Cunner

Season in Cape Cod

Maine DMR habitat (piers, jetties, eelgrass); winter torpor (SICB abstract). Warmer south-side water assumed to shift activity about a month earlier; no local catch data. (Our inference)

Season by region

Where to find them

Around piers, rock jetties, breakwaters and eelgrass beds close to shore (Maine DMR).

Tight to pilings, rocks, jetties and eelgrass.

What to look for

Small wrasse, mottled reddish to bluish brown, pointed snout, one long dorsal fin, a very deep tail base and a small mouth (Maine DMR). Looks like a small tautog but slimmer with a pointed snout.

Bait

Bits of clam, Crab, Sea worms, Canned corn kernels. A very small hook close to the rocks or pilings (Maine DMR: the small mouth makes a very small hook a must).

Leader

Light line and a very small hook.

Common mistakes

• Hooks too big for the small mouth
• Fishing away from the structure they live on

Landing

Swing it up; they are small.

Handling

No hazards noted in the sources read.

Keep or release

Maine DMR: tough skin but tasty meat, a popular pan fish. Often a bait stealer when fishing for tautog or scup.

Recipes for cunner

Typical: 6 to 10 in (Maine DMR). Large: Rarely over 1 ft (Maine DMR).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the MA limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries before you keep a fish.

Sources

• Maine DMR species sheet: Cunner (Official source)
• Travitz et al., Seasonal changes in pectoral fin muscle histology in temperate labrid fishes (SICB meeting abstract) (Official source)

All the fish of Cape Cod