Striped Bass, Cod fishing, Tuna Charters and More

 239 Dyke Road, Green Harbor
Marshfield, Mass 02050
774-229-6580

 
Here are some of the species we target on our Cape Cod & South Shore Fishing Charter Trips. Below is information about you can follow the links to the other species.

Stripped Bass

The body color of striped bass is olive-green, blue-gray or bluish-black on the top with silver sides and a white belly. It is easily identified by its seven or eight black stripes that run horizontally along its sides. Fins are dusky silver color, except for the white pelvic fins. Young striped bass may not have the horizontal stripes or they may be interrupted. Striped bass also have two distinct dorsal fins. The first has seven to 12 stiff spines, which make this fin taller than the second. The second dorsal fin has only one stiff spine with eight to 14 soft rays. Stripers also have a forked tail. Many freshwater anglers have difficulty distinguishing striped bass from white bass and hybrids. The stripes on the striper are solid, unbroken and most will extend all the way to the tail. On whites and wipers, the stripes are faint and only one will extend to the tail on each side. Striped bass also have a longer, sleeker body and a larger head than white bass and hybrid. In addition, striped bass have two tooth patches on the tongue, as opposed to one.

Cod

Presented here is general information of Atlantic Cod, its reproduction, habitat, food, fishing season, angling tips, handling and cooking. General information: 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. 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. 

 

Blues

This is a bluefish and everything about one. Bluefish are common from Cape Cod south to NC. A 12 or 14 pound bluefish can fight like an angry bull and on light tackle will give you a fight to remember. If using light tackle with a bucktail or leadhead it is a good idea to use a small steel leader as their teeth are like little razor sharp knives and will cut through your regular mono in a split second.

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.

 

Bluefin Tuna

OTHER NAMES: Giant Tuna, Horse Mackerel

RANGE: 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 Atlantic, primarily around Virginia up to Maine, but it is paltry compared to the years before commercial fishing ruined the stocks.

HABITAT: The deep sea.

DESCRIPTION: 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.

SIZE: In the past, runs in the Bahamas (and, unpredictably, in Florida waters) consisted of fish weighing from about 200 to 600 pounds. Presently, most run over 500 pounds and many push 900. The increase in average size is indicative of the declining stock. Giant Bluefins are in trouble worldwide. World record 1,496 pounds.

FOOD VALUE: 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.

GAME QUALITIES: A spirited fighter on light tackle. Makes faster runs than other Jacks, and sometimes jumps, too.

TACKLE AND BAITS: 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.

 

Sharks

Best time of year - late July through Oct.
Blue Sharks are the predominant species in our area in Massachusetts, near Boston and Plymouth. Mako's, Porbeagle and Threshers also frequent our waters and are excellent to eat.
Sharks range from 100 to over 1,300 pounds, but most range from 100 to 350 pounds.

Shortfin Mako -- (Isurus oxyrinchus)

Physical Description: The shortfin mako shark has a well-proportioned, streamlined body that allows it to swim very fast. It is considered the fastest shark and one of the fastest fish in the sea. The mako is a deep blue to blue gray on its back and sides, with a white belly. The larger first dorsal fin starts just behind the base of the pectoral fins, and the second dorsal fin is positioned slightly in front of the anal fin. Its tail fin is crescent shaped with nearly equal lobes. This shark has large black eyes and a long sharp nose. In addition, its teeth differ from other sharks. Instead of triangular teeth with serrations, the teeth are long, smooth and slightly curved.

Range: The shortfin mako can be found in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. Specific regions include the western Atlantic from the Gulf of Maine to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. In the eastern Atlantic, shortfin mako are found from Norway to South Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea. In Indo-Pacific waters, shortfin mako range from east Africa to Hawaii, as far north as Primorsk Kray (far southeastern Russian region between China and the Sea of Japan) and south to Australia. In the eastern Pacific, mako are found as far north as the Alaskan Aleutian Islands through southern California and as far south as Chile.

striped bass | cod fishing |tuna charters