# Dewey beach yesterday morning - what did I catch?



## BasserJim (Feb 21, 2016)

If these are the same thing I caught in Florida, we called them croakers or whiting. Is that what they are? Caught 4 of them in a couple hours. 





Also, a couple pictures of my rod just to show them off. I love this thing!



Custom Sea Bass decal, it's my nickname for my 10 month old Sebastian


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## doomdealer (Apr 10, 2013)

Looks like a kingfish/whiting to me.


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## MrWiskers (Feb 25, 2006)

Yes they are whiting....aka kingfish...aka round head...aka sea mullet all depends where you are at. Kingfish in ocean city Maryland / Delaware sea mullet or plain old Mullet on the obx

Call them what you want they are tasty by any name .


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## Gditm (Mar 2, 2016)

MrWiskers said:


> Yes they are whiting....aka kingfish...aka round head...aka sea mullet all depends where you are at. Kingfish in ocean city Maryland / Delaware sea mullet or plain old Mullet on the obx
> 
> Call them what you want they are tasty by any name .


Dick bass


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## BasserJim (Feb 21, 2016)

Ok, pictures I googled of a kingfish looked different, with dark vertical bars. Not a ton of fight to these little guys but it was fun to catch them for a couple hours while Grandma and grandpa watched sea bass and SWMBO was sleeping


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## 9 rock (Nov 30, 2008)

I can't realy tell but if it had little wiskers and it was real slimy it's a small ling fish great eating


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

It's a whiting. You might catch more if you fish close to shore with a little piece of blood worm instead of casting way out. Maybe!


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## BasserJim (Feb 21, 2016)

andypat said:


> It's a whiting. You might catch more if you fish close to shore with a little piece of blood worm instead of casting way out. Maybe!


1 was fishing with Fishbites bloodworms, almost a full cast out. I started casting close and just kept moving out till I got bit. 

I was also getting little "machine gun" bites like I would get from a bluegill or something when bass fishing. Any ideas what that would have been?


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## Hysteresis (Oct 20, 2010)

Some kingfish have dark bars and some don't have them.


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

BasserJim said:


> 1 was fishing with Fishbites bloodworms, almost a full cast out. I started casting close and just kept moving out till I got bit.
> 
> I was also getting little "machine gun" bites like I would get from a bluegill or something when bass fishing. Any ideas what that would have been?


Sounds like spot if they've made it up that far.


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## 1BadF350 (Jul 19, 2006)

Gditm said:


> Dick bass


This is the correct answer.


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## BasserJim (Feb 21, 2016)

HuskyMD said:


> Sounds like spot if they've made it up that far.


I know they've been catching some here and there off the pier in CHSP according to the bait shops facebook page.


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

Just so you know, atlantic croaker and whiting are not the same thing.


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## BasserJim (Feb 21, 2016)

HuskyMD said:


> Just so you know, atlantic croaker and whiting are not the same thing.
> View attachment 21769


I see, the fish I caught had the same colorations as this, but the mouth was like a sucker...... 

All my knowledge of saltwater fish comes from others fishing the piers/beaches... Thanks for the knowledge. I've always heard the term used interchangeably.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

BasserJim said:


> 1 was fishing with Fishbites bloodworms, almost a full cast out. I started casting close and just kept moving out till I got bit.
> 
> I was also getting little "machine gun" bites like I would get from a bluegill or something when bass fishing. Any ideas what that would have been?


 Probably minnows. Look for something different along the beach and fish close to it. Any rocks along the beach? Any wood pilings?


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

basserjim said:


> i see, the fish i caught had the same colorations as this, but the mouth was like a sucker......
> 
> All my knowledge of saltwater fish comes from others fishing the piers/beaches... Thanks for the knowledge. I've always heard the term used interchangeably.


 you caught a whiting!!!


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## CYT (Nov 9, 2015)

Cool looking stik Andy. 
What is it? Looks custom. What kind of blank?


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

BasserJim said:


> I see, the fish I caught had the same colorations as this, but the mouth was like a sucker......
> 
> All my knowledge of saltwater fish comes from others fishing the piers/beaches... Thanks for the knowledge. I've always heard the term used interchangeably.


I catch lots of whiting/sea mullet (what was in your picture) in Florida but have never caught a croaker. That isnt because there aren't any croaker. The atlantic croaker runs all the way up and down the atlantic. The croaker is aptly named because when you catch it and are holding it as you unhook it, it actually makes a croaking sound. You'll know it when you catch it...


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## BasserJim (Feb 21, 2016)

CYT said:


> Cool looking stik Andy.
> What is it? Looks custom. What kind of blank?


Its a custom Croix SCIII, 12 foot, MH Mod-Fast, 8-25 lb line, 1/2 - 4 oz. Its actually one of their carp series blanks, but the blank accidentally fell off the display and I figured it would work. Paired with Fuji guides, an Alps Seat, and custom random elliptical EVA



HuskyMD said:


> I catch lots of whiting/sea mullet (what was in your picture) in Florida but have never caught a croaker. That isnt because there aren't any croaker. The atlantic croaker runs all the way up and down the atlantic. The croaker is aptly named because when you catch it and are holding it as you unhook it, it actually makes a croaking sound. You'll know it when you catch it...


I've definitely caught them, and found it odd that these ones weren't making the noise. It's been 10+ years since I've been to Florida and caught them, took quite a break from saltwater in between, so my memory is a little bit foggy.


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## BIGAGOTUM (Apr 24, 2012)

Southern kings have dark bars, but that is definitely a king


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Kings are whiting I think. Some people call them kings. Some people call them whiting. Here is a FL. king fish caught on Sharky's Fishing Pier in Venice FL.


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## Sql (May 13, 2006)

Doesn't look like a spot, not a mullet and not a whiting. If it has dark side then it is a king, otherwise it's a queen fish, or queenie.


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## CYT (Nov 9, 2015)

Kingfish


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## CYT (Nov 9, 2015)

andypat said:


> Kings are whiting I think. Some people call them kings. Some people call them whiting. Here is a FL. king fish caught on Sharky's Fishing Pier in Venice FL.
> View attachment 21833
> View attachment 21841
> View attachment 21849


I believe those are King Mackerel


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## jigmeister (Feb 23, 2013)

MrWiskers said:


> Yes they are whiting....aka kingfish...aka round head...aka sea mullet all depends where you are at. Kingfish in ocean city Maryland / Delaware sea mullet or plain old Mullet on the obx
> 
> Call them what you want they are tasty by any name .


Delish


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

CYT said:


> I believe those are King Mackerel


 Smoker Kings are what some people call them in FL. We also catch a load of whiting like the one in the picture the guy is asking, what did I catch. That is why I say it is a whiting.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

jigmeister said:


> Delish


 X2 on that.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

X2 on what jigmeister said.


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## dena (Jun 20, 2010)

Use the free sand fleas at your feet for bait.
That is the best part about Whiting, free bait works as well as a $20 bag o bloods.


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## FishingKid (Nov 7, 2011)

Southern kingfish have the darker bars and northern are lighter. Its looks to me like you have a northern kingfish


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## SloppyTilapia (Oct 4, 2013)

andypat said:


> Kings are whiting I think. Some people call them kings. Some people call them whiting. Here is a FL. king fish caught on Sharky's Fishing Pier in Venice FL.
> View attachment 21833
> View attachment 21841
> View attachment 21849


So........are they called Smoker kings because of the speed in which they peel off line or because they are tasty on the smoker? Or maybe a bit of both?


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

They smoke your reel. I bet they are good smoked also. The way we rigged for trolling for kings is 300 yards of 20 Lb. Mono line, because when one hits it takes a lot of line off the reel. You better have the drag set right. It was fun.


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