Bluefish

Bluefish are abundant along the North American Atlantic Coast, from Canada to North Carolina. The species is known to gather in schools that cover an area of ocean equivalent to 10,000 football fields.

Bluefish make up a major part of the diet of shortfin mako shark (about 77.5%). Makos consume between 4.3 and 14.5 % of the bluefish resource between Georges Bank and Cape Hatteras.

Bluefish also inhabit waters off the east coast of South America, from the Azores to Portugal and south to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, and in the Mediterranean and Black seas.

A few saltwater fishing lures are considered to be essential for catching bluefish along the Atlantic Coast of the USA. These include umbrella rigs, tandem rigs, parachute jigs, bucktail jigs, cedar plugs, spoons, and plugs.

Jigs

This family of lures have a wide variety of applications in saltwater fishing. Jigs are available in sizes for any fishing situation, with the most popular lure weights ranging from 3/8 oz. to monster jigs of 16 oz. or more. Lead head jigs are divided into 2 basic categories; bare hooks and skirted lures. Both types of jigs are standard equipment for catching striped bass and bluefish.

Skirted jigs usually have a painted head and are dressed with a body made of deer hair (called bucktail), feathers or synthetic materials. These jigs can be fished alone or combined with soft plastics or natural strip baits such as pork rinds, squid, bloodworms, fish belly, eel skins, cut crab or other local options.

Bare jigs are meant to accommodate soft plastic bodies or in some cases natural baits. A myriad of soft plastic bodies are available, including designs that mimic shad, herring, bunker, silversides, eels, ballyhoo and other species of baitfish.

Parachute jigs are popular for catching large bluefish. These special jigs are characterized by their large sizes and unique skirts. The jigs have synthetic hair, tied in reverse so as to create a "parachute" shape when trolled or jigged. Parachute jigs are usually dressed with large plastic shad bodies.


Bluefish by fish_fishing_seafood
See other Bluefish T-Shirts

Tandem Rigs

Tandem rigs come in several forms. The basic tandem rig for bluefish consists of 2 jigs attached to a 3 way swivel. The rig can utilize matched jigs, or pair a large jig with a smaller but similar lure. The leader lengths are always staggered, which lessens tangles. Tandem rigs for bluefish often include combinations of jigs with spoons or plugs as these are among the few lures that can survive the punishing bite of large bluefish.

Umbrella Rigs

Umbrella rigs have been around for decades, but had a surge of sales when striped bass rebounded along the Atlantic coast in the 90's. These odd looking rigs have 3-6 arms which spread out from a center weight. A snap on the weight allows a connection for the main lure which trails some distance behind the arms.

Teasers can be attached to the arms via rings that are located midway and on the ends. A less complicated variations is a lightweight "mini" 4 arm umbrella which is rigged with a single teaser per arm. Umbrellas are rigged for bluefish using a teasers such as surgical hose, followed by a bucktail jig, parachute jig, swimming plug and or other option as the center lure. In some cases the surgical hose teasers have hooks, while other setups use only a single hook which is attached to or part of the trailing lure.

Cedar Plugs

Cedar plugs are one of the oldest and most basic lures for catching large ocean bluefish. They come in several lengths, weights and materials. The original lures were obviously made from cedar and came unpainted or "natural" as well as a few basic colors. Modern versions come in every color imaginable. Essential colors seem to be natural, red/white, blue/white and all black. When targeting bluefish rather than tuna, cedar plugs are often rigged as single lures rather than sets of 3, due to the vicious nature of these brutal predators. Most anglers rig them on #100-200 lb test, #150 being the most popular size.

Spoons

Spoons are essential lures for bluefish due to their productivity and durability. Spoons come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Trolling with spoons is a time honored technique that requires a certain amount of experience. Rigging is critical, with leader length, the use of drails (weights) and proper choice of swivels being important factors.

Speed is a very important variable when fishing spoons. For peak performance, lure speed must be adjusted by watching the rod tip for a tell-tale "thump-thump-pause" action. This pattern occurs at different speeds, depending on lure model, size and other factors. The series of thumps and pauses is created as the spoon wobbles several times and finally makes a complete rotation. A correctly rigged large spoon will wobble 2-4 times before rotating, repeating this action continually. Depending on the size of fish targeted and prevailing sizes of local baitfish, spoons may be chosen from 2-3 inches to enormous models of 12 inches or more.

The depth of spoons are controlled by speed, line type and trolling weights (drails) which are attached in front of the spoon. A 20-30 foot leader connects the spoon to the drail. Some anglers replace inline drails with large jigs which are connected via a 3 way swivel. The jig provides the necessary weight, while acting as an additional lure. These tandem jig-spoon combos can be deadly in some environments.

Swimming Plugs

Plugs are another option for bluefish. Plugs vary greatly in size, shape and action but all share a few common aspects that contribute to their effectiveness. Plugs have a hard body, either one piece or jointed. Most plugs today are produced with plastics which are formed in a mold. This process allows lure makers to insert a segment of wire which includes the front eye as well as connection points for one or more hooks.
A few plugs are rigged with a single hook although most are armed with 2 or 3 sets of treble hooks.

The depth and action of the plug is determined by its size, shape, weight and other factors. Some plugs have a lip or cupped protrusion on the front which acts as a steering device. Plugs with large, angled lips tend to run at greater depths while other variations have a small, less angled lip which serves makes the lure sway back and forth rather than track downward.

Anglers that troll for bluefish often include one or more deep diving plugs in the spread of lures. Lure selection is limited to high quality, sturdy built versions the species will destroy cheaply designed plugs in seconds. Favorite colors for swimming plugs include red and white, silver, chartreuse or blue.

Along the USA east coast, bluefish can be found along shorelines, inlets, jetties, beaches and areas where rips form such as sharp bends or channel edges. Many of these locations are ideal for shorebound fly fishermen. Other fly fishing opportunities exist for boaters, including areas where bluefish congregate in large numbers. Bluefish often work bait the surface and their location given away by birds or when their backs or tails appear above the surface. Other fly anglers can anchor and chum with ground menhaden or mackerel in order to bring bluefish within casting range.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council jointly manage bluefish through Amendment 1 to the Bluefish FMP (1998). The Amendment includes commercial and recreational management programs, as well as a rebuilding schedule to achieve a fully restored biomass prior to the rebuilding deadline of 2010. The commercial fishery is controlled through state-specific quotas, while the recreational fishery is constrained by a maximum possession limit.

source: asmfc

Live baits for bluefish include spot, menhaden, mullet, minnows, perch, eels, shrimp and other baits. These vary with season and location. Fishermen choose live baits depending on availability and personal preference. Some anglers will find live baits in local tackle shops while others need to catch their own.

A small cast net or seine can be a great asset for anglers that need live bait fish. Another possibility is a fish trap, which is baited and left overnight.

Perhaps the easiest way to catch bait is with a sabiki rig. This special leader features a daisy chain of small lures. Anglers sometimes bait the sabiki hooks with tiny bits of bloodworm as an added attractant. The rig is then slowly worked along the bottom near pilings or over structure. The rig will catch spot, perch, herring and even silversides or other species of minnows.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Broiled Bluefish Parmesan

2 pounds bluefish fillets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
3 green onions, chopped
thinly sliced lemon and parsley for garnish, optional

Place fillets in a single layer on a greased baking dish or broiler
pan; brush with lemon juice.

Combine Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, salt, butter, and green onions in
a small bowl; set aside.

Broil flounder fillets 4 to 6 minutes, or until fish flakes easily
with a fork. Remove from oven; spread with cheese
mixture.

Broil about 30 seconds longer, or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

Garnish with sliced lemon and parsley if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.