Fish Id: A Guide To East Coast Fishes

Northern Kingfish Menticirrhus saxatilis

Coloration: brown shades with wide vertical striping. V-shape formed by the first two bars.  High, slender dorsal spines. Sharp spine on front of anal fin. Little bearded chin, small mouth. Northern kingfish are bottom feeders that eat shrimp, small mollusks, worms, fish fry, crabs, etc. They usually show up in the NJ bays in late April to early May, staying through early October.

Apparently, the common group name has been revised to "Kingcroaker" instead of "Kingfish". I'm am not sure when and why this change occurred, unless it was to create a more clear distinction between the Kingfish that is a type of mackeral, and this one.

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingcroaker

Types of Kingfish bait.

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