Reel Class Friday 7/19 Fluke & a very lost cusk

[Reel Class]

Ran a FTYP trip today with Larry, Brian, Ryan, Tommy and Keefe. Decided to NOT run north and fished the snags offshore and got into a nice pick early with a few nice boxers, and believe it or not, one CUSK (at least I think it was!) taken by Tommy (was the first fish of the day and hit the bucktail).

Bounced around the nasty stuff, lost some bucktails, caught some fluke, but it was a real grind.

Once that initial area dried up, we bounced around, catching a couple here and there, but never got it going. AT lunch time we made another move, and by this time the S wind was CRANKING -- this time we found a nice pocket of fish and had a few productive drifts boating shorts and keepers, but by 2 the wind really got the drift going and we were flying at over 2 kts and 12 oz. was not holding, so we finished off in on the beach and caught a few more shorts but called it a day just after 3.

Overall it was a tough day - the guys worked hard and boxed 16 keeper fluke to 4#. Ryan led the way with 4 keepers, and also had the biggest fish of the day. Great group of guys, just wish the fishing was better!

(If anyone can positively ID the fish in the pic below, which I think was a cusk, please reply here!)

[blkbear]

All the Cusk I caught up north all have a continuous dorsal and a single barbell on lower chin, it has rows of sharp teeth.

That one looks like it has a space in the top fin and long and long streamers like a hake plus the tail is wrong.
I am not sure what it is.

[tjd24]

Looks like a White Hake.

[Bucktailboys.com]

Captain worked his tail off for that catch...good time with some serious fishermen. Ryan, nice to meet you in person...also nice to meet customers on the water =-)

Good luck next week in the tournament.

Keefe

[Reel Class]

Brian you're right.

Since I got home I looked up pictures of cusk and they don't have that single fin behind the head.

This thing basically had the head of a cod and the body of a ling; coloration was blackish.

I've seen white hake before and they basically look like a ling but they are purple - this was different. I looked up European hake on the web and saw some similarities too

[darrenflynn]

Def a hake

[Reel Class]

An old friend who has mad credibility says spawned out white hake - I looked it up myself and I'm 99.9% sure it's a white.

[blkbear]

Spawned out makes sense as it thin but log.
The mouth looked like a hake

[stevelikes2fish]

White hake head for sure. Just never saw a skinny one. Not a cusk, that's for sure. In any case, congrats on the catch, good eats.

[dfish28]

Jimi Hendrix... Beat up!!! Purple Hake, excuse me while I kiss the sky...!