[drew51]

You can't prune off new growth, new growth is new growth is new growth. What is stated above certainly is not how figs grow.

I have over 50 fig trees here in Michigan and have been growing them for 5 years. New wood is new wood. You can prune now and may lose breba crop, but no matter how much you prune off, you will still get 2nd or main crop figs. I had nubs produce figs. Some of my trees are in high demand to growers and I have cut them to a stump to supply wood. They will grow back and produce figs the next spring. This last year we had early fall freezes and late spring freezes. This damaged much wood on figs across the country. Not just figs I might add. Many growers have late figs, or even no figs this year. due to the damage. My guess if you had problems this year, join the club so did everybody else. I'm picking more unripe figs off my trees than I ever had in the last 5 years. No big deal we all start over now, and it's fig tree pruning season. If you grow to produce breba do not prune, but if you wish to shape your tree you can prune now. But I advise pruning in late winter or early spring where the lows of the year are done. Pruning can lower hardiness. But many fig owners prune now to prep tree for wrapping if in ground in zones 5-8. Figs seem to do OK keeping hardiness. I'm still am wary so prune early spring. Some debate on how pruning affects hardiness in figs. No debate in stone fruit or pom fruit, do not prune now! Prune just before dormancy break. Cherry trees should be pruned mid-summer only, when as dry as possible. You can prune before dormancy break, but some risk of fungal infections. I grow all of this fruit too for the last 8 years. Growing some fruit for over 40 years, like grapes.

Back to figs, in zones 5-8 most do not grow for breba. Buds are easily cold damaged and production is unreliable. Some keep a few known varieties for producing breba fig trees to produce more breba but in general we grow in these zones for the new wood crop or main crop.
Any breba is a bonus.

Father's Daughter got it 100% correct, no more needs to be said. If production is a problem you need to look for growing problems, figs should produce. I just wanted to let all know this was a bad year for figs due to the freezes I mentioned. So not a typical fig year. Growing fruit correctly takes years and years sometimes to know what and how to produce large harvests. The school of hard knocks is the best teacher.