The porgy is an Atlantic
fish found from New
England through Florida
and the Bahamas.
There are 2 primary
species known as the
scup and the jolthead. The jolthead porgy is found
further south than the scup porgy. The scup averages a
couple of pounds while the jolthead porgy is bigger with
some of these fish growing larger than 8 pounds.
Catching Porgy
Porgy feed on the bottom along rocky, irregular bottoms
where plenty of mussels are available for them to eat.
Light tackle is preferred with a double hook setup so you
can fish bait along the bottom and the other bait about a
foot off of the bottom. Smaller hooks are preferred with
natural baits such as pieces of clam, sandworms and
bloodworms, squid, conch and snails. Porgy are not very
picky. They will eat a variety of baits as long as they are
small enough so they can get it in their mouth. Pieces of
tougher meat will stay on the hook better allowing you to
hook more fish. As you are lowering your bait to the
bottom, keep an eye on your line. These fish will hit your
bait as soon as it hits the bottom. If you aren’t ready for a
bite immediately, you will miss lots of fish. Porgy taste
excellent, but they do have a few bones so you have to
be careful when filleting and eating them.
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