Tomcod
Just found these old postings...but had to comment anyway.
As a kid in the 50's and 60's, used to catch them with flounder rigs and sandworms in winter months off docks on the Jersey side of the Hudson. Sometimes, you'd pull them in three at a time (if using three hooks, of course). Largest one I ever caught was 13-inches. A fish biologist once told me it might have been a potential record fish.
Someone on this thread made a "tastes like carp" comment. Nope... Those little fish are delicious. I used to gut them, cut the heads off, and pan fry them whole. Absolutely mouth-watering. Better tasting than just about everything else we catch in the NY area.
Tomcod aparently went through a long period of population decrease since my Hudson River fishing days. Rising water temps and PCBs are a couple of the possible causes. But they are supposedly coming back.
Hope it happens. They are a great target species for an inexpensive winter activity that can teach kids fishing and put a tasty meal on the table. However, accessable docks are also in serious decline.