Saltwater
Northern Puffer (Blowfish)
Where to find them, how to catch them and the tackle to use.
01Introduction
The northern puffer, better known as the blowfish, is a small, prickly fish of East Coast bays that inflates itself into a spiny ball when threatened. It's fun to catch, and unlike many puffers it isn't poisonous: the meaty tail section is a local delicacy, sold as "sea squab." Most are 8 to 10 inches long.
02Where to Catch
Range: the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to northeastern Florida.
Habitat: coastal bays and estuaries over sand, gravel, rock and seagrass beds, on flats and channel edges, and around piers and jetties and into the surf. Puffers feed by day and rest on the bottom at night. Puffers crush small clams, mussels, crabs and other invertebrates with their beak-like mouths.
Seasons: in the Mid-Atlantic they arrive in spring and stay into fall, with spring and early fall especially good, then leave for deeper offshore water for the winter. They spawn in shallow water near shore in summer.
03How to Catch
Fish small pieces of clam, squid, bloodworm or shrimp on the bottom with small, long-shanked hooks, which are harder for a puffer's beak to bite off and easier to remove. A two-hook bottom rig from a pier, dock, jetty or anchored boat works well. Puffers often gather in numbers, so once you find them you can catch plenty.
Eating puffers safely
Only keep puffers you're sure are northern puffers (prickly skin, small size). The smooth puffer, which is larger, smooth-skinned and usually found in deeper water, carries a deadly toxin and must never be eaten. To prepare a northern puffer, skin it and use the tail section, removing the head and organs.
04Tackle
A light spinning rod, small long-shanked hooks, a two-hook rig and small sinkers. Check your state's regulations for any puffer limits.
05Questions anglers ask
Is it safe to eat a northern puffer?
The northern puffer is not poisonous and is sold as "sea squab." But other puffers are dangerous. The smooth puffer, larger and smooth-skinned and usually in deeper water, carries a deadly toxin. Only eat puffers you can identify with certainty as northern puffers, which have prickly skin.
Why does it blow up like a balloon?
When threatened, a puffer inflates itself into a prickly ball by gulping water or air into a special chamber near its stomach. Released while inflated, it floats upside down briefly, then deflates and swims off.
Why do I keep losing bait?
Puffers have a small, strong, beak-like mouth that nips baits off. Use small, long-shanked hooks and small pieces of bait.