, at night, get under one of the street lamps , 4 hooks with spearing, drop straight down and almost immediately get 4 whiting. We didn't stay long, too cold. But we caught enough whiting for a few meals. And were they delicious. Gone are the days.

that pier surely has bragging rights to big and a lot of fish… unlike the piers I know of near Fort Lauderdale, isn’t a need to cast out far at the T end, it’s deep…
Yes, whiting in the 70’s was the thing, where’d they go.!!! cellfish…
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Actually, I was thinking of whiting in the late 50's and early 60's. In 1970, I was already 22 years old, in college with no time for fishing. Where'd they go? I seem to remember something about the Russian fleet cleaning out our waters. I'm told the same thing happened to the herring. Funny thing - I was on a party boat a few years back and we were fishing for tog out at 17. I caught a whiting and all the mates gathered around asking me what kind of fish that was. They had no idea.

Ya know, whiting is very similar to northern king fish , whiting were good, heads off, floured & fried, lemon ? twist… yummy…

Exactly the way my mother prepared them. Best part was the way the spine lifted right out. No small bones.

Exactly the way my mother prepared them. Best part was the way the spine lifted right out. No small bones.

Korean fish markets sell em on the bone, but the phrase of Baseball Bat Whiting is no longer…
I was in Madrid / Barcelona, I do recall very big whiting in markets and stacks of baccala… cellfish…
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I can still taste them. One night, I couldn't even get a bite. An old Italian man was fishing next to me and my Dad and he was bailing them. He looked at my rig and said,"son, you have the wrong hooks. You have hooks with an offset. That makes the spearing hang funny. So he re-rigged me with 4 of his hooks with no offset. I literally filled my bucket in half an hour. I miss those days.

Jaws, it’s in the memory banks… ✔️ very sweet, texture really nice.. sheepshead bay Party Boats sailed for em, LING TOO…

Plenty of whiting up North......Taken last August out of New Hampshire

Yep. That's the size we used to catch right off the pier. Oh, for the days.

Yep. That's the size we used to catch right off the pier. Oh, for the days.

Chinatown. Whiting, $1.49 / lb…
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