Cape Cod Sport Fishing Species, Fish Caught Off Stellwagen Bank

The best identifier is huge size, since small Bluefins have always been almost non-existent in Florida and the tropics. The massive body is dark blue above, shading to silvery on the lower sides. All fins and finlets are steely blue.

In the north bluefin tuna occupy all waters as far north as Nova Scotia south right down the Atlantic coast along Cape Cod down to Virginia. Historically, both sides of the Bahamas, plus Gulf of Mexico and, sporadically, the Caribbean. Occasional wayward schools would sweep past Southeast Florida in past years. Now scarce everywhere, a sport-fishery still exists in the Bahamas, primarily around Cat Cay and Bimini, but it is paltry compared to the years before commercial fishing ruined the stocks.

Too good for its own good. The Giant Bluefin is one of the most desired species in Japan, and in sushi bars worldwide. Also excellent when cut into steaks and broiled.

A spirited fighter on light tackle. Makes faster runs than other Jacks, and sometimes jumps, too. This is the toughest of all big-game fish to fight and land; has size, speed and stamina in boundless quantity. In classic Tuna fishing, the searching, chasing and baiting of the Tuna schools was as exciting as the fight, if not as punishing.

The deep sea.

Bluefish are a greenish-blue with a silvery-white belly, and dark fins, except for the pelvic fins, which are whitish in color, and a black spot at the base of the pectoral fins. They have long and slender bodies covered in small scales. Their large mouths are lined with exceptionally sharp teeth. There are two dorsal fins, one anal fin and a forked tail fin. The small front dorsal fin has 6 to 8 spines whereas the back dorsal fin has 1 and the anal has 2. The anal and the back dorsal both have 23- to 28 soft rays.

Bluefish are found in the coastal regions of the Atlantic Ocean. They are commonly encountered from Maine to Argentina, and from the Mediterranean and Black Sea to South Africa. In the Western Hemisphere, they are more commonly seen along the mid-Atlantic U.S. states.

Bluefish are voracious feeders that hunt for prey in large schools. They will eat almost anything smaller than them including other bluefish. However, they typically feed mainly on baitfish, crustaceans and shrimp. When a food source is located, an entire school of bluefish will often go into a feeding frenzy. The larger the school of bluefish the smaller the fish will be, while a smaller school will have bigger bluefish.

Bluefish are one of the most popular game fish on the Atlantic Coast, mainly due to their savage strikes, strong fighting ability and their tendency to be caught in great numbers when a school is found. They seem to be in constant motion, moving between inshore and offshore in search of a diverse forage base. Therefore, they are caught by pier fisherman, surf anglers, and from party boats and smaller inshore vessels. Finding schools of bluefish is the challenge. Anywhere birds are circling or diving to capture surfacing baitfish, there is a good chance bluefish are nearby. Also, when a school of bluefish is ambushing a school of baitfish, splashes and boils on the surface can be seen and cast to.

Bluefish can be found in warm to temperate waters and warmwater currents, preferably not less than 60 F, along rocky coasts and rough waters. The adult bluefish prefer deeper waters whereas the younger fish tend to inhabit shallower habitat, such as bays and estuaries. Winter brings the fish south to Florida, and in the spring they stay around Virginia, and they venture north to the New England states and Canada during summer.

Cod are easily distinguished from most other marine fish by their three rounded dorsal fins and two anal fins that are mirror images of the second and third dorsals. They also have a prominent barbel ("whisker") on the chin. Atlantic cod occasionally reach lengths in excess of 5 to 6 feet. Off shore cod tend to be larger than inshore ones, the former frequently reaching sizes of 25 pounds and 40 to 42 inches in length while the latter usually weigh 6 to 12 pounds and measure 27 to 34 inches in length.

The Atlantic Cod is native to most of the North Atlantic Ocean. In the northwest Atlantic it inhabits waters from western Greenland south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is most abundant from the coast of northern Labrador to the Nantucket Shoals region off Massachusetts.

The smaller bottom dwelling cod feed mainly upon small crustaceans such as shrimp and amphipods. Adults will eat almost anything small enough to fit into their mouths, including clams, cockles, mussels and other mollusks, as well as crabs, lobsters and sea urchins. Adults also pursue schooling fish, eating substantial numbers of herring, capelin, shad, mackerel, silver hake, young haddock and other species. Voraciously pursuing a variety of potential food, cod will occasionally dine upon some very exotic items; ducks, shoes, jewelry and rope have been found in the stomachs of captured cod.

Atlantic cod live in a variety of habitats but generally are found at depths of 200 to 360 feet and in temperatures ranging from 34 to 46 degrees F in the summer and a depths of 295 to 440 feet and in temperatures of 36 to 39 F in the winter. They are seldom found deeper than 660 feet. Cod undergo seasonal migrations in the more northerly and southerly reaches of their range in the northwest Atlantic. Those fish inhabiting polar waters in the summer and autumn migrate to more southerly and deeper waters in winter and spring, while fish summering in Nantucket Shoals region overwinter along the New Jersey coast. Fish inhabiting the region between coastal Nova Scotia and Cape Cod do not exhibit predictable seasonal migrations. Some move considerable distances in search of food or in response to overcrowding at certain spawning grounds, but generally adults remain within limited areas of uniform physical conditions. Cod do not swim about in large schools but they do travel in small groups when searching for food.

The haddock, like the closely related cod, are easily distinguished from other coastal Massachusetts fish by their three dorsal and two anal fins. The front dorsal fin is triangular in shape and taller than the following two. The posterior two are squarish, the middle dorsal being slightly larger than the last. Of the two anal fins, the second or posterior one is a mirror image of the third dorsal fin. Haddock can be distinguished from the other closely related members of the cod family by a black lateral line and a large spot on each side of the body over the pectoral fins. The largest recorded haddock weighed 37 pounds and measured 44 inches in length. Few haddock exceed 20 to 24 inches in length, 3 to 5 pounds in weight and 9 to 10 years old.

The haddock, a member of the cod family, inhabits both the American and European coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. In the northwest Atlantic, it ranges from the southern end of the Grand Banks to Cape Cod in the summer and it extends its range southward to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in the winter.

Before descending to the ocean floor, larval haddock feed upon microscopic copepods. Bottom dwelling juveniles and adults feed upon almost any slow moving invertebrate including small crabs, sea worms, clams, starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and occasionally squid. Herring, sand lance, small eels or other young fish only rarely occur in their diet.

Anglers pursue this deep water species from private, charter or party boats. A medium action 8 foot boat rod with a fast acting tip is recommended. A sensitive rod is necessary to feel the light bumps the haddock creates when it grabs a baited hook. Forty pound test monofilament line on a high speed conventional reel is recommended. Heavy line is necessary even though the haddock is a modest sized species because anglers fishing in deep waters cannot predict what other larger fish might grab the line.

A typical haddock rig consists of the following. A swivel (to prevent twisting) is tied to one end of a 4 foot piece of 50 pound test leader material. A bank sinker is looped to the other end of the leader. Number 6/0 or smaller hooks, with a short piece of yellow surge wound over their shanks are attached to the leader by two 6 to 10 inch "droppers" or loops. Ten to 20 ounces of sinker are needed to hold the rig on the bottom, depending upon currents and depths. A small piece of clam or squid is very successful.

After the baited rig is lowered to the bottom, all slack should be retrieved. Unlike the cod, which gives a sharp yank, haddock bite in series of small bumps. These slight taps can best be felt if the line is held between the thumb and finger. Because haddock have soft mouths, they are easily lost if not properly played after being hooked. When a haddock taps the bait, the hook should be set easily with a steady pull rather than a jerk, and the fish should be steadily retrieved without pumping the rod.

Haddock inhabit deep, cool waters, rarely entering estuaries or river mouths. They are primarily found at depths of 140 to 450 feet and generally avoid depths less than 30. Haddock prefer substrates of gravel, smooth rock, or sand littered with shells and water temperatures of 35 to 50 degrees F. They migrate seasonally to areas that provide optimal habitat conditions. In winter, haddock move to deep water where temperature is warmer and more constant than that in shallower areas. Most overwinter offshore from southern New Jersey to Cape Hatteras. By early spring they seek more northerly areas of New England, moving into shallower waters of the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, where they remain all summer.