Let Yourself Loose!
Where, When, And How To Target Bluefish
Anglers get alert with the ‘eruption’ of totally still, calm water. The bluefish blitz happens when the mullet starts moving in the inlets and surf.
Depending on where you reside (as well as the time of the year), such eruptions may hint that it is now time to go after bluefish. Catching bluefish is not that difficult once you know where, when and how to target them.
The question of where is easily answered, for these fish can show up anywhere! For instance, you can see them on the beaches up until mid-May. However, you’ll get the finest catch on the shallow back bays (where water is warming up rapidly). The bluefish here are tough but thin, and they disappear after a short time. After this, you can only find (actually stumble upon) small numbers scattered across the ocean.
By August (even later July), you can catch bluefish in inlets as well as sounds in the early morning or even later during the day. Then later during the year, specifically from July to October, you need to trim down your fishing gear to catch bluefish. You can use a 7ft spinning rod (while bait casting and 7-weight fly rods also work well) with an 8 to 12 lbs. line. For luring the fish, small spoons seem to be perfect for the job. The light gear allows you some movement, because these are small and quick fish we are talking about here.
However, you can use the same fishing methods up until November. Yes, the fish will have fattened up by now for the autumn migration, so just use larger plugs and lures!
Ultimately, remember that the bluefish blitz doesn’t tend to last very long, which means you need to let yourself loose for some quick and wild fishing. And yes, watch out for those birds!
Fatima M.
Freelance Blogger
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