Surrounded by barracudas – it was like being in the Habs factory

[Fish_Eye]

Yesterday, while diving off Newport, I ran into every imaginable type of baitfish…including our very own variety of New England barracuda, Sphyraena guachancho – often referred to as sennets.

At one point I had so many cudas around me I felt I was in the middle of the Habs factory. Big stripers must love dinning on these little olive colored cigars and I’m sure that on the nights they’re focused on narrow baits, a needlefish plug is going to produce…especially one that sinks. While watching these tiny terrors of the shallows, I noticed that they spent most of their time hovering over the eelgrass and seldom ventured too close to the surface. Perhaps an olive needlefish lure that is allowed to sink for a few seconds and then worked up close to the surface looks like an out-of-place, wounded sennet…that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Sure there are a lot more needlefish in our waters than sennets (our variety of barracuda are so slow to reproduce that it takes 14 years for them to double their population), but needlefish are normally found in deep water while the little cudas can often be found in shallow coves, harbors and along the rocky coast.

What do you think a needlefish plug imitates?

[spinncognito]

great shots- do they swim like needlefish do or move differently? Those look straight-as-an-arrow and I'd hafta say something with BIG EYES like those would be a good imitation.

[fcap60]

Great photo:

I think those photos are just another piece that helps explain goes the theory that a needlefish (and many other minnow type plugs) imitate a general baitfish and not necessarily a specific baitfish.

Nice work

[Rockport24]

wow, interesting stuff!

[nightprowler]

Originally Posted by Fish_Eye

Yesterday, while diving off Newport, I ran into every imaginable type of baitfish…including our very own variety of New England barracuda, Sphyraena guachancho – often referred to as sennets.

What is the size of these little cudas? 4-6 inches? how large do they get?

[Fish_Eye]

nightprowler,

Pretty close, I would estimate 4-8" although they can grow to over a foot long.

[PoPin Plug]

THOSE ARE CUDA'S?

Wow there tiny.......

wait untill they get bigger.... then it will be the other way around....

[tattoobob]

Nice Shots Mike, I got the right plugs last night they look just like
those bad boys

[Fish_Eye]

Now if you don't happen to have a perfect match for the little cudas, you might want to kick it up a notch and try to match the hatch with these tasty offerings.

Anyone able to guess what these are? It won't be easy.

[tattoobob]

Spanish Sardine?

[Edge Sportfish]

Close but no CIGAR-

[PoPin Plug]

umm lets seee.........

bluefish, striper, mackrell, bonto, tuna, cod...... i'm just naming the fish i know the names of...... herring......idk pm the anser to me if you dont wnat to give it out to everyone.......





keep the guessing competions coming.....

[shadow]

snapper size blues?

[Bernzy]

Originally Posted by Fish_Eye

Now if you don't happen to have a perfect match for the little cudas, you might want to kick it up a notch and try to match the hatch with these tasty offerings.

Anyone able to guess what these are? It won't be easy.

Juvie Squeteague is my guess

Bernzy

[NIB]

They have big tails like some type of tuna.

[Backbeach Jake]

Those look like juvi yellowfin.

[Skitterpop]

pickerel

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Backbeach Jake

Those look like juvi yellowfin.

Thats what i thought.

[CanalGuy]

They do look a lot like mini yellowfins but I am going to guess either Atlanic Salmon or Cigar Minnows?

[Christian]

bloofish!!!

[tattoobob]

Originally Posted by Edge Sportfish

Close but no CIGAR-

Lady Fish?

[leptar]

The Atlantic horse mackerel.... very bony... don't make good bait.. caught while jigging for tinkers...

[Fish_Eye]

No to all so far.

However, the jig is up.

The answer is dealt with in an article on the front page of today's Providence Journal.

Out of sheer coincidence I had just finished sending off the pictures I've posted here to a state biologist when I got a call from the reporter who had been given my contact info from Tom Meade. We talked for a bit and as soon as I got my answer back from DEM, I shared it with the writer...only they put the wrong answer in the paper. They are Mackerel scad not Mackerel scud!

Poor little Decapterus macarellus don't even get the proper recognition they deserve. I had sent this fish base info over to the ProJo writer. For more info on these sub tropical visitors check out the fishbase site at http://www.fishbase.com/Summary/Spec...ary.php?id=993

They sometimes carry ciguatera poisoning so don't eat them if you catch them and let's hope the stripers don't eat too many of them either.

I'm off with the camera again, gotta find those tarpon.

[NIB]

They look like a Yo-Zuri Mag Minnow.

[wetsuit'nmtk]

if fluke are evidence of desirability northern senate then to hell with them. in all seriousness i remember the first time i saw senate as a kid at the coast guard dock, threw one right on a hook and since that day i have yet to get ONE BITE on the things. they are like fluke repellent. and its not cause there were no fish, other baits allways yield but not the mini barracudas. further, i have run into numerous pods of them right in the shallows with activly feeding stripers in the vacinity and yet they remain unherrased

[RoyL]

Great pics as always, I love to see all the wierd stuff that show up in our waters sometimes

[Edge Sportfish]

Mike-

Cigar Minnows are Scad-

G.L.

[Fish_Eye]

Edge Sportfish,

George, I knew I should have just called you first; no doubt you have a live well filled with these at the start of each day. However, there is no reference to cigar minnows as being scad at fishbase and that's a pretty complete reference data base.

What do you guys in Florida know anyway, you call False Albacore bonita. Bonita, bonito, false albacore…as you know…are simply little tunny or Euthynnus alletteratus. But with the size you catch them they should be called Monster Fat Alberts.

Here's an example of the size of the false albacore that George can bring to boat -- all day long -- or at least until your arms fall off...ask Crazy Alberto.

[Swimmer]

Several years ago I was fishing the short dock in West Chop and dropped something in the water. While retrieving my gear I saw the baracudas. For fear of sounding like a nut I never told anyone for several more years.

[Springtides]

Mike, thanks for those pics. Especially the "cuda's." I was fishing for shad and skips for bait and actually hoooked a few of the cuda's on a a small castmaster. What a cool looking fish. Didn't know what they were until now. Thanks for the info.