All you need to know about sea bass to fill your limit this season.
The black sea bass (Centropristis striata), not to be confused with other species of saltwater bass, is an excellent eating fish. It’s strictly a marine species; therefore, unlike striped bass it doesn’t migrate into estuaries to spawn. To inexperienced seafood diners purchasing or ordering “sea bass” in restaurants, they’re most often served Patagonian toothfish, (Dissostichus eleginoides), marketed as Chilean sea bass (or just “sea bass”), a large and ugly fish with an equally unappetizing name, found only in cold waters (34 to 39 degrees in the sub-Antarctic), which are currently overharvested, often illegally. The name “Chilean sea bass” was randomly invented in 1977 by a fish wholesaler to make the species sound more appealing and popular to the finicky US market. To help protect this overexploited fish, don’t order that entrée or purchase it from a fish market.
Our species of sea bass is technically a type of grouper (Serranidae family), which inhabits coastal waters from Maine to Florida, and are abundant in our region. Although they range offshore to depths of over 400 feet in summer, they are most common in depths of 25 to 120 feet. Many anglers catch plentiful sea bass near shore without needing to expend running time and fuel.
Because of its fine table qualities, as well as dwindling numbers of other bottom species, local anglers have begun heavily targeting sea bass in recent years. With climate change and warming waters as the likely cause, the main biomass of sea bass has gradually moved northward from North Carolina to New Jersey and southern Massachusetts. Regular catches are occurring as far north as the Gulf of Maine, which was rare to non-existent 10 years ago.
Sea bass typically weigh about 1-1/2 pounds, but any specimen of 5 pounds or more is noteworthy. Pros call large sea bass “humpbacks” or “humpies” because big ones grow a significant hump behind their head. Although sea bass are basically “black,” their color fluctuates according to the bottom they inhabit and sometimes appear a dark olive-brown.
Black sea bass make excellent sportfish because they are extremely opportunistic feeders, strike aggressively and fight hard all the way to the surface. Their varied diet consists of crustaceans, sea worms, small fish, squid and even bivalves, so a variety of baits, including clams, squid, and baitfish produce well. In fact, sea bass are so aggressive they’re blamed for impacting the local lobster population because they prey voraciously on juveniles.
Although not true schooling fish, pros find sea bass in large clusters on structures like shallow wrecks, reefs, and rock piles during spawning and migration periods. Adults migrate inshore and northward as water temperatures increase in the spring. Perhaps astonishing, sea bass are protogynous hermaphrodites, which means they’re born as females and turn into males at two to five years old.
Scientists believe the northern population of black sea bass spawns inshore from mid-May to July between Massachusetts and New Jersey, although some experts believe the spawn lasts into August in cooler areas of our region. The fish then return to deeper water, moving south and offshore as ocean temperatures drop in the late fall.
Catching sea bass isn’t complicated but requires some technique to consistently take home a limit. A productive rig is as simple as using small chunks of an oily baitifsh skewered onto a standard high-low rig consisting of two snelled, 4/0 bait-holder hooks and a suitable bank sinker for the depth and current. Although an excellent variety of high-low rigs are available in tackle shops, many anglers prefer to build their own.
To make a simple, do-it-yourself rig, start with 24 to 30 inches of 30- to 50-pound mono leader. Attach one end to a #75 to #100 barrel swivel, which is used to connect to the main line. Create a large loop in the other end, which is used for sinker change-outs. Tie in two or three evenly-spaced droppers, using the dropper-leader length to determine the best distances from the sinker and between the droppers. Tie a 2/0 or 4/0 baitholder hook to each dropper leader (or just buy snelled sea bass hooks). Bait up with clam, squid, or herring chunks, and you’re ready to fish.
Specialized rig options include tying on large saltwater flies like 3/0 Deceivers, which work well in this same application, as do a variety of squid skirt or flutter-tail soft plastics tipped with a fresh squid strip or minnow.
For tackle, select a 2/0 to 3/0 conventional reel spooled with 20- to 30-pound braid attached to a 6-foot, 6-inch, 12 to 25-pound medium-action, conventional rod. This all-purpose outfit comfortably handles a 3- to 6-ounce sinker, and it’s a nice match for switching to a 4- to 6-ounce diamond jig if bluefish show up on the structure. It’s a simple matter to change over to a diamond jig and have a shot at both species without destroying your baitfish rigs.
