![]() ”In the coastal Northeast, one of the most reliable places to find bluefish is over the multitude of nearshore reefs,” says Migdalski. Like many inshore species, bluefish like to hold on structure of almost any kind, and like striped bass they are ambush predators. Generally, a 1-year-old fish measures less than 10 inches long, while a 14-year-old fish may measure around 36 inches and weigh close to 20 pounds. Bluefish also school by size and age, so once you catch one chances are good that the rest of the school will be similar in size. Like other inshore fish, bluefish migrate seasonally, traveling north in spring and south in winter, with the largest fish staying in the northern part of the range. Once temps begin to exceed that range, these fish will head into the cooler northern waters or offshore. In fact, one time I was able to land them both when a bluefish grabbed the bass and wouldn’t let go.”īluefish are definitely cool-water fish, preferring water temperatures in the 60s. On several occasions I’ve hooked a small schoolie bass, only to have a big slammer blue come up and bite the back third of it off. ”That description is almost cliché now, but all the stories you’ve heard are true. ”Bluefish are extremely voracious predators,” says Tom Migdalski, who has chased blues and stripers in Long Island Sound for almost 30 years. And any seasoned bluefish angler will likely hold the scars of close encounters as badges of honor. For those who haven’t witnessed it, picture videos you’ve seen of piranha stripping some poor jungle animal to bones ? it’s eerily similar. When blues are on the feed, few sights rival that of the froth they create at the surface. They are easily one of my favorite fish to fish for.” ”They are strong and persistent, like hooking into a big trevally. ”There is no more spectacular fish in our area than a 15- to 20-pound blue,” says Popovics. Well-known fly tier Bob Popovics, who has chased bluefish in the surf of his home waters in New Jersey for years, prefers to fish for slammer blues above most anything else. ![]() But ask anyone who does it regularly and they will tell you it’s a small price to pay. In fact, many maintain that the constant need to replace flies is the one drawback in fishing for blues. Pound for pound, few fish are as voracious as a hungry, slammer-sized bluefish, and none more eager to strike a popper. They also readily take flies, and at times they’ll take almost anything else. While it is certainly true that blues don’t get much bigger than they do in northern waters, they range all along the eastern U.S. ![]() ![]() Barry And Cathy Beckīluefish are one of those fish that many of us associate strictly with New England waters. Returning the fish to the water should be done as quickly as possible and with as little handling as possible. ![]()
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