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Local Hooker Rods

Off-Shore Species Fish

Please choose a product subcategory of Off-Shore Species Fish below:

  • Big Eye Tuna

    Big Eye Tuna are easy to spot due to an eye that is more prominent than that of other tunas. They also have a shallow notch at the center of the caudal fin fork. The eye size is not so prominent in juvenile fish. Smaller big eyes are often found with surface schools of similar fish such as Yellowfin Tuna and Skipjack Tuna. Larger big eye tend to travel in schools of big eyes only.

    • WHEN: Big Eye Tuna can be caught at the Canyons from July through mid-October.
    • HOW: Troll for Big Eye using either live or artificial bait. Big Eye Tuna are one of the hardest fighting fish in the sea.
    • SIZE: Average size is 125-200 lbs., with 300 lb fish occasionally landed.

  • Blue Marlin

    Call it global warming, but Cape Cod, Massachusetts was once unknown for Blue Marlin catches. Catches of this magnificent fish are rare, but seem to have been on the rise in recent years, especially the larger fish.

    • WHEN: Blue Marlin are caught off Cape Cod, with the peak months being July through October
    • HOW: Preferred fishing methods for Blue Marlin are trolling large dead baits and big lures.
    • SIZE: The fish off Cape Cod can be anywhere from 50 lb. babies to 1,000 lb. giants, but the average fish weighing between 200 and 500 lbs.
    • LIMIT: The Blue Marlin fishery is strictly catch and release fishing aboard the charter boat Diablo.

  • Blue Shark

    Blue Sharks have a slender body, with a blue back and white bottom. The dorsal fin is well behind pectoral fins and the body gradually tapers into the tail. The IGFA record for a blue shark is 528 pounds.

    • WHEN: Throughout the Summer and Fall season on our Offshore Trips.
    • HOW: 80 lb bent butt standup outfit. The Local Hooker “Acid-Wrap” has become very popular for this type of fishing!

  • Bluefin Tuna

    Bluefin Tuna in their feeding frenzy, chasing bait fish, cause the desperate fish to gather into a tightly packed school in a futile attempt to save themselves. This phenomenon is known as “ bait-balls”. Bluefin Tuna are the ultimate heavy tackle test providing a spectacular show when striking baits.

    • WHEN: Begin fishing for Bluefins in June and continue through early to mid-November. We are often asked about the “best” time to go Bluefin fishing. Once the fleet locates the fish early in the season, any time is a good time!
    • HOW: Bluefins act differently every season (depending on their food source), so the techniques vary. The most standard procedure is trolling 2 to 4 lines with 80 lb. tackle until the school of fish is located. Often it is possible after a fish is hooked to stop the boat and chunk menhaden to keep the school around the boat. Although this method produced tremendous numbers of fish in the middle to late 90’s , over the last few seasons the majority of the fish caught have been caught trolling. Newly developed techniques called “Jigging-N-Poppin”, where a very high-end spinning rod and reel system are used to catch these fish, has been used over the past several summers. It is not recommended for the inexperienced.
    • SIZE: Bluefin Tunas range in size from 50 to 1,500 lbs.

  • Dolphin, Mahi Mahi, Dorado

    Fishing for Mahi or Dolphin (not Flipper) off Cape Cod, Massachusetts is fantastic family fun in the summer months. Dolphin’s are highly sought after, free swimming food fish of the gulfstream.

    • WHEN: In late July you’ll start seeing Gaffer Dolphins in the 15-20 lb. range. August brings the really large Dolphins, 25+ pounds, as well as large schools of Bailer Dolphins. Large and small Dolphin fishing remains excellent through the entire summer into the early fall.
    • HOW: You’ll usually see Dolphins in schools. Fishing from a drifting boat using light tackle is a good way. This method is extremely popular with families, since even the smallest child can excel at this type of fishing. Most of the larger dolphins are caught on trolling baits on 20-50 lb. tackle often while fishing for marlin or other species.
    • SIZE: Off Cape Cod, Massachusetts we catch Dolphins in good numbers ranging from small (Bailer Dolphins) weighing from 3-10 lbs., to large (Gaffer) Dolphins weighing from 10 to as much as 60 lbs.
    • LIMIT: The Dolphin limit is 60 fish per boat per day. UBECHA! GET BENT a lot!

  • Long Fin Albacore

    The Long Fin Albacore is easily recognized by its long pectoral fin. Albacore are great fun to catch and are excellent eating.

    • WHEN: Albacore can be caught from July through mid-October off Cape Cod.
    • HOW: Troll for Albacore using either live or artificial bait. Albacore action can be spectacular with a whole day’s catch hitting in a half hour period.
    • SIZE: Average size is 25-60 lbs.

  • Mako Shark

    There are two kinds of Mako sharks: short fin Makos, and long fin Makos. The short fin Mako is the more common kind of Mako. The Mako shark is 13-feet-long. It has a warm body. The body of the Mako shark is designed to hold heat. The warm muscles help the Mako swim faster. In New Zealand, the Maori people used the word Mako to describe this extraordinary fish. The high leaping, boat-attacking great game fish worldwide is the shortfin Mako. Off the coast of Cape Cod, we have some of the largest Makos in the world. A running jumping Mako is probably the best game fish in the world. The IGFA world record Mako was caught just off Martha’s Vineyard and weighed in at over 1,200 lbs.

    • WHEN: The Summer and Fall season.
    • HOW: 80 lb bent butt standup outfit. The Local Hooker “Acid-Wrap” has become very popular for this type of fishing!

  • Porbeagle Shark

    The Porbeagle shark, Lamna nasus, is among the fastest sharks. It has a torpedo shaped body that is blue-gray on top and white underneath with a distinctive white patch on the trailing edge of the first dorsal fin. The Porbeagle shark has two keels on the tail which adds to its speed in swimming, and they must swim continuously to get oxygen. They live on both sides of the Atlantic, and in the south Pacific and Indian Oceans, and are considered vulnerable to extinction. Porbeagle sharks can grow to 12 feet long and live to 30-40 years. Their diet mostly consists of herring and mackerel, with some cod, haddock, squid, and shellfish. The Porbeagle shark has a heat regulating system that raises the body temperature several degrees above the water temperature, which allows it to live efficiently in the cooler waters it inhabits.

    • WHEN: Throughout the Summer and Fall season.
    • HOW: 80 lb bent butt standup outfit. The Local Hooker “Acid-Wrap” has become very popular for this type of fishing!

  • Thresher Shark

    The Thresher Shark, named for their exceptionally long tail or caudal fin that is actually used by the fish as a weapon to stun their prey. The Thresher prefers deep ocean and is usually found in the upper 500 meters of water along the continental shelf. The largest species of Thresher reaches 25 feet (7.6m) in length and over 700 lbs.

    • WHEN: Throughout the Summer and Fall season.
    • HOW: 80 lb bent butt standup outfit. The Local Hooker “Acid-Wrap” has become very popular for this type of fishing!

  • White Marlin

    White marlin fishing off Cape Cod is exhilarating. It’s accurate to say that White Marlin are the most abundant billfish caught by charter boats off the Cape.

    • WHEN: These highly migratory billfish provide ample and spectacular action throughout the summer months. Over the years, May, June, July, August, and September have all proven to be an excellent time for White Marlin fishing. Absolute best fishing times are July and August. White Marlins range in size from 25 to 100 lbs.
    • HOW: Troll small dead baits on light tackle and often in the course of a day have multiple shots and hook-ups.
    • LIMIT: White Marlins are strictly catch and release.

  • Yellowfin Tuna

    Yellowfin Tunas are one of the most abundant fish found at “The Canyons” off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. These fish travel in schools and are often caught in great numbers. When charter boat fishing, multiple hook-ups from 3 to 8 fish are the rule rather than the exception.

    • WHEN: Peak periods for Yellowfin Tuna are June through November.
    • HOW: Trolling dead bait and artificial lures.
    • SIZE: Yellowfin Tunas range in size from 25 to 125 pounds.
    • LIMIT: The Yellowfin Tuna limit is 3 per person.