Fishing for Blue Fish

Bluefish (Potatomus salatrix) is a tenacious saltwaterfast-moving lure that resembles a baitfish, including
fish that provides some of the best angling thrills onmetal spoons, jigs, and tube baits. Wooden baits are
light tackle. They are mainly thought of as an Easternnot popular because of the bluefish's powerful teeth,
United States fish, although they are found in mostwhich will quickly destroy wooden plugs.
temperate waters throughout the world, except inCasting into a school of fish requires the use of
the cooler waters of the northern Pacific.moderately heavy tackle and wire leaders. It is
Bluefish are schooling fish built for speed and power.important that black wire leaders and swivels are
They are a blue green shade along the top of theused, as the fish will often strike shiny leaders,
body near the dorsal fins, and have silvery sides andweakening and in some cases severing them. Anglers
a whitish / silver underbelly. They have relatively largecasting into a frenzied school of bluefish can often
heads that feature powerful jaws and rows of verycatch a fish on every cast. Therefore, it is important
sharp teeth. Their tapered bodies end in deeplyto retie lures and leaders often, because they will
forked tails that allow them to be powerfulundoubtedly become frayed. The best results are
swimmers and fighters.found by casting along the outer edges of the
The average fish weighs between 4 and 10 pounds,school, decreasing the chances of spooking any fish,
with any fish over 20 pounds being considered a realand also preventing line breakages. Feeding bluefish
quality fish. The recognized IGFA record is 31 pounds,have been known to even attack each other; it is
12 ounce fish caught off the coast of North Carolinanot uncommon for a four-pounder on the line to be
in 1972. Unconfirmed monster fish have reportedlycut in half by a twenty pound blue.
been caught in the 40-pound range.Bluefish can also be caught from the surf at certain
Population numbers of bluefish have beentimes of the year. Shiny spoons such as the Hopkins
documented to follow cycles lasting about fortybrand are consistent favorites for fishing in surf due
years. A recent disappearance occurred during theto their visibility and enticing action.
1920s, and anglers are still enjoying a high for the fishAnglers that use live or cut bait, such as eels or fish,
which began in the 1970s. They are migratory fish,often catch blues from the surf or from piers simply
following schools of baitfish such as menhaden shadby letting the bait sit and waiting for a strike. This
and mullet, heading north from Florida in spring, all themethod can be useful when there are no apparent
way to Maine by the end of the summer.schools of bluefish biting.
When fishing for blues, anglers should remember theyFlyfishing for blues has become more and more
are primarily schooling fish. Schools the size of footballpopular in recent years. Many of the same techniques
fields have been witnessed, with the fish creating aand lures used for striped bass can be applied to
feeding frenzy of roiling water and leaping fish. Manybluefish. Bluefish of course require an extra-strong
anglers often troll for the fish, as this is one of theleader and mostly strikes larger flies which closely
most consistent methods of catching bluefish. Once aresemble the most popular regional baitfish.
fish is caught by trolling, anglers should stop the boatFly anglers often catch blues incidentally while fishing
and throw out casts to try to locate the school.for stripers, but some fly and light tackle anglers
Putting a lure at the proper depth in areas wheretarget blues specifically, especially when stripers are
bluefish schools are hanging will usually result in largeabsent.
catches. Fish can often be caught on any type of