Expert-Guided Maine Groundfish Charter | 8 Hours

Haddock

## Haddock Melanogrammus Aeglefinus ## Haddock Description Haddock is a saltwater fish from the order Gadidae and is part of the Cod family. It is a fast-growing saltwater fish species. They are considered important from a commercial point of view, as food, and for hunting and game fishing. Haddock has darker scales on the upper side of the body while lighter scales on the lower. The upper body and sides are purplish-grey; color fades to pinkish near the lower body and ultimately turns to a white belly. Haddock has 3 dorsal fins and 2 anal fins. Haddock is similar to its relatives, such as silver hake, pollock, and especially the cod. Haddock has a black lateral line on the side that differentiates it from the larger cod, along with less mottled body color. They also have a distinguishing black "thumbprint" found on each side of their body. ## Haddock Size: The average length of Haddock is from 14 - 30 inches, but the species can grow larger up to 36 inches. The fish can weigh from 2 - 7 pounds. ## Haddock Spawning The spawning season of Haddock begins in January and is at the peak in spring. Haddock spawn between January and June on Massachusetts' eastern Georges Bank, to the Nantucket Shoals, and along the Maine coast over rocky, gravelly, or sandy bottoms. The female Haddock produces between 850,000 and 3 million eggs. Females release their eggs in batches on the ocean floor, where the male fertilizes them. The fertilized eggs then rise to the surface of the water, where they drift with the currents. Once hatched, they remain near the surface for several months before they settle to the ocean bottom. ## Haddock Interesting Facts Haddock has a black blotch above the pectoral fin, often called the Devil's thumbprint. Haddock can swim very swiftly for a shorter length to escape their predators. They also travel in large schools. Haddock is a very popular food fish. Haddock live for approximately 14 years. ## Haddock Diet Haddock are carnivorous and feed mostly on crabs, snails, worms, sea, urchins, and fish eggs. ## Haddock Habitat Haddock are bottom dwellers and are fond of cold waters. The fish prefer water at a temperature of 36° F to 50° F. They are found over sandy bottoms, pebbles, or broken shells. ## Haddock Lures and Baits: When Haddock fishing, anglers prefer using a baited hook instead of jigs to cause less damage to the fish's mouth and are less likely to attract cod. If drifting baits, using a braided line is wise. Fresh clams, rag-worm, mussels, cockles, squid, shrimps, and crabs are the best baits for Haddock. If choosing a lure, small 5-7 ounce jigs are useful. ## Haddock Fishing Method As the fish lays at the bottom, vertical equipment with heavy weights is a priority. Spinning gears suitable for saltwater and rigging are efficient ways for haddock fishing. A spinning rod of 6wt to 8wt can work for casting baits and lures. A simple tandem haddock rig or two hook paternoster rigs are suitable choices. ## Haddock Distribution: Haddock are found from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, Canada, to southern New Jersey with the highest concentration in the Gulf of Maine, Massachusetts' Georges Bank, and Cape Cod. ## Haddock World Record: All tackle record of Haddock is 11 pounds, 3 ounces.

Pacific Cod

Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) Fish Description

The Pacific Cod is a popular commercial saltwater fish. It is grey to brown in color with dark-brown spots all over, and it has a white line across its elongated body. It has a barbel on its lower jaw, which it uses to search for bottom-dwelling prey. It has 3 dorsal fins, 2 anal fins, and a pair of pectoral fins.

Pacific cods are carnivores. They will almost east anything, including their own species. They mostly eat herrings, eels, mackerels, squids, shrimps, and crabs. 

Interesting facts About the Pacific Cod

• It’s white lateral line across its body helps detect motion, vibration, and the pressure of the surrounding water.
• Cods are prized for their good meat and oil. They are a good source of omega fatty acids and their livers are rich in vitamins E, A, and D. 

Pacific Cod Size & Speed

The Pacific cod is a small fish but it can grow up to 46.8 inches. Its average weight is 11 lbs but it can be as heavy as 50 lbs. As of now, there is no average length for this fish. Cods are pretty slow game fishes. There is no record for the Pacific cod but scientists think they’re as fast as their relative, the Atlantic Cod, which only swims about 3.5-6.7 in/s.

Pacific Cod Habitat & Distribution

The Pacific cods generally live in the open seas of continental shelves and upper slopes where they stay in deep depths of 60-1500 feet. They prefer temperatures of 30-50°F, but they’re more abundant with temperatures of 32-40°F.

Little is know about the Pacific cod migration pattern and scientists find their migration complex, there is no distinct pattern yet for where they travel and lacks demographic groupings. 

What is know so far is they feed during summer and spawn in winter, one of the recorded spawning grounds is the Prince William Sound (a good spot for anglers). During spring, they go back to the open waters to feed. They also swim to deeper depths when the water gets cold, like in Fall.

Fishing spots for the Pacific cod fishing are located all over North America. They can be found in the Bering Sea down to Souther California (but are less common in Central California). Other spots are in the Gulf of Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and generally the West Coast.

Pacific Cod Fishing Technique

Anglers generally consider cods as easy game fishes. They don’t fight back that much like a trout, what’s good about cods are that they’re plenty and they can still be fairly strong (some anglers say they can even bend 9-10 foot rods). Cods mostly spend their time near the bottom and that makes it hard to fly fish. If you want to catch a cod with a fly rod, you can wait for the night where they will go closer to the surface. You can either fly fish cods using a small boat or a kayak, what’s important is to use a fast sinking line, like a shooting head, to help your lure get to the shallow sweet spot of the fish, which is 20-60 feet deep. Let your lure drop until you hit the bottom and wait for the fish to catch your bait. For the rod, a 6 to 7 ½ foot fast action rod with a 50-80 pound braided line is recommended.

Pacific cods are known to be greedy fish. So they will almost take a bite of anything, whether they’re colorful or flashing material attached, they will most likely bite as long as they sink deep. So make sure to use 2/0 to 7/0 hooks and flies to reach the bottom (if you’re going to use a lighter fly, add a weighted lead for it to sink). Recommended baits are the fish’s favorites which are squid or mackerel. 

Picked Dogfish

Picked Dogfish  (Squalus acanthias) Fish Description

Also known as Dogfish, Dogshark, Rock Salmon, Pinback, Spur Dog, Spiny Dogfish or Piked Dogfish, the Picked Dogfish is a saltwater fish and member of the Dogfish Sharks family. It is one of the most popular dogfish in the sharks family. 

The Picked Dogfish has no anal fin but possesses some dorsal fins. One of its distinct features are the white spots on its back. It has a heterocercal tail due to its caudal fin having asymmetrical lobes.

Diet and Size

Picked Dogfish are aggressive hunters which feed mostly on shrimp, sea cucumber, jellyfish, crab, fish, squid, and other invertebrates.

Male Picked Dogfish matured at around 11 years of age, measuring around 31 to 39 inches at this time. On the other hand, female Picked Dogfish mature when they reach 18-21 years of age; at this point, they measure around 39 to 63 inches.

Interesting Facts About the Picked Dogfish 

• The Picked Dogfish got its species name acanthias from having two spines which are used for defense.
• When the Picked Dogfish is captured, it arches its back to wound its captor with spines near its dorsal fins. The fins secrete a mild venom.
• Male Picked Dogfish have claspers which are a pair of pelvic fins which function as “sperm-transfer” organs. During copulation, the male Picked Dogfish inserts one clasper into the female’s cloaca or posterior orifice.
• The average lifespan of the Picked Dogfish ranges from 35 to 54 years.
• The Picked Dogfish is used as meat in cheap versions of shark fin soup. It is also used as pet food, source of liver oil, and fertilizer.
• The Picked Dogfish is also a common specimen for dissection due to its size, cartilaginous skull, and availability.

Picked Dogfish — Fishing Techniques

The peak season for catching Picked Dogfish is in October. They are usually accidentally caught on the piers; anglers also target them on surflines. Sometimes, they are captured while slidebaiting. 

To capture Picked Dogfish, the best bait is sardines; perch, smelt, herring, finbait, sand crabs, worms, and ghost shrimp are effective as well. Picked Dogfish often swim in schools and luckily for anglers, they eat nearly any kind of bait.

Since this kind of shark is a fierce fighter, a light tackle will not be enough. Instead a 10-20-pound line can be used to catch this gamefish. As for rigs, the Carolina or Fishfinder Rig, Pulley Rig, and Loop Rig work well. Despite the Picked Dogfish having sharp teeth, wires are not often necessary when catching them. 

Sink gillnets and bottom trawlers are primarily used for catching Picked Dogfish.

Habitat and Distribution

Picked Dogfish are abundant in the southern California waters; they especially thrive in Ventura County and LA County. They are also located in the subarctic and temperate areas of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans. They are also sighted in Nova Scotia and Cape Hatteras, and Labrador to Florida. Despite its limited range, Picked Dogfish remain as the most abundant kind of shark.

They can be found in sand flats and beaches. Picked Dogfish prefer temperate waters (54  °F to 59 °F). They can be found offshore and inshore in most parts of the globe. As bottom-dwellers, they are found in waters as deep as 160-490 feet. Some can even be found at depths measuring 2,300 feet.

Pollock

Pollock (Pollachius pollachius) Fish Description

The Pollock is a fish also known as the coalfish, and has a subtle signature feature: the length of its jaw. To tell the difference between the Pollock and its cousin, the former has a stronger underbite. Another is the color. The Pollock has a silvery lateral line and right beneath it, it has a sort of greenish-black hue. Whereas, the Atlantic Pollack has one in grayish gold, the pollock also has straighter pectoral fins whereas its cousin has a slight kink. It also has relatively smaller eyes.

The pollock also has a chin barbel that functions as a “whisker” in cats. It uses the barbel to find its food. As it grows, the pollock's color turns brownish-gray on top but greenish at the bottom.

Diet

The Pollocks are carnivorous. They feast on smaller fish such as smelt and capelin. However, as they grow bigger, they are also capable of eating squid. When looking for food, Pollocks are often seen swimming near salmon farms, eating leftover salmon feeds. They also feed on planktonic crustaceans.

Size

An adult pollock size ranges from 40 to 47 inches. However, some have reported that individual pollock catches have ranged up to 51 inches.  The pollock reaches maturity after 4-9 years and lives up to 16-20 years. Commonly, male pollocks are larger than female pollocks.

Interesting Facts

Because the Pollock is a bottom feeder, its flesh doesn't look as impressive as the Atlantic Pollack. Its dark-colored flesh gives it a bad reputation that it doesn't feed and therefore, poor quality. In reality, some commercial areas use Pollock as a substitution for Salmon, especially in cat food. Coalfish is also quite popular in Norway where it is sold as “seelach” (literally, Sea Salmon). However, the existing premise that “whiter fish flesh" is better tasting has made the Pollock considerably cheaper than its cousin.

In the British Isles, the Pollock is also commonly known as a Coley. 

Pollocks are sensitive to temperature and to the tides. Otherwise, they often stay in the depths unless they detect vibrations.

Some say that speed isn’t their strongest asset. Rather, it’s their strength. Some say that once you catch a Pollock, prepare to struggle. It’s also why experienced Pollock anglers say bring good footgear. You’re going to need the ankle support and grip. Otherwise, you’ll just be dragged along by the fish.

Pollock – Fishing Techniques: How to Fish for a Pollock

When fishing for a Pollock, one of the things you should bring are sturdy fishing boots. Find boots that give you good ankle support and weigh you down so you don’t get dragged down with the fish. The Pollock are known to snatch and drag their prey to the depths. Best you don’t become part of their prey too.

For the baits, the best kind of baits seen to work are either Sand Eel imitations or Black Minnow imitations. Weedless fishing works well too and even the color can affect your catching rate.

Another thing to take note is the time you go fishing. The best time to go fishing would either be early morning or evening. 

Make sure to travel light also when going. Since Pollock like rocky areas, you’ll need to scale a few cliffs and ledges every now and then to get to a good spot. 

As for setting up your fishing spot, check the tides. The more the tide, that works better for you. However, adjust the weight of the lure once you find a place with a high tide to make sure your lure stays connected. From there, do a bit of jigging as you lure it back to either the shore or kayak. If you’re on a kayak, the recommended depth is 20 meters. For those fishing from shore, you’ll have to go a little deeper or wait for the tide to rise to an all-time high to get them close.

Habitat

Pollock, and especially the juveniles,  like rocky areas. The young pollock often hide near algae and lurks among shallow areas. Once matured, the adult pollock head back to the deeper parts of the ocean. They are quite picky with the temperature and depth. They are usually found in depths of 100 to 400 feet.  They are most commonly found in Alaska in the Northern Pacific and the Bering Sea.