![]() While normally, bluefish are free-swimming, young-of-year fish swarm at inlets, rivers and bays. There are many other places that attract bluefish. Because of their durability, metal spoons and lures are prime bluefish ammunition. This is a large and loud sign that bluefish are around, and it doesn't require Sherlock Holmes' powers of observation to deduce the location of feeding bluefish.įortunately for anglers who appreciate them, bluefish strike many baits and lures. The birds will be squawking and diving (at risk of losing webbed feet to an indiscriminant bluefish) into the water for their share of wounded forage. Birds will be circling above an unfortunate school of baitfish. They avoid concentrations of big blues and willingly tell bluefish anglers where they are located over their radios.Įvidence of feeding is prominent. To king mackerel anglers, blue fish are nuisances, devouring live bait supplies and gnashing wire leaders into uselessness. ![]() Another may be the availability and accessibility of higher profile game fish. One reason may be the absence of the big "choppers" that mysteriously disappeared from nearshore waters. Division of Marine Fisheries creel census-takers they targeted bluefish, the toothy and toothsome fighters have moved far down the list of preferences. Still, while most saltwater anglers once told N.C. Grilling or frying bluefish provides a culinary feast. You want to do your best to present your fly like a baitfish that is in the wrong place at the wrong time.While some anglers may argue, fresh bluefish provide fine eating. Even if they aren’t actively busting, keep blind casting because they’re still around and hungry. When you find a school, the best thing you can do is to keep your fly in the water. Photo: James Manning Tips:īlues will feed just about anywhere, in rips, inlets, harbors, and open water. Also, a quick safety excliamer treat these fish with respect, use pliers to unhook them and keep your hands away from their head while holding them, they will have no problem taking off a finger. There is nothing worse than losing a really nice Striper fly to a pack of Blues, so if there is suspicion of Bluefish in the area, spend the extra fifteen seconds and tie on a wire leader and a fly your ok with loosing, and have a blast. I’ve even heard of people gluing strips of their t-shirt to a hook and landing monster blues. I typically use all-white Clousers, Deceivers, or just clumps of bucktail tied to a hook. Bluefish are NOT picky eaters at all and they will tear any fly apart after about two hookups. Another thing I cannot stress more is that you use cheap, simple flies. If you just keep a spool of tie-able wire leader in 20lb, you will be set for Blues. They will rip through any mono or fluoro below 80Lb test. If you didn’t get it from the previous description, Bluefish have insanely sharp teeth paired with crazy strong jaws. The two most important things you can have for flyfishing for Bluefish are cheap flies and wire leader. Your Bluefish setup should be the same as your Striper setup my Bluefish recommendations are also what I would recommend for Striped Bass. ![]() Since a lot of fly fishing for Bluefish is done in blitzes, you can get away with a floating line but I would still recommend an intermediate line so you could more effectively fish rips and get the fly down when needed. Party sized Gear:īluefish can grow up to 20Lbs, and already are strong fighters, so I would recommend an 8-9wt rod paired with a large arbor reel with plenty of backing and drag. When Bluefish annihilate a school of silversides, sand eels, or bunker, the smell of all the diced up bait particles actually does smell like watermelon, so watch out for that. Now, this seems completely crazy BUT, hear me out. Also, there’s an old New England Fishermans tip that if you smell watermelon, Bluefish are around. The birds plunge into the water, baitfish are flying in every direction, and the Bluefish are crashing the surface in the sort of furious chaos that ultimately leaves fly lines tangled around feet, and not in the water. Once the Bluefish do this, all hell breaks loose. ![]() Seabirds, Terns specifically, will follow schools of Bluefish and Stripers waiting for them to chase large schools of baitfish to the surface. If you know Bluefish are in your area, the best way to find them is to look for birds. If you were a baitfish, this view would be less than ideal Photo: James Manning Where to find them:
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