Black sea bass... a great catch for anglers

AJ Petrarca, West Warwick, RI with a monster black sea bass he caught while fishing Kettlebottom Outfitters, Jamestown, RI.

Albert Bettencourt (left) and his grandson Nathan (right), both from East Providence, with fluke 25 plus inch fluke they caught off Newport last week.

Nick Roach (left) of Warwick with a fluke (summer flounder) and his grandson Ethan Roach (right) of Jamestown, RI with a black sea bass. Both fish were caught on the same drift on Kettlebottom Outfitters charters.

Black sea bass… a great catch for anglers

Black sea bass season opened Monday, July 11 and runs through December 31. Anglers have been catching keeper size black sea bass since the spring before the season opened while fishing for tautog and summer flounder. So this should be a good year for black sea bass. Minimum size this year is 13” with a catch limit of twelve fish/angler/day. Black sea bass are a great eating fish, often found on the menus of fine dining restaurants.

Black sea bass facts
Black sea bass are primarily black (sounds odd), but they have the ability to adjust their color to blend in with the bottom with colors ranging from grey, brown, black to a deep indigo hue.

They spend most of their time around the bottom and be found near rocky areas, jetties, rips , like a lot of bottom fish, they like structure.

Black sea bass are hermaphroditic fish… they begin life as female then turn male.

Sea bass put up a good feisty fight but they do not grow to be huge fish in the Northeast.

The largest black sea bass caught was 9 pounds, 8 ounces and about 19.7” long.

Ideal water temperature for black sea bass is 59 to 64 degrees.

How and where to catch them… rigs and bait
Rigs often used to catch black sea bass have two hooks set-up 12” to 16” apart with a bank sinker to hold bottom. Squid or sea clams are often used as bait. Anglers often catch them while fishing for fluke, because you are on the bottom and likely fishing with squid. They can also be caught with jigs and many prefer this method.

The best time to fish for black sea bass is from May through summer, when they are closest to shore. Any underwater structures… rocks, wrecks, piers and jetties will attach black sea bass. The larger males are general found in deeper water.

Captain Robb Roach of Kettlebottom Outfitters charters, Jamestown, said “Fish reef edges, deeper structure, ESP wrecks are best. Squid strips and small crabs are bait of choice. They especially like tiny lobsters but the only time you can use it is if they spit up a dead one.”
Captain Roach said that Hi/Low rigs work great and that fishing for black sea bass is more about location than fancy fishing rigs. “Anchor up to target black sea bass specifically, otherwise you will often catch them on a drift when fluke fishing.” said Roach.

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries says, “The black sea bass is predominantly a bottom-feeder, although it will occasionally strike at plugs, jigs, or lures. Thus, bait fishing with strips of squid or fish is the most productive method. The most commonly caught fish weigh from ½ to 2 pounds. You can receive the greatest enjoyment when catching fish in this size range by using a medium-weight-spinning outfit with 8-pound test line. Although a sea bass has a large mouth, use a #2 bait-holder hook tied above a small sinker; this fish normally hesitates to grab bait strung on large cod hooks.”

Cooking black sea bass
Black sea bass is a delicate, sweet-tasting saltwater fish. 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.

Captain Robb Roach’s favorite ways to cook black sea bass… “Cook whole! Gut, scale and cut off fins. Stuff and roast either in the oven or in a tin foil tent on the grill- yummy.”
Additional tips on cooking from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries can be found at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/recreationalfishing . They suggest to 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 and become somewhat leathery.

Seven B’s announces tuna trips
The Seven B’s announces two tuna trips and is now taking reservations. The first trip loads at 10:00 p. on September 9 and returns September 11. The second trip loads at 10:00 p.m. on September 11 and return September 13. Cost is $450. Call 401.789.9250 for reservations.

Where’s the bite
Cod fish surprisingly caught in the Bay this past week by Captain Robb Roach of Kettlebottom. Robb said, “I caught two (cod fish) yesterday around the bay! Great sign!! Both were just better than 22"!”

Fluke fishing has been outstanding in the lower Bay and off coastal shores. Kyle Grant caught a 27” fluke under the Newport Bridge last week. This, his first fluke was caught using a standard squid rig tipped with squid and a fresh water minnow aboard No Fluke charters. Captain Rene Letourneau of On the Rocks Charters said this Friday, “… Austin Hollow gave up two 22” fish caught with pink rigs…during the north side of Jamestown Bridge during the last hour of tide caught… five more fluke, three were legal fish”. Kevin Bettencourt of East Providence said he, his Dad Albert and son Nathan caught “six large fluke taken from deep water (100 ft. plus) off Newport. All fish caught weighed between four and eight pounds with the largest fish measuring 28.5”. Gary Zera on the RISAA blog said, “Fished the incoming tide today… in the area of the Jamestown Bridge with a very light S breeze. Quite a few boats fishing the area. Managed two keeper fluke 21" and 22", 1/2 dozen shorts and one sea bass. Pink and glow squid rigs produced better than chartreuse today 7.8.11.”

Striped bass fishing continue to slow down in the Bay and gets better around Block Island and off coastal shores. Some fish being caught in the very lower part of Narragansett Bay around Newport, Jamestown and off Narragansett. No Fluke charges landed several school and small keeper bass under the Newport bridge trolling through with umbrella rigs. Kayak anglers were taking fish close the piers too. John Wunner of John’s Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown said, “Striped bass and fluke fishing have been great and now good sized blues are being caught of Quonset Point. It is nice to see customers come through the door with a smile and show me photos of what they caught. It has been a good year for fishing so far.”