# Rudee mystery fish!



## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

OK... this guy was about 16-18in... he was shaped like a blue or spanish, with a blueish green hue, with faint black lateral stripes. He didn't have any scales (smooth skin)... his body felt firm and strong. He had a wider trout/cobia like mouth and no teeth. He fought like a friggin' freight train too, and went completely nuts when I through him back. He ate a piece of bluefish on a jig. Any clues? I have never seen anything like it... I showed it to a couple other anglers and they couldn't make a guess either. Some kinda hybrid or something? As for other species we did catch a bunch of flounder in the 14-16" range.


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

*You mighta tossed back a good one...*

Sounds kinda like an Atlantic Bonito, a smaller cousin to False Albacore and one of the tuna clan. Superb white meat tuna, one of the best that'll ever come off yer grill. They should be migrating up the coast about now.


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

*bonito pic*

there's a picture of a bonito here:

http://www.flyfishingthevineyard.com/bobbonito.jpg

And, yeah, they do feel like a freight train- that typical unstoppable, blistering run as soon as they feel the steel.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

It is similar but it didn't have the 'spikes' like a spanish or horizontal lines... any other ideas? The little guy definitely put my tackle to the test though, I was expecting something much bigger.


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

*hmmmmm...*

Well, possibly a small False Albacore, or one of the Jack family would be my next guess, leaning more toward a Jack. Never mind about the tasty part, but all the above are great fighters.


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

little tunny?


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

alberts dont have the well defined lines a bonita does. 

my question is where on the body were the stripes? top section of the back or bottom section or both sections and all over??? Im almost dead certain it was a bonita, but where the stripes were located is the clincher to ending this dillema


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

The lines were on the top section of the fish and not well defined at all... they were almost hard to see when he wasn't in the water.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

I looked at some pics and I am pretty sure it was a jack crevalle.


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## RACN35 (Oct 17, 2004)

big schools out around the jetties last few days


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## striperswiper (Nov 30, 2004)

atlantic mackeral


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

Jack:










Atlantic Bonita:










Little Tunny:










Based on your description and from previous posts, I'd guess it was a little tunny (aka little tuna, false albacore, bonito)


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

I caught an atlantic mackerel off Virginia Beach pier about 2yrs. ago... it was a little smaller and skinnier, and had small greasy scales. Every picture of jack crevalle I see, there is no lateral lines and the mouth seems angled down... this guy had a wider mouth like a trout. Could this be a different jack species?


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## Tailwalker (Jul 24, 2006)

Bar Jack or juvenile amberjack.


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## rndhededflip (Apr 19, 2006)

ok... its gotta be a BOSTON MACKEREL... i've caught those before at the beach... a while back though...


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## LiteTackleChamp (Jul 29, 2005)

what about a pompano


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## Rick C. (Dec 2, 2002)

Young cobia? They look somewhat different until the get 10lbs or so.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Cobia/Cobia.html


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

It looked like a jack with black lateral stripes, like a juvenille drum. I took my daughter to the marine science muesum today and none of the jacks had the stripes, even the smaller ones. They were very prominent on his topside when he was in the water. Trust me it looked nothing like a mackerel.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

My first thought was a juvenille cobia because I have heard stories of them in there... but he looked nothing like the pictures I saw of juvenille cobia.


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## cap1196 (Apr 9, 2006)

Rockstar, look up a Banded Rudderfish or a Blue Runner (Hardtail). Both are in the Jack family and large Runners have faint bars down their bodies that show when they are excited. They sometimes also grunt while removing the hook. Do you remember if it had long pec. fins?

Good job either way!


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

Should have taken a picture of it


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

lol...


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

Banded Rudderfish it is... this is the most similar picture I have found.


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## usa4cheer (May 5, 2006)

*too soon*

I am glad that you figured it out, it was too soon for me, I enjoyed checking in to see all the input and different ideas. 
thanks


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## kimh1 (Mar 5, 2007)

So...
Tha verdict?


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

how bout a juvenile black drum?


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

Definitely not a juvenille drum... it was a 'banded rudderfish' or some other species of jack or pompano with stripes. My buddy tried taking video and pics with his phone but they all came out way too bright to notice anything.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

This is a great picture... he looked exactly like this one.... just bigger.


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

Possibly a juvenle banded rudder fish.

This picture is in black and white, but it looks like what is in your photo.

http://www.marinefisheries.org/fish/bandruddjuv.jpg


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

It's definitely the rudder fish. Are these uncommon this far up north... I am pretty sure they're indigenous to areas of Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico.


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## harry buggs (Feb 7, 2006)

Looks like what we used to call Pilot Fish up in NJ. Used to get them in Shark River Inlet in August for a couple of weeks. There'd be a school of 20 to 30 of 'em hanging around the bridge. Great fight on ultra-light spinning tackle and tiny bucktails or spoons.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

they're not uncommon here. You usually see them a little offshore hanging tight to the bouys just off the beach. Caught em before while spadefishing. Pretty cool to see inside rudee though......!


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## gordy (Aug 20, 2004)

Its definitely a bar jack. They are all over the buoys in the summer time.


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

*this has intigued me*

so i found this
www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1008

pic looks right for banded rudderfish & point map shows distribution


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## Baitshack (Aug 28, 2004)

*verdict*

Japanese Croaker


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## Yakhunter (Sep 15, 2006)

Rudee is full of surprises. I saw a triple tail in there last year.


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