Haddock are the fish that keep the New England groundfish tradition alive. As cod have declined and tightened up under regulation, healthy haddock numbers on Stellwagen Bank and the ledges give anglers a reliable, delicious reason to make the run offshore. It is meat fishing at its finest.
How to identify them
Haddock look a lot like a small cod but are cleaner and grayer, with a black lateral line (cod's is pale) and a dark smudge above the pectoral fin often called “the devil's thumbprint” or “St. Peter's mark.” They have the three dorsal fins of the cod family and a small chin barbel. Getting the ID right matters, cod and haddock have very different regulations.
Where and when
Haddock are a Gulf of Maine fish, caught over hard bottom, gravel and the edges of banks. From Massachusetts that means Stellwagen Bank, Jeffreys Ledge, and similar pieces. They are available much of the year, so the season is really dictated by weather windows and by the regulations. This is a run-offshore, watch-the-forecast fishery.
Tip Haddock feed on the bottom on small stuff, so downsize. Smaller hooks and baits like clam and sea worm outfish big offerings, and a dropper above the sinker often catches two at a time.
How to catch them
Haddock fishing is bottom fishing. The two mainstays:
Bait rigs
A high-low rig with a bank sinker heavy enough to hold bottom, baited with clam or sea worm, is the standard. Drop it down, hold bottom, and let the gentle taps tell you they are there.
Jigs
Diamond jigs and slow-pitch style jigs, sometimes tipped with a teaser or a strip of bait, are an active, effective way to fish them and can pick off the bigger haddock. A sensitive conventional or jigging Daiwa setup makes the deep-water fishing far more enjoyable.
Eating
Haddock is the fish in classic New England fish and chips and baked scrod for good reason: mild, flaky, white and clean. Bleed and ice them and they are as good as whitefish gets.