Ever since I landed my first double-header of 3-pound black sea bass off a jagged rocky ledge well south and east of Newport, R.I., I’ve been surprised by how few anglers target this fish deliberately. A single 3-pounder will hold its ground with a stubbornness rare for that size. Pair two 5- or 6-pound slammers and you’ll be wrestling like you’ve hooked a 25-pound cod or a hefty striped bass. Anglers drifting for fluke have also turned up some giants—earlier in the 2012 season I received multiple confirmed reports of legitimate 6- and even 7-pound specimens.
Charter captains, after filling striped bass limits or deciding the bass won’t cooperate on a particular tide, will often move to boulder-strewn bottom and soak squid on two-hook rigs so clients go home with excellent fillets. So awareness isn’t the issue. From roughly 2000 to 2011, while contributing to and editing sportfishing publications, I watched fluke fishing explode in popularity. That boom coincided with increased media coverage. I’d argue that the relative lack of directed sea bass fishing stems less from the fish themselves and more from limited coverage of the fishery.
The black sea bass is more than a scrappy fighter; it’s also widely regarded by those who enjoy fresh fillets as one of the best-tasting fish in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic waters. For what it’s worth, it’s the only fish I could eat five nights in a row and still rank near the top.
The right real estate
Sea bass aren’t everywhere, but they’re predictable in the places they like: harder bottom with pronounced structure—boulders, rock piles, wrecks and rubble-strewn patches. They aren’t as territorial as tautog, so you’ll find small “pin” sea bass in many areas. The real challenge is locating a pile with a healthy ratio of keepers to throwbacks that makes rebaiting worthwhile.
Watch your electronics. Often a small hump on the sounder loaded with larger fish will give itself away. Once you start hunting sea bass intentionally—especially after scoring a handful of big ones—you’ll pay far closer attention to your plotter and fishfinder whenever you’re running. If you understand your electronics’ lag at various speeds, mark suspicious seams of high ground that show dense life near the bottom.
Sea bass commonly share structure with scup (porgies), another tough little species. With both, you’ll usually have to sample a few patches before you find a productive mix of keepers and pinfish. Sea bass are also great for introducing kids to fishing: a swarm of eager fish that will chew most offerings is a reliable way to build enthusiasm in a young angler. After thousands of hours presenting finely tuned baits to picky quarry, it’s a relief in autumn to fish for species that will actually eat—the kind you can drop two baits to the rail and watch both get hammered.
Knacks and tricks
Effort correlates closely with success. Many anglers complain they only catch tiny sea bass, and when I ask about their methods, the reasons become clear. They often use store-bought rigs with the smallest hooks, which forces them to use tiny bait scraps that attract only the smallest fish.
I prefer wide-gap hooks in sizes 1 to 2/0—or larger if we’re sitting on a reef of bigger bass. Rig one hook even with the sinker and place the top hook on a short dropper loop high enough to avoid fouling the bottom hook. A simple rig with larger hooks and minimal hardware reduces flash and clutter, which seems to encourage bigger fish to commit to the bait.
For bait, fresh-cut strips of choggie, scup or even bluefish often draw larger sea bass in a mixed-size school. These strip baits wash out quickly, so change them frequently. Squid—especially the tentacles—is a sea bass staple. Vary the baits, keep an eye on which hook is getting hits, and adjust your presentation accordingly; small tweaks in bait type or rig length can make a big difference in catch rate.
Use lighter conventional outfits spooled with 20- to 40-pound braid and a 20-foot shock of 50-pound mono—similar to what many fluke specialists use. If your productive spot fills up with pinfish, try moving and resetting your drift. Conversely, if you’ve found a mother lode of big sea bass, anchoring can produce an exceptional day. Beware, though: if you anchor with many baits deployed, tiny fish can swarm your baits and strip them before they hit the bottom. In that case, returning to a steady drift to cover more ground can improve your keeper ratio.
One final advantage: while someone else battles rough seas and wind to run to the Dump, you can be topping off your freezer with premium white fillets tucked up in the lee only minutes from the marina. And yes—try not to look too smug when you pass them in the parking lot.
October 2012 issue