Raritan Bay 10-3 & 10-7

[RON B]

Fished the bay on Wednesday & Sunday caught a dozen or so small blues, 1 short striper 18" , a short 13" weak fish (my 1st) a few spots and 4 small out of season fluke and plenty of sea robins. All fish released except for the blues, will use for bait.
   General questions (1)when releasing fish what do you do if you gut hook them? I'm sure one of the fluke didn't make it to swim another day? (2) I also caught a fish I couldn't identify it was long slender & had vertical/diagonal type of pattern, sorry no pics I have old flip phone
Ron

[overbite]

Might be a King fish.

[Andys Delight]

But the excuses are I can't hook the fish I like to set the hook. to each his or her own. Bill

Not always.  Try fishing a live eel with a circle hook.   

[FishOn]

But the excuses are I can't hook the fish I like to set the hook. to each his or her own. Bill

Not always.  Try fishing a live eel with a circle hook.   

Ya know the  gif can be hurtful....  

[Mbailey33]

  I also caught a fish I couldn't identify it was long slender & had vertical/diagonal type of pattern, sorry no pics I have old flip phone
Ron

If it looked like this its a Kingfish

[IKAT]

  I also caught a fish I couldn't identify it was long slender & had vertical/diagonal type of pattern, sorry no pics I have old flip phone
Ron

If it looked like this its a Kingfish

Can you eat them   

[Mbailey33]

Yep, they are quite good.....caught a ton of them this year off LBI

I just gutted them and cut the head off, stuffed the cavity with lemon and butter, slapped on the grill and was good to go....skin peeled off like an orange, bones slipped out like a trout...

[RON B]

  I also caught a fish I couldn't identify it was long slender & had vertical/diagonal type of pattern, sorry no pics I have old flip phone
Ron

If it looked like this its a Kingfish

Looked like the picture of the Kingfish, Thanks, Ron

[ChrisL]

Absolutely.  Smoked whiting is kingfish.  Washed one down with beer during Sunday football yesterday.    

If a fish happens to be gutt hooked, it is sometimes better to cut the leader and leave the hook if you can't remove the hook without destroying the fishs insides.  There is also a trick of reaching through a flukes gill plate to remove the hook.

[Mr Limpett]

Absolutely.  Smoked whiting is kingfish.  Washed one down with beer during Sunday football yesterday.    

Oh man! Now I have to get a smoked whiting for tonight's game. (better make it a small one, probably won't watch too long).