Pinfish

 | By xfernal on 12/17/2021 6:05:03 PM | Views (696)

A small fish with an oval body, small mouth, incisor-like teeth and sharp dorsal spines. The body is silvery with yellow and blue horizontal stripes and four or five vertical lines. There is a black spot behind the gill cover. The pectoral and caudal fins are yellow. The dorsal fin is blue and yellow striped. Pinfish grow to 8 inches, but common catches range between 2 inches and 4 inches.

Pinfish rarely school (swim in groups) and are most active in daytime, although some nocturnal activity has been observed. Extremely high and low temperatures cause pinfish to migrate from shallow areas to deeper areas. Adults and juveniles migrate out of the shallower waters in the fall to their spawning grounds in the deeper waters nearshore.

Pinfish are found around pilings, rocks and vegetated areas in shallow waters from Cape Cod, Mass., to Yucatan, Mexico, including the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and the northern coast of Cuba.
 
While notorious for stealing bait, they are popular for live bait fishing. Snook, Spotted seatrout, Tarpon, Red drum, and Flounder feed on pinfish. It is also a prefered bait for may Gag Grouper fishermen.

Catch Information

Species:
Pinfish