Black sea bass are a structure fish through and through, and their population has exploded in New England over the last couple of decades as the water has warmed. They are aggressive, they pull hard for their size, and on the table they are close to the best fish that swims. When the bass and bluefish bite gets tough, sea bass over a wreck will save the day.
How to identify them
Black sea bass are stocky and deep-bodied, ranging from smoky gray to nearly black, often with a blue sheen and bright accents. Big dominant males develop a distinctive fatty hump on the forehead and a striking blue-and-black spawning color, earning them nicknames like knothead and humpback. Their spines are sharp, handle them with care.
Where they live
Everything about sea bass is about structure: wrecks, rockpiles, reefs, mussel beds, and hard bottom. They move inshore into shallower structure as the water warms in late spring and summer, then slide out to deeper structure as it cools. The bigger fish generally hold on the deeper, less-pressured pieces. Find a good piece of bottom and you can catch them one after another.
Tip Sea bass stack up on structure. When you drift off the piece and the bites stop, do not keep fishing dead water, reset the drift or re-anchor to put yourself back on top of the fish.
How to catch them
Sea bass are not picky, they are structure-bound and opportunistic. Get a bait or jig down into the rocks and hold on.
Jigs and slow-pitch
Slow-pitch and vertical jigs are a deadly, active way to fish them, a compact metal jig fluttered just off the bottom draws savage strikes. A sensitive Daiwa jigging setup and a compact jig is all you need. Bucktails and soft plastics tipped with squid also produce.
Bait
A simple high-low rig baited with squid, clam or crab, fished right on the bottom over structure, is the classic and it flat out works. Add a teaser or a soft bait above the sinker to double up.
Eating
This is the payoff. Black sea bass have firm, white, sweet fillets that are outstanding almost any way you cook them, and the skin crisps beautifully. Ice them right away and they are hard to beat.