The weakfish is a beautiful marine species, but is it really a “weak fish?” According to fishers up and down the East Coast, that is the furthest thing from the truth. Weakfish are known as strong fighters and give the most advanced fishers a challenge in hooking and landing them. The most challenging part of […]
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Freshwater turtles sometimes seem invisible, yet these cool critters are found in practically every freshwater body in North Carolina. Sea turtles seem to get all the glory, but most people are not aware that the state is also home to 17 species of freshwater turtles. For the purposes of this story, we will be investigating […]
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The sea robin is one weird-looking fish. They have some of the largest pectoral fins of any bottom dweller I have ever seen in the Atlantic. When fully extended, they look like a single-engine Cessna’s wing, except underwater and on the bottom. These fish also have adapted pectoral fin rays just below their gills that […]
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The Atlantic bluefin tuna season ranks high enough up on the fishing world calendar that the fish even has two of its own television shows. This species is one of the largest open ocean migratory species of finfish found in the northwest Atlantic. Many fish are caught weighing well over 1,000 pounds and measuring 8 […]
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The spotted seatrout’s name gets me a bit confused. One of the common nicknames for this species is “speckled trout.” To me, the term “speckled trout” is another name for the eastern brook trout, which is found in the freshwater reaches of the mountainous region of North Carolina. Though these two share a nickname, it […]
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They swell up, they blow up, they puff up. Their unusual defense against predators makes this blowfish a hoot. Northern puffers are found on the Atlantic coast of North America from Newfoundland to Flagler County, Florida, over sand bottom near or in and around seagrass in waters ranging from 3 to more than 600 feet […]
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The Atlantic wahoo is prized by recreational fishermen, with recreational landings totaling more than 2.4 million pounds in 2019, but it’s also sometimes mistaken for another well-known gamefish, and there are a number of challenges related to management of the species. Frequently confused with king mackerel, wahoo are found in tropical and subtropical waters around […]
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The word “Tarpon” conjures images from fishing lore of large, silvery fish making spectacular leaps out of the water when hooked. Atlantic tarpon are actually closely related to eels. They may not look at all like their cousins when adults, but their larval stages are considerably more similar. Also known as “the silver king,” tarpon […]
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While “shark attack” is an often-used term, it’s not really accurate because sharks don’t seek out humans to “attack,” they’re just doing what comes naturally in the wild. Sharks are opportunistic feeders and occasionally bite a surfer or swimmer if they venture into murky waters and splash a lot at the surface. This splashing action […]
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Greater amberjack are often called “reef donkeys” by fishermen because of their strength and stubbornness. These powerful fighters can test any anglers’ tackle and ability to land them. Greater amberjack are commonly caught while anglers are pursuing king mackerel. They have a deeply forked tail like that of tuna. Fishermen catch this species by drifting […]
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