Hooking into a black sea bass can be a real kick! The feisty fish thrashes about and tugs endlessly at the line as it is reeled in. Smokey-grey, dusky brown or black in color, the critter has a long body, large eyes and an extensive dorsal fin. As a bottom feeder, it dines on crabs, shrimps, juvenile lobsters, small fish and reportedly even barnacles. Its predators include striped bass, bluefish, weakfish and some species of sharks. It averages 1 to 2 pounds and occasionally up to 8+ pounds. Its IGFA All-Tackle World Record stands at 10 pounds, 4 ounces. It was landed in January 2000 by Allan Paschall, while fishing over a wreck off Virginia Beach.
Black sea bass are popular among recreational and commercial fishermen. They are a non-fishy tasting species. Instead, their firm white flesh has a slightly mild sweet flavor. Their flesh provides beneficial omega-3 fatty acids that promote health benefits to the body and brain.
RECREATIONAL FISHING – BAIT & RIGS:
When fishing for black sea bass, it is often recommended to use a medium-light action spinning rod or a conventional one, 6.6 to 7 feet in length. It is also best to load the reel with 20 to 30-pound braided or fluorocarbon line. When anchored over a reef with current, use a heavier sinker. Choice baits for the species are firmly hooked thin squid strips, but fresh clams or shrimps also work well.
STATE REGULATIONS:
Connecticut – The minimum length is 15.5 inches for the entire season. The open season is from May 16 to November 23. The maximum catch from May 16 -August 31 is 4 fish per angler. For a party boat, the limit increases to 6 fish per angler, from September 1 to December 31.
New York – The minimum length 16.5 inches for the entire season. The maximum catch from May 16 -August 31 is 3 fish per angler. From September 1 to December 31, the limit is 6 fish per angler.
Rhode Island – The minimum length is 16.5 inches for the entire season. The maximum catch from May 22 -August 26 is two fish daily per angler. From August 27 to December 31, the limit is 3 fish daily per angler. For party & charter boats, there is a limit of 2 fish per day from June 18 to August 31. From September 1 to December 31, the limit is 6 fish per angler.
There are three separate stocks of black sea bass. The northern species range from Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The second one extends south of North Carolina to Florida. A third stock inhabits the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Black sea bass are a warm water species. Their ideal range in water temperature is 59 F to 64 F. As the Sound’s waters cool in the fall, they migrate offshore to the edge of the Continental Shelf, where they generally remain at depths of 120 to 140 feet. As spring waters warm, they return to the Sound. Increasing Long Island Sound (LIS) water temperatures have resulted in an increase in their population, along with other warm water species such as summer flounder and striped bass. A 2024 LIS trawl survey conducted by LIS Partnership revealed a dramatic increase in the black sea bass population! Unfortunately, the Sound’s lobster population has declined considerably due to the temperature rise as it has for other cold water marine species. In the Sound, the best season for black sea bass is June to October. Its peak season runs from July through September.
Adult black sea basses typically congregate around rock piles, shipwrecks, shoals and piers. In Long Island Sound, adults inhabit depths ranging from 20 to 100+ feet. Juveniles generally reside in the shallows of estuaries, over shell covered bottoms or underwater structures. New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has created five artificial reefs in Long Island Sound, two in Great South Bay and nine off Long Island’s Atlantic coast. The depths of the Sound’s reefs range from 30 to 100 feet. Their underwater structures provide great sites for catching black sea bass and they also offer rewarding underwater exploration for SCUBA divers.
Smithtown Artificial Reef, 1.6 nautical miles northwest of Stony Brook Harbor entrance at (NW corner) 40°55.990 / 73°11.195, covers 31 acres with depths of 30 to 40 feet. Below its surface lie three wooden barges, three steel barges, and two decommissioned Erie Canal tugboats, steel pipes and concrete filled steel cylinders.
Huntington/Oyster Bay Reef is located 1.16 nautical miles northeast of Lloyd Point, at (NW corner) 40° 57.653’ / 73° 27.819’. The 50-acres site has depths ranging from 47 to 53 feet. The reef materials consist mainly of concrete blocks.
Matinecock Reef is located northeast of Matinecock Point, at (NW corner) 40° 54.580’ / 73° 37.740’. Its depths range from 30 to 40 feet. Its waters contain a 40-foot steel barge, a 46′ steel barge with pontoons, 3 steel pontoons and concrete slabs.
Mattituck Reef is located 2.37 nautical miles off Matticuck Inlet. The 50-acre site at (NW corner) 41°03.500 72°34.414, has depths ranging from 72 to 100 feet. It consists of the 88-foot steel vessel Socatean, concrete buoy sinkers and other concrete materials.
Port Jefferson/Mount Sinai Reef is located 1.79 nautical miles, northeast of Port Jefferson at (NW corner) 41° 00.035’ / 73° 04.156’. Its 50-acre site has depths ranging from 88 to 94 feet. The reef materials consist of a 50-foot crane barge, concrete and steel blocks along with buoy sinkers.
For more extensive information regarding the exact location of wrecks, etc. in Long Island Sound, Great South Bay and coastal Atlantic artificial reefs, go to New York State Artificial Reef Guide web site.