Types of Montauk Fish

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis), also known as the striper or rockfish, is easily identified by the dark horizontal stripes across its silvery body. Striped bass can grow to more than 48 inches (122 cm), weigh over 50 pounds (23 kg) and live up to 30 years. The New York State record is a 76 pound (34 kg) fish caught off Montauk in 1981. The largest striped bass on record is a 125 pound (56 kg) female caught off North Carolina in 1891. Most really big striped bass, specifically those over 30 pounds, are likely to be female. These big fish are often referred to as "cows." Striped bass have a varied diet; they prey on fish, such as menhaden and eel, and on crustaceans and other invertebrates, including crabs, lobster, and squid. These fish range along the Atlantic coast from the St. Lawrence River in Canada to the St. Johns River in Florida.

Striped bass are anadromous fish: they are spawned in freshwater rivers but live their adult lives in the ocean. In New York, the Hudson River is the main spawning ground for striped bass. In the spring, mature striped bass swim up to the headwaters of the Hudson to spawn. The fertilized eggs float downstream until hatching a few days after spawning. The bass larvae continue to move downstream until they reach the estuaries, areas such as Haverstraw Bay to the Tappan Zee Bridge. These areas function as nursery areas for the larvae and juvenile fish during the summer. By late summer and into fall, these "young-of-the-year" fish move into the estuaries of New York Harbor and western Long Island bays, where they will live until they are large enough to join the adults off the coast. Adult striped bass follow a seasonal migration pattern. They swim south and offshore from New York waters during the winter and migrate back north and inshore in the spring. In the spring, mature adults once again head up river to spawn.

The striped bass has always been an important recreational and commercial fish and has a long history of management along the eastern seaboard. It was the first fish to have harvest regulations put in place. During early colonial times striped bass were so numerous that they were used for fertilizing farm fields. Realizing the importance of these fish as food, Massachusetts banned the practice in the 1600's. Throughout the 20th century, there were many attempts at striped bass conservation and coast-wide management. These attempts, however, were unsuccessful and could not prevent a collapse of the population in the early 1980s. Strict management measures were passed to help the population recover. The striped bass is a true success story in fisheries management. By 1995 the population was rebuilt and today the Atlantic coast population is healthy and is no longer being overfished.

In New York the striped bass is a very popular game fish for recreational anglers because of its size and the spirited fight it shows once hooked. It's also a delicious fish and is quite good any way you prepare it: smoked, grilled, baked or fried

Scup (Stenotomus chrysops), also known as porgy, range from Nova Scotia to Florida. However, they are rarely found south of North Carolina. When the water is warm, scup can be found in the coastal waters surrounding Long Island. During the winter months scup stay offshore; when the water warms up in the spring, they then return to inshore waters. They can grow up to 18 inches (46cm), and can weigh up to 6 pounds (2.7kg). Most of the fish caught average a weight between 1-3 pounds. The largest fish taken in New York was 6 pounds 4 ounces and was caught back in 1978.
Scup feed on smaller marine life, such as worms, mollusks and small baitfish. Fishing for scup can provide non-stop action for recreational anglers and is a great way to get children involved with fishing. The flesh of scup has a fine, delicate flavor, making it a prized food fish.

The tautog, also known as blackfish, tog, or bulldog (Tautoga onitis), ranges from Nova Scotia, Canada to South Carolina. It lives along the coast in rocky areas and may be found near pilings, jetties and wrecks. It is commonly taken at fishing reefs in the Atlantic Ocean just south of Long Island. A tautog feeds on prey on a fishing reef Tautogs can grow to 3 feet or about 22 pounds. The marine fishing records of New York reveal that the record tautog caught is 19 pounds 12 ounces, taken in 1992. Usually anglers catch fish from 1.5 to 3 pounds. Tautog feed on mostly mussels, clams and crabs. They will take crabs, clams and worms as bait.

And yes, tautog is a delicious food fish!

The summer flounder, or "fluke," a flatfish is found in coastal waters from the southern Gulf of Maine to Florida. Like other species of flatfish, the fluke has both eyes on one side of its head and rests on the ocean floor on its side. The fluke is called a left handed flatfish because its eyes are on the upper surface of the head when the fish is facing left. Summer flounder are called the chameleons of the sea because of their ability to change color to match the bottom on which they are found. Generally they are white below and darker above, but they can turn various shades of gray, blue, green/orange and almost black. The fluke may weigh up to 26 pounds with a length over 37 inches. Females may live up to 20 years and weigh more than 20 pounds, while males rarely exceed 7 years of age and 3 to 5 pounds in weight. The New York state record fluke weighed 22 lbs 7 oz and was caught off Montauk Point.

Fluke are well known for the aggressive way they grab bait and battle when hooked. They offer a particular challenge to the angler bold enough to use light tackle. Average sized fluke, sometimes called "flatties", weigh about 2 to 4 pounds, while the aptly named "doormats" (so called due to their similarity in size to a welcome mat) weigh 8 or more pounds and provide memorable battles for the angler lucky enough to hook them.

Summer flounder can be found on sandy or muddy bottoms in many inshore habitats and are particularly abundant in fast moving rips that gather debris and bait fish. Anglers troll, chum, still-fish and cast for fluke, but the most popular method is drifting bait along the bottom. When drifting, the bail of the reel should be open and the line held by the finger. Once the line stops drifting and it tugged, it should run free for a moment to let the fish get the bait in its mouth before the hook is set. Casting baited red and white bucktail jigs juiced up with strips of fresh or frozen squid, sand lance, 4 to 5 inch strips of meat cut from the tails of fish such as sea robins or the belly area of a fluke or bluefish from boat or shore can also produce fish. The jig should be retrieved with a slow pumping action. When a fluke grabs the rig the rod tip should be lowered to slacken the line; when the line tightens again, the hook can be set.

The white flaky meat of the summer flounder is highly rated due to its delicate flavor and texture. This versatile fish provides delightful dining when steamed, poached, baked, broiled, sauteed, fried or microwaved. Large "door mats" can be quarter filleted for most recipes or cut into steaks and grilled over charcoal or gas.

The bluefish is something of a misnomer, as this species is most commonly a sea-green color above, fading into a silvery shade on its lower sides and belly. Bluefish are native to both the American and European-African coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. Along the western Atlantic they are abundant from Argentina to Cape Cod and are occasionally found as far north as Nova Scotia. Bluefish can exceed 20 pounds and 40 inches in length. The New York state record was caught off the waters of Montauk in 1998 and weighted 25 pounds. Both male and female bluefish reach sexual maturity by the time they are 2 years old. # nappers eat a variety of small-bodied animals such as shrimp, small lobsters, crabs, larval fish and larval mollusks. Adult bluefish are opportunistic feeders, commonly focusing upon schooling species such as menhaden, squid, sand eels, herring, mackerel, alewives, scup, butterfish and cunners. Bluefish generally feed in schools, actively pursuing prey in tidal rips or in inshore shallows where food in easier to catch. The feeding behavior of this species is legendary! Bluefish are reputed to dash wildly about within schools of prey species, biting, crippling and killing numerous small fish that do not get eaten. They frequently drive schools of prey species into shallow inshore areas where it becomes easier to cripple or catch fish that are trying to escape.

Bluefish filets can be marinated in acidic foods such as vinegar, lemon or lime juices, or wine, or they can be cooked with fresh vegetables such as tomatoes and onions. These methods will lighten the flavor as well as retain the oils that confer the full healthy benefits associated with eating fish.

The sea bass loves structures or reefs offshore. Smaller sea bass can often be found in finger channels inshore. They are commonly found near pilings, wrecks, rock jetties and on rocky bottoms in shallow water. The sea bass are sight predators and feed during daylight hours relying on swift currents and wide open mouths to catch their prey. Commonly sea bass are approximately 1 1/5 lbs and about a foot long. Black sea bass are reported to live as long as 20 years and reach a maximum adult size of two feet. The New York state record was caught off the waters of Montauk near Block Island in 1987 and weighed 9 lb 8 oz. The sea bass eat small fish, crustaceans and shellfish. The black sea bass, like many other fish, has the ability to adjust it's color according to its environment.

The sea bass are extremely flavorful when marketed fresh. They may be eaten fried, broiled and baked.

The firm, white flesh of this species is a favorite of many. Bass are easy to fillet, especially when chilled, and yield a thick slice of meat. Some fillets are thick enough to slice lengthwise or to cut into nuggets for frying. Larger fish can be cut into steaks and cooked like striped bass. In restaurants, black sea bass are often offered as "squirrel fish," and Chinese restaurants will serve delicious whole deep-fried bass as "Hunan fish."

Try broiling black sea bass fillets. When broiling, fold under the thin section from the tail area to allow more even cooking. Place the fish in a greased pan; sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and paprika, and dot with butter or olive oil. Broil 5 to 6 minutes on each side, depending upon thickness, until the fillets are golden-brown. Be careful not to cook too long, as the fillets will dry.

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. The New York state record was caught off the waters of Montauk near Block Island and weighed 85 lbs. 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.

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.

This flavorful fish can be baked, broiled, poached, fried, made into cakes or chowder or salted for long term storage without loss of flavor or nutrition.

The Winter flounder is a flat fish with both eyes on one side of the head. When resting on the bottom and facing right the eyes are on the upper surface. The body is oval and about 2 1/4 times as long to the base of the caudal fin as it is wide. It has a thick-body with a broad caudal peduncle and tail than most small flatfish. The mouth is small with thick fleshy lips. The blind side of each jaw has one set of incisor-like close teeth. The side of the flounder with the eyes will have only a couple of teeth if any at all. The 2-3 year old flounder will be about 12" long. The 9-10 year-old flounder is approximately 20" long. Females grow faster than males and reach 25 inches in length and weigh eight pounds. Winter flounder live a maximum of 15 years. The Noew York state record weighed 7 lbs 3.5 oz. The adult flounder will feed during the daylight hours on shrimp, clams, fish fry, bits of seaweed and polychaete worms. They are very active during the flooding and ebbing tides. Winter flounder have a very limited seasonal migration. They remain in shallow areas over the winter and as summer approaches and the waters begin to warm up the larger fish move offshore to deeper waters.

Flounder is so very good to eat and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Its texture and delicate flavor are excellent with sauces, spices, fruits, vegetables and other seafoods. This fish can be cooked in so many ways, for example: fried, steamed, baked, microwaved, or broiled and can be substituted in most other fish recipes.