Little Fish Big Fun

Heading out of Charleston Harbor, we clear the jetties and cruise south-southeast through the crisp, cold morning. We zip along a flat sea at close to 30 knots, only slowing as we near the Charleston 60, a popular artificial reef in 60 feet of water. Throttling down the 21-foot center console, we keep our eyes glued to the Garmin depth-finder, waiting for the clouds of tiny blue and red chevrons that signify bait fish and swarming black seabass down below.

As we idle over one of the sunken ships at the reef, the bottom half of the screen lights up blue.

Pay dirt!

We all start dropping pieces of cut squid to the bottom. Almost immediately, my line pulses with a hit. After a few cranks on the big spinning reel, I put a healthy 13-inch black seabass on ice.

In short order, everyone's hooked up, reeling frantically as seabass nail whatever we send down.

Frozen cigar minnows left over from a recent grouper trip begin to entice larger bass. For every two 10-inch blackfish released, one 13 or 15 inches long comes over the gunwale and flies into the box. Our multiple-hook dropper rigs often come up loaded with two fish.

The frantic action continues for the next few hours, as three anglers burn through a block of squid, a few bags of frozen finger mullet and all the leftover cigar minnows. Fishing at the Charleston 60 and then some nearby live-bottom areas, we release well over a hundred smaller bass and put about 30 keepers on ice.

When the black seabass bite is hot, nearshore anglers can quickly fill a fishbox with great-eating fish.

After a quick run back home and a few minutes with the filet knives, we're admiring piles of delicious, brightwhite fillets.

If there is such a thing as a sure bet in fishing, this is it: Black seabass in the wintertime.

Granted, there are bigger and more challenging fish in the sea. And maybe it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to catch a black seabass. But the simple truth is, black seabass have probably fed more anglers and saved more trips from being "skunked" than any other species.

It is, in the words of one veteran Lowcountry charter captain, "definitely the go-to fish."

Capt. Chuck Griffin of Aqua Adventure Charters has been commercially and recreationally fishing off Charleston's coast for 21 years.

Though the 41-year-old captain tackles a wide range of bigger and more impressive species, he has a healthy appreciation for the voracious, easy-to-catch and greateating black seabass.

"It eats well. It bites wells. It fights wells. ... It fills the box," Griffin says. "It's always a fish you can guarantee catching for people to take home to eat."

And, he adds, "it's a great introductory fish for children offshore fishing."

Griffin's certainly not alone in his appreciation for the humble but reliable black seabass. For recreational anglers such as Jeff Andres, 26, black seabass are the fallback species while bottom fishing in the winter for grouper and snapper.

"When fish aren't biting you can always catch seabass," Andres says. "It's a sure-fire bet."

About the bass

Black seabass, or blackfish, rank as one of the smaller members of the federally designated snapper-grouper complex. South Carolina recreational anglers can keep up to 15 blackfish per personper day, with a 12-inch minimum length.

Though the 8-pound, 3-ounce state record was caught out of out of Fripp Inlet, S.C., most blackfish are much, much smaller.

Eight- to 10-inch fish turn up in Charleston Harbor, and anglers catch some keeper fish at the Charleston Jetties. But most anglers target larger blackfish - those in the 13- to 16-inch range - at nearshore reefs and live-bottom areas in 50 to 90 feet of water.

Big male black seabass often have a large, blue-tinged hump right behind their heads. Scientists say this odd feature could be used as a mating display.

Blackfish congregate around structures with marine growth. Natural rocky outcrops (or live-bottom areas) and manmade reefs such as the Charleston 60 and Frederick Day harbor the fish, crustaceans and mollusks that blackfish eat.

Though most saltwater anglers are very familiar with the feisty little fish, there are some things about them that most anglers might not know.

Marcel Reichert, a marine biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, studies seabass and other snapper-grouper species. Reichert knows some odd facts about the scrappy fish with a 10-year life span.

"Black seabass are protogynous, meaning they are born as females and transition to males," Reichert explains. "Most males undergo transition between the ages of 2 and 4."

And, Reichert adds, "there are reports that the black seabass is a cannibal. It preys on its own kind."

What Reichert and colleagues don't know for certain, however, is why large males have blue bumps on their heads.

"No one has a good explanation," Reichert says. "It may make males appear more impressive to females and rival males, possibly leading to greater reproductive success."

No frills approach

When it comes to rods, reels, tackle and bait, it doesn't get much easier or cheaper than fishing for blackfish.

Virtually any rod and reel combo will do the trick, from medium-action inshore spinning rods to heavier conventional setups used for other types of bottom fishing. The stouter setups help if you're fishing with multiple-hook rigs, which commonly catch two or three seabass at a time. They also come in handy if a grouper, snapper or bull redfish joins your black seabass party.

For more sensitivity and better hook-sets, many anglers spool their reels with braided line. Monofilament tends to stretch in deeper water.

Though Carolina rigs will work, most anglers use dropper rigs, also called "chicken rigs," when targeting seabass. To make a rig, start with a few feet of 60- or 80-pound monofilament leader. Tie a swivel on at the top of the rig, then tie two or three dropper loops in the middle (dropper-loop instructional videos are available online at youtube. com and other sites). The loops should be about 6 inches long when finished. To attach hooks, simply thread each loop through the eye of a hook, then pull the loop up and over the hook and pull tight. At the bottom of the rig, use an overhand or figure-eight knot to make a loop for a bell sinker. Attach the bell sinker in the same way as the hooks.

Double-hook dropper rigs allow anglers to pull up blackfish two at a time.

Virtually any type of hook will work for black seabass, from small live bait hooks to bigger J-hooks in the 6- to 7-ought range. Black seabass are not picky, and they don't seem to be spooked by too much terminal tackle. Some anglers swear by smaller hooks, while others like to use bigger sizes in case larger bottom species hit the bait.

When using circle hooks, either on dropper rigs or Carolina rigs, make sure to avoid dramatic hook-sets. The bass usually hook themselves, and once the fish is on, all an angler needs to do is start reeling.

When it comes to black seabass bait, most anglers see squid as the best choice. It's cheap, can be found at just about any tackle shop and is easy to use. Most anglers defrost a block of squid before a trip or on the way out, then cut them into bite-size chunks before the fishing gets hot.

But when the blackfish bite turns on, just about any kind of bait - live or cut, fresh or frozen - will draw a strike. Cigar minnows, menhaden, mullet and even mud minnows all work well. Some enterprising anglers have even been known to catch a blackfish on a piece of leftover fried chicken.

Flee the small ones

For anglers looking to fill their freezer with fresh fillets, catching seabass isn't the challenge. Weeding through the hordes of undersized fish is what's important.

Griffin has a few tips to help. First, he says, anglers fishing at artifical reefs should make sure that they anchor directly over structure. Just a few feet off, Griffin warns, and "you'll miss them."

Secondly, anglers shouldn't be afraid to leave those artificial reefs and look for black seabass at natural hard-bottom areas.

"Natural bottom is usually an established ecosystem already," he says. "With the man-made structures, it takes a lot longer to get established, and the big fish get caught early.

"... At the artificial reefs, everyone keeps the big fish and throws back the small ones."

The best depth to find this hard bottom, Griffin says, is between 50 and 90 feet. And though schools of blackfish often show up on a depth finder, Griffin says anglers shouldn't be afraid to drop lines whenever they're over good-looking bottom, even if the sounder doesn't mark fish.

Blackfish, along with grouper, sometimes hold very close to the bottom or sit in natural crevices, he says. Once baits start hitting the bottom, blackfish will seem to come out of the woodwork.

Just drop a line on the bottom, Griffin says, "then you'll see a ton" on the depth finder.

To quickly bring fish out of hiding, Griffin will sometimes drop blocks of chum to the bottom via a downrigger or anchor line.

"I take something like a milk crate and put a screen in it so the smaller fish couldn't get in," Griffin says. "Sometimes it brings out the bigger fish and creates a frenzy."

Of course, chumming also brings in the sharks.

When that happens, Griffin says, "pull your chum bag and wait 45 minutes to an hour" before dropping cut bait or squid.

In the meantime, Griffin suggests, anglers should try jigging for blackfish. Big bucktail jigs not only help anglers avoid shark hook-ups, but they also draw strikes from some of the larger seabass.

In fact, Griffin recommends that anglers consider simply leaving the bait at home if they're fishing at artificial reefs.

"You will occasionally catch bigger fish (with bait), but usually the smaller ones get to it first," Griffin says.

Griffin prefers bucktail jigs, which he often tips with a piece of cut bait or scentinfused soft plastic lure.

"Stock up on the 2- to 3-ounce jigs with the long white tail," he recommends.

Bucktail jigs often draw strikes from larger seabass.

Blackfish for the belly

Although nonstop, almost guaranteed action is a huge draw, most anglers go black seabass fishing for one simple reason: Blackfish are widely considered some of the best-tasting fish in the sea.

Tackling a cooler full of blackfish can be a daunting task, especially after a full day of fishing. Many anglers find an electric knife helps speed up the process.

Blackfish filets have a very light, almost sweet taste, with none of the "fishiness" one might find with tuna, mackerel or other oily fish. Seabass filets are perfect for pan-searing, broiling or baking, and can even be used in ceviche. (Editor's note: For some delicious black seabass recipes, visit tidelinemagazine.com )

To learn more about Capt. Chuck Griffin and Aqua Adventures charters, visit charlestonsportfishing.com.