Expert-Guided Inshore Fishing in Old Orchard Beach

Atlantic Cod

Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Fish Description

The Atlantic Cod (Gadus Morhua) is a popular saltwater gamefish that can easily recognizable with the white lateral lines that run across each side of the length of its body. It has a rather disproportionately big head, a blunt nose, and a distinctive barbel (a sort of a whisker much like on a catfish) just underneath its lower lip. Its color usually depends on its habitat and can range from light yellowish-green to red and olive. It is covered with uneven spots in most parts of its body—including the head, tail and fins—except its belly, which is often light colored.

Atlantic Cods usually spawn between the months of January and April. The females can produce a whopping number of eggs of up to five million eggs per spawning season. When the eggs hatch, the young cods would just drift in the open ocean, feeding mostly on small crustaceans. When they reach adulthood, they would switch their diet to smaller fishes including herring, capelin, and sand eels; although they would still eat crabs, shrimps, and worms on occasion.

As one of the most popular fish used for food, the Atlantic Cod is widely targeted around the Atlantic—from the east coast in North America to Greenland, Iceland, as well along the coasts of western Europe—by both commercial and recreational fishers. Because of its delicate flavor and moist, flaky texture, its lean meat is regarded as one of the best. Unfortunately, this fish species has been heavily fished for centuries that its population has been on a steady decline, especially from the early to the latter part of the last century when fishing methods became more advanced. 

NOAA Fisheries, however, has developed and implemented a 10-year rebuilding program in 2014 to help Atlantic Cod populations recover, particularly in our waters. The program has placed restrictions and regulations for both commercial and sport fishers, which includes: annual catch limits, size limits, and seasonal area closures.

Interesting Facts About Atlantic Cod

• The largest Atlantic Cod caught was five feet long and weighed one hundred three pounds.
• It was landed by a recreational angler Michael Eisele of Kiel, Germany.
• The monstrous Atlantic Cod was caught off the Norwegian island of Soroya.
• They can readily change their color according to their habitat.
• They can live up to thirty years in the wild.
• They are an important food source for Native Americans and early European settlers in North America, thus, regarded as an important driver of New World civilization.
• The species is now considered as vulnerable for extinction due to overfishing and climate change.
• Moratoriums are placed by authorities in key spawning areas to help the fish population recover.

Atlantic Cod Average Size and Swimming Speed

Even though there were lucky anglers who were able to catch 100-pounders, the Atlantic Cod grows from two to four feet in length and weighs up to eighty-eight pounds on average. It can also swim moderately fast at an average speed of 8.3 to 21.3 inches per second. 

Where to Find Them - Habitat and Distribution

As the name suggests, the Atlantic Cod can be found far and wide across the Atlantic Ocean, specifically in cool temperate waters ranging from 0 to 200 degrees Celsius temperatures. They are a benthopelagic fish, which only means that they mostly live near the bottom, preferably in rocky and/or sandy environments; although they can sometimes be found swimming in midwaters or even near the surface to find food. They can be found at depths of 500 to 600 meters near the coastlines but can also travel to the open waters as well as brackish waters.

In the US, the Atlantic Cod is usually found off the shores of Maine and Massachusetts, particularly in Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. You can, however, also fish for Atlantic Cods as far south as off the shores of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina where is it is said to be also abundant with this prized fish.

Atlantic Cod Fishing Tips

Most recreational anglers who have caught Atlantic Cods were successful using live or dead natural baits, including: strip baits of squid, fish, crabs, sand eels, and capelin. They are also said to be drawn to clams, mussels, shrimp, and octopus. You can, nonetheless, also use artificial lures such as chrome diamond jigs, spinners, bucktails, spoons, and shiny metal squids. As Atlantic Cods are usually found offshore, you will also need to fish either from a drifting or anchored boat. For the gear, a 50-pound class rod paired with either a 30 to 50# braid line, equipped with 16oz bouncing sinkers will be more than enough to handle landing this fish.

Atlantic Mackerel

Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) Fish Description

As the name implies, the Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) is a common pelagic member of Scombridae family found in the temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Although they are somewhat scattered far and wide across both sides of the ocean, they tend to stay fairly close along the northern coasts, especially during warmer seasons. When the climate becomes colder, however, they would head to deeper waters. They are often seen swimming in huge schools as protection from their numerous predators.

Atlantic Mackerel are easy enough to identify with their slender, streamlined body, which narrows as it reaches its forky tail. They have a distinct metallic-blue to green coloring on the top part of their body that gradually turns lighter to silver on the sides, until it reaches the white belly. Another distinguishing feature of this fish is the wavy vertical bars that run across the top part of its whole body. These distinctive color patterns, however, immediately fade when they die. 

During spawning seasons, which usually occurs in the spring and summer months, the Atlantic Mackerel often stays near the coasts. A single female can produce as much as 450,000 eggs per season. When the eggs hatch, the larvae would be incapable of swimming and just get carried around in the open water near the surface by the current, feeding mainly on their yolk sac. They would reach their juvenile stage in about forty days, in which they would be able to swim on their own. They can grow quite fast, reaching their sexual maturity in just two years. As they reach their adulthood, they would feed mainly on copepods, krills, and shrimps; although they would also eat squids and other smaller fish, depending on the availability as well as opportunity.

Interesting Facts About Atlantic Mackerel

• The biggest Atlantic Mackerel caught measures two and a half feet long and weighed a little over three pounds.
• Like most mackerels, they have tiny scales that can only be seen upon closer examination.
• They are mostly active during the day.
• They swim in huge schools that can reach up to twenty miles long.
• The females release their eggs in batches between 5 and 7 times in a single spawning season.
• A single female can produce as much as 450,000 eggs per season
• They are known to be fast and agile swimmers.
• They have many predators, including sharks, whales, dolphins, tunas, sea turtles, pelicans, and humans.
• They are known for their tasty and healthy meat as it contains omega-3 fatty acids.
• Their population has declined over the past few decades due to overfishing.
• Annual fishing limit allocations were given between sports anglers and commercial fishers.
• Permits are required for commercial fishers.
• Available permits are limited every year.

Atlantic Mackerel Average Size and Swimming Speed

Although there have been records of a 2-foot catch, Atlantic Mackerels rarely hit the one and a half feet mark. Most of them can only reach about a foot, weighing on an average of four pounds. When it comes to swimming speeds, they are probably one of the quickest fish out there as can swim at the speed of five and a half meters per second.

Where to Find Them - Habitat and Distribution

Atlantic Mackerel are pretty abundant in most coastal waters of the Northern Atlantic. In North America, you can easily find them along or near the coasts of Labrador up north in Canada, down to the waters of North Carolina. They are, however, a pelagic schooling fish that often migrates. This means that they can be a bit hard to find as they don’t tend to stay for long specific areas. But once you do find them, you’re going to have your hands full as a school of Atlantic Mackerel has been known to be huge with numbers reaching in the hundreds or even thousands. Also, the best time to fish for this particular fish is during summer when the schools often get closer to the coasts.

Atlantic Mackerel Fishing Tips

Because they’re a pelagic schooling fish, the Atlantic Mackerel can easily be caught using different methods such as mid-water trawling, purse seine, weir, gillnet, as well as via hook and line. If you opt for the hook and line method, choose a light spinning rod paired with a small fixed spool reel equipped with a 15lb monofilament line or braid for you to be able to immediately feel the rather the tug when you hook one. You can also use artificial bait that resembles a shiny baitfish as this can effectively attract this rather aggressive eater. Lastly, if you’re going to be fishing on a small boat, watch out for other bigger predators such as sharks that might get aggressive towards you as a huge school of this tasty fish often attracts other predators as well.

Pollock

Pollock (Pollachius pollachius) Fish Description

The Pollock is a fish also known as the coalfish, and has a subtle signature feature: the length of its jaw. To tell the difference between the Pollock and its cousin, the former has a stronger underbite. Another is the color. The Pollock has a silvery lateral line and right beneath it, it has a sort of greenish-black hue. Whereas, the Atlantic Pollack has one in grayish gold, the pollock also has straighter pectoral fins whereas its cousin has a slight kink. It also has relatively smaller eyes.

The pollock also has a chin barbel that functions as a “whisker” in cats. It uses the barbel to find its food. As it grows, the pollock's color turns brownish-gray on top but greenish at the bottom.

Diet

The Pollocks are carnivorous. They feast on smaller fish such as smelt and capelin. However, as they grow bigger, they are also capable of eating squid. When looking for food, Pollocks are often seen swimming near salmon farms, eating leftover salmon feeds. They also feed on planktonic crustaceans.

Size

An adult pollock size ranges from 40 to 47 inches. However, some have reported that individual pollock catches have ranged up to 51 inches.  The pollock reaches maturity after 4-9 years and lives up to 16-20 years. Commonly, male pollocks are larger than female pollocks.

Interesting Facts

Because the Pollock is a bottom feeder, its flesh doesn't look as impressive as the Atlantic Pollack. Its dark-colored flesh gives it a bad reputation that it doesn't feed and therefore, poor quality. In reality, some commercial areas use Pollock as a substitution for Salmon, especially in cat food. Coalfish is also quite popular in Norway where it is sold as “seelach” (literally, Sea Salmon). However, the existing premise that “whiter fish flesh" is better tasting has made the Pollock considerably cheaper than its cousin.

In the British Isles, the Pollock is also commonly known as a Coley. 

Pollocks are sensitive to temperature and to the tides. Otherwise, they often stay in the depths unless they detect vibrations.

Some say that speed isn’t their strongest asset. Rather, it’s their strength. Some say that once you catch a Pollock, prepare to struggle. It’s also why experienced Pollock anglers say bring good footgear. You’re going to need the ankle support and grip. Otherwise, you’ll just be dragged along by the fish.

Pollock – Fishing Techniques: How to Fish for a Pollock

When fishing for a Pollock, one of the things you should bring are sturdy fishing boots. Find boots that give you good ankle support and weigh you down so you don’t get dragged down with the fish. The Pollock are known to snatch and drag their prey to the depths. Best you don’t become part of their prey too.

For the baits, the best kind of baits seen to work are either Sand Eel imitations or Black Minnow imitations. Weedless fishing works well too and even the color can affect your catching rate.

Another thing to take note is the time you go fishing. The best time to go fishing would either be early morning or evening. 

Make sure to travel light also when going. Since Pollock like rocky areas, you’ll need to scale a few cliffs and ledges every now and then to get to a good spot. 

As for setting up your fishing spot, check the tides. The more the tide, that works better for you. However, adjust the weight of the lure once you find a place with a high tide to make sure your lure stays connected. From there, do a bit of jigging as you lure it back to either the shore or kayak. If you’re on a kayak, the recommended depth is 20 meters. For those fishing from shore, you’ll have to go a little deeper or wait for the tide to rise to an all-time high to get them close.

Habitat

Pollock, and especially the juveniles,  like rocky areas. The young pollock often hide near algae and lurks among shallow areas. Once matured, the adult pollock head back to the deeper parts of the ocean. They are quite picky with the temperature and depth. They are usually found in depths of 100 to 400 feet.  They are most commonly found in Alaska in the Northern Pacific and the Bering Sea.

Striped Bass

Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) Description

The Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), or Atlantic Striped Bass, Stripers, or Linesider, is a popular game fish for recreational and commercial fishers. As the name suggests, it has seven to eight stripes running down the sides of its body; its color can vary from light green and olive to brown and black. It also has a shimmering white belly and plump bodies that can grow as heavy as 70 pounds and as long as 5 feet, making it easily distinguishable from other species. 

Although this fish mostly lives in saltwater during its adult life, it’s anadromous as it spawns (and is even known to adapt well) in a freshwater environment.

It can naturally be found along the East Coast (from as far north as Canada to down south in the Gulf of Mexico). However, you can find it in most water bodies in North America as the species was introduced across the continent for recreational fishing and for controlling the gizzard shad population, which the Striped Bass is known to prey upon.

Interesting Facts 

Striped Bass spawn in freshwater and many of the Stripers become landlocked because of dams and other human-made obstructions; but, as earlier mentioned, they adapt well and can thrive in a freshwater habitat. 

If you’re fishing for food, the Striped Bass is excellent for eating not only for its plump and meaty body but also for its exquisite, sweet taste, similar to its close relative, the Black Sea Bass.

Striped Bass Size and Speed

For those of you who are planning to fish for this species, yes, they are known to be powerful swimmers, but they’re not particularly fast, making them reasonably easy to catch. Although they can grow much bigger, most caught weigh around twenty to forty pounds. 

Where do Striped Bass Live?

You can fish for Striped Bass pretty much any time of the year and can find them in nearly every body of water in the United States. It’s also worth noting that the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland is the major producer while the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey is the second. 

However, if you’re on the West Coast, you may want to try your luck in the San Francisco Bay and the surrounding coastline. Colorado rivers and lakes such as Lake Havasu, Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Pleasant, and Lake Mohave are also known to have a great abundance of Striped Bass. 

Striped Bass is a structure-oriented fish meaning they can be found around physical structures such as coral reefs, sand bars, and drop-offs. They stay at the bottom of the ocean along the shores as it looks for food.  And because they love to swim in moving waters, you can most locate Stripers within yards of the shorelines.

Striped Bass Migration

One of the most exciting aspects of striped bass is their annual migration patterns. These fish are known to migrate long distances, sometimes thousands of miles, which makes them a fascinating subject for study. Striped bass prefers moderate temperatures between 55° F and 68° F. To stay within this temperature range, most striped bass migrate up and down the Atlantic coast from spring to fall. 
Scientists have been studying striped bass migration for many years, and they have discovered that these fish travel from estuaries to the open ocean and back again each year. Striped bass can migrate up to 2,000 miles during their lifetime! They typically move northward in the spring and summer months when water temperatures warm up, then head south towards warmer waters in the fall.

The spring striped bass migration begins from the deeper waters off the Virginia and North Carolina coasts. In the spring, the stripers start their northern migration stopping to spawn in the rivers, estuaries, and bays such as the Delaware River, the Hudson River, and the Chesapeake Bay. The Stripers continue north and eventually spend their summers in the cool waters in New England, and sometimes further North to Canada. 

The striper migration bait typically begins in the fall as the water cools. If you want to experience this unique opportunity, you'll want to head for one of the most amazing events that an angler can experience. Striper bait, including pogies, peanut bunker, and silversides, will come out of bays and into the ocean early. The hungry stripers want to fatten up for the cold season as winter approaches, so they're actively searching out prey. Stripers seek out the enhanced bait pods that create feeding frenzies. Look for baitfish volcanoes erupting from the water or birds signaling the wounded baitfish. If you are truly fortunate, you will see whales coming from below the baitfish volcano. Fall migration continues all the way until December around the New Jersey coast and parts of January in the Virginia region.

Check out this detailed Striped Bass Migration article. 

Is Striped Bass Good to Eat?

Striped bass, also known as "striper," is a popular saltwater fish that can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America. Many people wonder if striped bass is good to eat, and the answer is yes! Striped bass is not only delicious but also packed with nutrients that can benefit your health. 

One of the benefits of eating striped bass is its high omega-3 content. Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that help reduce inflammation in the body, improve brain function, and even lower your risk of heart disease. Striper meat contains about 0.5 grams of omega-3s per 100 grams, making it an excellent nutrient source. Additionally, striped bass is rich in protein - a crucial component for building and repairing tissues in your body. A serving size of just 100 grams provides approximately 20 grams of protein.

Fishing Techniques - How to Catch Striped Bass

Striped Bass can be caught year-round and in almost any condition; you can, however, increase your chances if you know exactly what, when, where, and how to look. Stripers are known to swim around and feed in moving waters, near structures along the shores, and you will find them where the water is cooler near the surface during dusk and dawn.  Cast your lines out early or late in the day from bridges, piers, bulkheads, or even while wading in the surf.

Choosing the Right Bait

Striped Bass are mostly finicky predators being picky about the baits they will take. It’s best to use live baits such as herring, menhaden, mackerel, eels, squid, anchovies, bloodworms, or shad as it will help attract them with the live bait’s movement.

Choosing the Right Equipment

Although you can use almost any rod and reel for Striped Bass fishing, you can be more successful using rods that are 8 to 14 feet in length, especially for fly fishing.  You should use a thinner and more sensitive yet stronger line with little stretch like a  braided line. If you prefer using the monofilament type, make sure that it’s strong enough to withstand up to 20 pounds of weight as these fish are not only big, heavy fish, but also strong fighters.

Find fishing tips, techniques, and the best destinations for Striped Bass Fishing

Why are Striped Bass Called Striper?

Striped bass, or Morone saxatilis, is a popular game fish native to the Atlantic coast of North America. It is widely known as "striper," which begs the question: Why do they call striped bass striper? The answer to this question lies in the distinct markings on the fish's body. 
The name "striped bass" comes from its characteristic stripes running along its sides. These stripes are typically seven to eight in number and run from just behind the gills to the base of the tail. When viewed from afar, these stripes can appear like bars or lines that make up a striped pattern on their silver-green skin.

Given that this species has such distinctive vertical stripes, it makes sense why they are called stripers. The name has become so widely used among anglers and fishing enthusiasts that it is now more common than calling them by their scientific name.

What is the Hybrid Striped Bass?

Hybrid striped bass is a popular fish species among anglers and seafood enthusiasts. As the name suggests, it's a crossbreed between two different types of bass: striped and white. The hybridization process has resulted in a fish with desirable traits such as rapid growth, aggressiveness, and resistance to diseases and parasites. 

Hybrid striped bass can grow up to 30 inches in length and weigh as much as 15 pounds. They have streamlined bodies with dark stripes running along their sides, which give them an attractive appearance. Moreover, these fish are known for their delicious taste and versatility in cooking methods.

Due to its popularity, hybrid striped bass is widely farmed across several regions in the United States. It's commonly used by chefs in various dishes such as sushi rolls, grilled fillets, or stews.

Striped Bass Population

The wild striped bass population is an essential aspect of marine fisheries conservation efforts. Striped bass are a popular game fish that attract recreational anglers from all over the world. Stripers also play an essential role in the natural resources ecosystem in the Atlantic Ocean and the many tributaries like Delaware Bay, Delaware River, Hudson River, and many coastal rivers.  Striped bass are a top predator in many coastal habitats, feeding on smaller fish and crustaceans. 

Unfortunately, the striped bass population has been under pressure for several decades due to overfishing and habitat loss. One of the primary conservation efforts underway is the implementation of regulations aimed at protecting striped bass populations from overfishing. This includes restrictions on fishing methods and gear, as well as limitations on catch limits for both recreational and commercial fishermen. Additionally, many states have implemented size limits for the fish that can be caught to allow younger fish to reach their reproductive age.

Despite these efforts, the future of the striped bass population remains uncertain. Climate change is causing significant shifts in ocean temperatures and currents that could impact the availability of prey species for striped bass.

A Few Striped Bass Resources:

-Striped Bass Migration, article tracking the Striped Bass Atlantic Coast migration

-Striped Bass Lures, expert guides weigh in with the best striped bass lures

-Striped Bass Bait, top 10 striped bass baits

-Striped Bass Cape Cod, expert guide talks about catching striped bass on Cape Cod 

-Striped Bass Chesapeake Bay, expert guides talk about catching striped bass on Chesapeake Bay