Northern Kingfish, 

 Menticirrhus saxatilis 



along the back and silver on the sides 

 and belly. Although some people do 

 not like its oily flesh, others jump at 

 the chance to put a bluefish 

 on the table. They v are best 

 broiled or K\ smoked. 



Bluefish 

 should 

 be 



at least 14 

 inches long. 

 The sale of 

 recreational catch 

 is not allowed. For 

 flounder caught in the sounds, 

 there are no bag limits or sale 

 restrictions, but keepable fish must 

 be at least 13 inches long. 



Bluefish 



Size: measure up to 36 inches; weigh 



as much as 19 pounds 



Season: migrate north in spring and 



south in fall; some found in North 



Carolina year-round 



^Citation Size: 17 pounds 



Bluefish are voracious predators. 

 When in a feeding frenzy, bluefish 

 will form schools that bite, snap and 

 crunch anything in their path. 

 Fishermen standing in the surf have 

 had bluefish chomp holes in their 

 waders. Bluefish typically school by 

 size. Smaller bluefish are called 

 "chopper blues." Large bluefish are 

 "big blues." 



Bluefish are caught in sounds, 

 from piers or in the surf. Fishermen 

 often look for flocks of terns that 

 hover overhead while the bluefish 

 tear schools of small fish to shreds. 



Some fishermen consider 

 bluefish a nuisance species that they 

 catch in pursuit of bigger fish. 

 However, many anglers love to hook 

 the carnivorous bluefish, which puts 

 up a terrific fight. Although research- 

 ers are unsure of the condition of 

 bluefish populations, state bag limits 

 restrict the catch to 10 fish per day. 



Sometimes called a snapper or a 

 blue, bluefish are greenish-blue 



eaten as fresh as 

 possible. If frozen, they will 

 last only a few weeks because their 

 oily flesh becomes rancid. 



NEARSHORE 



King Mackerel 



Size: grow up to 5 1/2 feet and can 

 weigh as much as 100 pounds 

 Season: migrate south in fall and 

 north in spring. 



^Citation Size: 30 pounds, also given 

 for a fish 50 inches or longer released 

 alive 



If size denotes royalty, then the 

 king mackerel was aptly named. The 

 king is the largest mackerel in the 

 Atlantic. The species gets its scientific 

 name, Scomberomorus caballa, from 

 the Spanish word cavalla, for horse. 



This important game fish is 

 caught in large numbers all along the 

 Carolina coast. Serious pier fishermen 

 target the king mackerel as do many 

 tournaments. Boat fishermen troll for 

 schools of king mackerel with brightly 

 colored lures or live bait. 



King mackerel, like bluefish, can 

 also be located by cueing on seabirds; 

 terns wait overhead as schools of 

 mackerel feed on smaller fish. 



Spanish Mackerel 



Size: weigh as much as 8 or 9 

 pounds; reach 3 feet in length 

 Season: fast-moving schools migrate 

 south in colder months and north in 

 warmer ones; usually arrive in North 

 Carolina in April 

 ^Citation Size: 6 pounds 



Spanish mackerel, sometimes 

 called a Spaniard, is much smaller 

 and has spots rather than the stripes 

 of its relative the king mackerel. 

 Considered large at 8 pounds, 

 Spanish mackerel is one of the 

 best mackerels for the table. 

 They are beautifully colored, 



spots, green backs and 

 silver bellies. 



Like king mackerel, 

 Spanish mackerel have a 

 minimum length requirement. A 

 Spanish mackerel must be at least 12 

 inches long to be a legal catch, and a 

 king mackerel must be at least 20 

 inches long. 



However, a young king 

 mackerel looks like an 

 adult Spanish mackerel. 

 The way to tell the 

 difference is by the 

 lateral line, a line 

 that runs the 

 length of the 

 fish from 

 behind the 

 gills to the 

 base of the 

 tail. The king 

 mackerel's 

 lateral line 

 dips sharply. 



OFFSHORE 



Dolphin/Mahi-Mahi 



Size: grow up to 6 feet long; weigh 

 as much as 50 pounds 

 Season: found year-round near 

 floating weeds in or near the Gulf 

 Stream off the North Carolina coast 

 ^Citation Size: 35 pounds 



16 JULY/AUGUST 1995 



