is this a queenfish?

#1
Hi, I'm new to this forum, and new to California saltwater angling. Nice to meet you all.

I'm still exploring all the fishing opportunities around here, and learning to identify species of course. Pierfishing.com is definitely a great resource!

I caught this fish today at Pacifica Pier, and was told by a fellow angler that it was a kingfish. But I thought it looked more like a queenfish, based on what I've read on the website. But the website also said that queenfish are uncommon that far north, so I'm a bit unsure what exactly it is.

Anyhow it was caught on a high-low rig, size 8 hook baited with shrimp, on the north facing side of the pier. Hope someone here is willing to share a bit of wisdom and help me grow my knowledge! Thanks in advance!
 

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Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#3
Yes, a queenfish. An interesting catch at that pier, in fact only the second we've had reported at the Pacifica Pier. Redfish reported one in 2017. Queenfish, called herring in SoCal, are a close relative of white croaker, a fish given many names but usually called kingfish in CenCal and the Bay Area. Unfortunately many if not most anglers have a terrible time correctly identifying fish (one reason for PFIC).

https://www.pierfishing.com/queenfish/
 

Fishman Fishman

Well-Known Member
#4
Hi, I'm new to this forum, and new to California saltwater angling. Nice to meet you all.

I'm still exploring all the fishing opportunities around here, and learning to identify species of course. Pierfishing.com is definitely a great resource!

I caught this fish today at Pacifica Pier, and was told by a fellow angler that it was a kingfish. But I thought it looked more like a queenfish, based on what I've read on the website. But the website also said that queenfish are uncommon that far north, so I'm a bit unsure what exactly it is.

Anyhow it was caught on a high-low rig, size 8 hook baited with shrimp, on the north facing side of the pier. Hope someone here is willing to share a bit of wisdom and help me grow my knowledge! Thanks in advance!
Yes it is. Also known as Herring. If you fish from a charter boat and you see them in the live bait tank. The deck hands will refer to them as "brown bait". Good bait for halibut, Calico Bass, Yellowtail. Also, tasty when deep fried.
 
#5
Yes it is. Also known as Herring. If you fish from a charter boat and you see them in the live bait tank. The deck hands will refer to them as "brown bait". Good bait for halibut, Calico Bass, Yellowtail. Also, tasty when deep fried.
I can confirm that it was tasty when pan-fried. It really reminded me of the American silver perch, Bairdiella chrysoura, that I used to catch in the summer. Wonder if it occupies a similar niche in its ecosystem as the queenfish.
 

EgoNonBaptizo

Well-Known Member
#6
I can confirm that it was tasty when pan-fried. It really reminded me of the American silver perch, Bairdiella chrysoura, that I used to catch in the summer. Wonder if it occupies a similar niche in its ecosystem as the queenfish.
With regards to phylogenetics, Seriphus is part of a larger clade including Bairdiella that comprises most New World croakers, but in turn is part of a narrower clade comprising two other Eastern Pacific croakers, Genyonemus and Roncador, while excluding Bairdiella, so I would expect their ecologies to be somewhat similar, though S. politus has a more terminal mouth and more fusiform profile than B. chrysoura, so it is likely feeding higher in the water column. Unfortunately the osteology and behavior of both species is poorly documented, so I can't give any further comment.