2016 - Species List

One of the most satisfying aspects of fishing is the pursuit of different species.  My goal is to catch as many species as I can in one year.  This approach is similar to the activities of birdwatchers.  My birdwatching past is what inspired me to take a species diversification approach to fishing.

Here's the list for 2016.  It includes nine new species.  One of these, a young 22 inch Halibut was caught locally while Haddock fishing on Stellwagen Bank.  Another, the Green Band Wrasse was caught in the Virgin Islands. The the rest came from the Azores and include: Axillary Seabream, Black Tail Comber, Ornate Wrasse, White Seabeam, Two Banded Seabream, European Perch, and Northern Pike.

Missing from this year’s list are Winter Flounder, Skate, Black Crappie and Tiger Trout all of which were frustratingly hard to find.  I hope to remedy this in 2017!

All species are listed by a common name followed by the scientific name.  The number indicates how many were caught during the year.

1. Atlantic Mackerel, Scomber scombrus (51)

2. Axillary Seabream Pagellus Acarne (5)

3.Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata (202) 

4. Black Tail Comber, Serranus atricauda (13)

5. Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (15)

6. Blue Runner, Caranx crysos (3)

7. Cod, Gadus morhua (61)

8. Cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus (47)

9. Cusk, Brosme brosme (1)

10. Fluke, Paralichthys dentatus (14)

11. Green Band Wrasse, Halichoeres bathyphilus (1)

12. Haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus (104)

13. Hake, Urophycis chuss (3)

14. Halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus (1)

15. Menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (22)

16. Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus  saxatilis (5)

17. Ornate Wrasse, Thalassoma Pavo (1)

18. Pollock, Pollachius virens (16)

19. Puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus (2)

20. Sculpin, Myoxocephalus scorpius (22)

21. Scup, Stenotomus chysops (123)

22. Sea Raven, Hemitripterus americanus (1)

23. Sea Robin, Prionotus carolinus (22)

24. Smooth Dogfish, Mustelus canis (2)

25. Spiny Dogfish, Squalus acanthias (12)

26. Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis (135)

27. Tautog, Tautoga onitis (5)

28. Two Banded Seabream, Diplodus Vulgaris (6)

29. White Seabeam, Diplodus Sargus (1)

30. Whiting, Merluccius bilinearis (1)

31. Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus (9)

32. Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (6)

33. Brown Trout, Salmo trutta (17)

34. Chain Pickerel, Esox niger (21)

35. European Perch, Perca fluviatilis (2)

36. Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides (47)

37. Northern Pike, Esox lucius (1)

38. Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus (17)

39. Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (29)

40. Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu (6)

41. White Perch, Morone americanus (21)

42. Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens (119)

Fall Freshwater Fishing On Cape Cod

Fall is a great time for freshwater fishing.  For one thing the ponds on Cape Cod aren’t as crowded as they were in the Spring.  Then there’s the weather.  Fall fishing begins with warm October days and gradually gets cooler giving the angler the chance to acclimate just as the freshly stocked trout are acclimating to their new surroundings. 

This year I fished the usual Upper Cape Ponds.  As always Spectacle Pond produced the most trout, an almost equal number of Browns and Rainbows.  Pimlico Pond was  the hotspot for Brown Trout.  Johns Pond was the place to go for a mixed bag of trout, Smallmouth Bass and White Perch.  Hoxie was a disappointment this year in the trout department but not when it came to Chain Pickerel and Largemouth Bass.  

Other locations included: Mashpee Wakeby Pond, Peters Pond, Long Pond in Yarmouth, Hathaway Pond in Hyannis, and Hamblin Pond in Marstons Mills.

I use live bait, night crawlers, mummichogs and Banded Killifish, for most of my freshwater fishing.  The bait is fished below a sliding bobber. Sometimes I’ll cast small metal spoons for trout or swimming minnow plugs for bass.

 My son Nate caught this Brown Trout at Spectacle Pond with a live Banded Killifish

A Chain Pickerel also caught using a live Banded Killifish.  This one was at Hoxie Pond.

Saltwater Kayak Fishing

Last year at On The Water magazine’s 2015 StriperFest, Cynthia put in the winning bid on a Kayak at the silent auction.  This was the beginning of our household’s kayak fever.  We both have kayaked before and we own three canoes so we’re not exactly strangers to paddlesports.  I used the canoes over the years for fishing. 

That fall we put our boats in a couple of times, Cynthia in the kayak and me solo in a canoe, but the canoe was so much slower that it was difficult find the right pace for both of us.  It was now clear that I too would need a kayak so we could explore Cape Cod’s waterways together.  This also got me thinking about kayak fishing. I definitely  wouldn’t be borrowing my wife’s boat for fishing.  I wanted something a little more manly than a hot pink kayak labeled “Venus II”! 

Cynthia And Her Kayak

Popponesset Bay

Harbor Seal at Seal Rocks in Buzzard's Bay

We purchased a small inexpensive sit-in type kayak.  I wanted something ultralight for car topping when we aren’t kayaking together.  I have to say I got a lot of use out of that kayak.  I used it to fish some of the places that I visited in the past with my canoe.  One is a harbor in Buzzards  Bay where I target Black Sea Bass, Fluke and Scup.  The other is a southside bay that’s good for Striped Bass and Bluefish.   My first season of kayak fishing exceeded all expectations and I can’t wait to get back to it in the Spring and try out some different spots.

A Keeper!

Black Sea Bass And Scup

Northern Kingfish

Some Big Scup and a 22inch Fluke