Striped Bass Morone saxatilis

Habitat:
coastal, estuaries, rivers, along beaches.
Geographical distribution:
St. Lawrence River to northern Florida, and in the Gulf of Mexico from western Florida to Louisiana.
Major prey items:
fish (anchovies, silversides, menhaden, herring, sand lance (aka sand eel)) and crustaceans (crabs and shrimp).
Bait and lures
cut-bait, live eels, fish, and crabs; spoons, surface plugs, bucktails.
Flies
streamers (clouser minnows, deceivers, epoxy-bodied flies) - good colors are white, blue/white, chartreuse/white, olive, olive/white, black; crab and shrimp patterns. Make sure you have plenty of sparsely tied flies.
What to look for
birds feeding on baitfish which have been chased to the surface by feeding striped bass. Small fish leaping from the water. Current rips and eddies, shoals, dropoffs and ledges, rip current in the surf, white water along rocky shorelines, troughs along beaches, jetties, bridge and pier pilings. Flats at high and outgoing tides.

Click here to see a graph showing the relationship between Striped Bass length and age.

Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix

Habitat:
coastal, estuaries, beaches, offshore.
Geographical distribution:
Nova Scotia to Argentina, but rare between southern Florida and northern South America.
Major prey items:
fish (menhaden, sand lance (aka sand eel), anchovies, silversides, spot croaker, mackerel, and others), crustaceans (crabs, shrimp).
Bait and lures:
live fish and cut-bait; spoons, bucktails, leadhead jigs, surface plugs.
Flies:
streamers (deceivers, clouser minnows, epoxy-bodied flies) - good colors are yellow, white, blue/white, chartreuse/white; poppers. Use synthetic materials if possible - the flies will last longer. In general, the same flies you might use for striped bass.
What to look for:
birds feeding on baitfish chased to surface by feeding bluefish. Current rips and eddies. Troughs along beaches. Dropoffs and banks. Schools of small fish jumping out of the water.

Click here to see a graph showing the relationship between Bluefish length and age.

Atlantic Bonito Sarda sarda

Habitat:
coastal, mid-water to water surface.
Geographical distribution:
Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence to Argentina, but absent from the Caribbean.
Major prey items:
fish (anchovies, alewives, silversides, menhaden, sand lance), squid, and crustaceans (shrimp).
Bait, lures:
spoons, jigs, bucktails, swimming plugs, colored feathers.
Flies:
streamers (deceivers, clouser minnows, epoxy-bodied flies) - good colors are white, blue/white, chartreuse/white, green/white; poppers.
What to look for
birds feeding on baitfish chased to the surface by feeding bonito. Groups of birds may also fly above schools of bonito, waiting for the bonito to chase baitfish to the surface. Scools of small fish leaping from the water.

Little Tunny Euthynnus alletteratus

Habitat:
coastal, mid-water to water surface, bays and estuaries, over reefs, and offshore.
Geographical distribution:
Massachusetts to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (usually arrive in New England a little bit later than Atlantic Bonito).
Major prey items:
fish (herring, sardines), squid, and small crustaceans (shrimp).
Bait, lures:
spoons, jigs, colored feathers.
Flies:
streamers (deceivers, clouser minnows, epoxy-bodied flies) - good colors are white, blue/white, charteuse/white, green/white; squid imitations.
What to look for:
birds feeding on baitfish chased to the surface by feeding Little Tunny. Groups of birds may also fly above schools of Little Tunny, waiting for the Little Tunny to chase baitfish to the surface. Schools of small fish leaping from the water.

All material copyright Aaron Adams 2007, 2008, and beyond, unless noted.