Keansburg Fishing Pier

                             Bluefish                          Average weight 2 lbs, can get up to 20 lbs. A greenish, iridescent blue shading into silver on the sides. Baby bluefish are called snapper blues The base of the pectoral fin usually has a black blotch. There are two dorsal fins, as you can see by the photo on the left, the front dorsal being more spiney, closely placed together. The mouth is large, with triangular teeth and a slightly protruding lower jaw. They range along most of the Atlantic coast, following schools of small bait fish. The larger fish travel farther out, in groups generally being around the same size fish, blues having the tendancy to eat their smaller members as well as the bait fish. Large schools are usually smaller fish, the larger fish schooling in smaller numbers. They usually appear in this area around mid-to late April.

Winter Flounder
The Winter Flounder's mouth is hardly more than an inch around, and lacks visible teeth. A right eye fish. The lateral line is straight. Dorsal and anal fins angular in shape, moving to a wide point on the anal fin. Coloration varies from coppery brown to dark grey, sometimes olivy dark green. Darker fish usually have visible darker spot pattern. They can be found in extremely shallow water (even 2 feet deep) prefering muddy sand bottoms, as well as clay and gravelly sand.  They can sometimes be caught in only slightly brackish water, up near fresh water areas. They head offshore in the spring, with a usually good run of fishing during the winter months before. Average wieght is only 1- 1/2 pounds, some reaching as high as 5 lbs.

Summer Flounder (Fluke)
The Fluke has the larger mouth, full of teeth. A left eye fish. The lateral line curves over the pectoral fin.  Dorsal and anal fins evenly sized and rounded.Coloration varies widely, depending primarily on where the fish was caught, this bottom dweller altering it's color slightly to blend into the sandy or muddy bottom of the bays and harbors it prefers. Variations from light brown to an almost black shade of sable, with light to dark mottled patterns of spots and blotches. Average weight is about 2-6 lbs, some reaching 15-20 lbs.  Summer months found in shallow waters, moving offshore during the winter. A fast swimmer, it feeds on small fish, squid, crabs and shrimp.

Stripers                                                                                                   Easily identifiable by the 7-8 horizontal stripes along the sides. Silvery body, dark stripes, grey-blue tones on offshore fish, brownish tones on river/brackish water fish. Dorsal fins are separated by a few inches, front dorsal is spiny. Caught during the spring on bloodworms and clams and during the fall run clams are also used

Porgies

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2008/maregsum08.pdf