Slow, Targeted: Drop the bait to the desired depth. You can tell most times when a scup … In August, scup can be caught all around Rhode Island, from shore and boat. Usual protocol while fishing for scup is one that is quite easy and similar to flounder fishing. 111 Myrtle Street New Bedford, MA 02740 Phone: (508) 997-4787 Store Hours: Mon – Fri: 8am -4pm Scales are large and firmly attached with iridescent purple tones. So if you want to fish for scup you have to get the same tiny lures down to very deep depths. Good saltwater lures are a must for attracting fish to your line and for holding up in the deepest, saltiest waters. Scup battles can be particularly exciting on a medium-weight spinning or lightweight surf outfit carrying a 10 to 20-pound test line. Scup should be hooked through the lips and drifted in deep water, preferably over hard-bottom areas where these fish typically gather. Clam is for scent, the other, tougher bait for staying power. Medium tackle with a 14 lb test line and natural bait like squid, worms, or clam is the most popular with these fish. The Scup (Stenotomus chrysops), or porgy is an Atlantic fish found from New England through Florida and the Bahamas. While porgies feed well throughout the tide, baits are best presented during the slow-current periods of one to maybe two hours on either side of slack tide. One necessity in porgy fishing is that the bait must be in the porgy… Bait and Hooks. The recommended scup setup includes a spinning rod and reel combo suitable for … Hogy Pro Tail Eels are excellent imitations of sand eels and squid. First off let me say that scup and bream are a bit different. Popular methods of catching Scup are drifting, bottom fishing, and jigging. Believe it or not, I often use strips of bluefish belly to deter small scup when they start to swarm—given the problematic relationship little porgies have with choppers. Colors: Hogy Pro Tail Paddles are excellent imitations of bunker, herring, mackerel, butterfish and scup. Bottom fishing with bait DESCRIPTION : Scup is a small silvery marine species with a body shape very similar to the freshwater sunfish. It takes a fair-sized scup to keep chewing when there’s the smell of predators in the water. Scup was the most abundant fish in Colonial Times, landing the name "porgy," which was the American Indian for "fertilizer. The bream live shallow 1'-20' while scup live 10' - 40' most bream lures are designed to fish shallow similarly to how one would fish for small bass. The jolthead porgy is found further south than the scup porgy. How To Catch A Scup. A good way to rig them is on a 3-way or sliding-sinker (fishfinder) rig, with an 8’ leader and an 8/0 circle hook. Otherwise, you're just waving around an empty hook like a pirate. Scup Method and Lures. The baits of choice for scup are sandworms or clams; however, porgies are known for their bait-stealing abilities, especially the shorts. They will take bait readily and are fun to catch. We have saltwater fishing baits for sale from Yo Zuri, Northbar, Super Strike, 24/7, Daiwa and more than 100 other top brands. Technique and Bait Selection Though the porgy is not one of the hardest fish to catch technically, a proper presentation is still necessary. Slowly raise and drop the rod tip. Scup must be over the legal size limit to use as bait, which means they need to be big. Some anglers prefer jigging small lures, but most prefer bait fishing. Drift over holes, humps or reefs and pay attention to your bait. The head is rather short with a small mouth and small, harmless teeth. Let the bait swim down near the bottom, but have control of the bait, as to not allow it to swim into the kelp or rocks or your going to be getting snagged often. 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