BLUEFISH BASICS

BLUEFISH BASICS

If a coastal fly rodder must stare out over a vast and restless vista, he or she does so with the knowledge that these endless horizons are a direct reflection of the angling possibilities at hand. The salt is home to both challenge and variety. And those willing to try it in earnest come away convinced. Along the Atlantic seaboard there are many fine fish to tempt with a fly. Each has its own personality, its own special allure. But one gamester sees more than its share of duty. It's a true gladiator fish that can jump, run like a demon, rip flies and leaders apart. Its Pomatomus saltatrix- the ravenous bluefish.

Home in tropical and temperate seas, bluefish are an aggressive migratory fish armed with a mouthful of razor blades and a muscular streamlined body to back it up. Found inshore, offshore and even out at sea, they live to about eleven of age and reach a maximum size in excess of thirty pounds and three feet in length; although in distant warm seas there are rumors of fish to fifty pounds. Blues eat an extensive diet comprised mainly of other fish of which over 70 different species have been recorded, but they will eat other kinds of marine life such as crabs, lobsters and squid.

Water temperature is a critical factor in determining the behavior of marine fish. Therefore a thermometer can be an important piece of tackle and a guide to understanding when and where to best wet a fly. Bluefish can survive for brief periods in water as low as 46 and as high as 86 degrees, but they much prefer something in the middle. The exact temperature range at which they are most active varies with geographical location. You will find that holds true for most if not all game fish, especially those fish with a wide range. In Southern New England, blues really crank up when the salt reaches the mid 60's, but they can be very active in cooler water up in Maine. So fly rodders should keep a log for their own waters. Still, we can safely say that the bluefishing season along much of the Atlantic coast is a pattern of movements revolving around changing water temperature: the spring northerly migration, summer residence feeding and the fall trip back down the coast.

Anglers can expect bluefish in the spring to advance up the coast as surface waters reach and exceed 53 degrees. By April they will be active in North Carolina and up the coast to Maryland. In Long Island Sound things start in early May and the blues will be in Maine around the end of June. These first fish are commonly large adults who can tolerate the relatively cold water. Fly fishermen itching to tangle with these first arrivals should look to shallow bays, the discharge waters of shoreline power plants or wherever water temperatures are a few degrees warmer.

With early summer, water temperature climbs to sixty and above in many locations. The largest blues tend to push as far north as conditions allow. Fifteen years ago that meant Cape Cod; however in recent times Northeast coastal waters have been 5 to 7 degrees above normal. Now the Gulf of Maine gets a lion's share of the jumbos. Big blues that do summer further south generally drop out to deeper waters and are replaced inshore by their smaller brethren. The exception is shorelines where bait fish are concentrated. Here big blues are still found. This segregation of bluefish by size is in part due to differences in water temperature tolerance between juvenile and adult blues, but it probably serves as a natural mechanism to prevent the bigger blues from preying on the little guys. Once the water temperature is in the established summer temperature range for a given area, blues find a good feeding territory and spend the summer. This means predictable action in the usual hot spots: reefs, rips, points of land and inlets.

The fall migration and the best fishing of the year begins when water temperatures, coupled with shortening days, dip below 59 degrees. This migration starts first in the North and works its way down the coast. Big tackle busters move back into shallow water, offering the shore based fly rodder his or her best shot at fish over ten pounds. A strong northeasterly blow frequently sets things into motion by mixing cool offshore brine into coastal waters. This high intensity action, however, does not last long, usually two weeks in a given location. As water temperatures fall towards 50, bluefish to a fly get rare.

Besides the seasonal water temperature patterns, bluefish undergo a daily cycle built around light level. During the day bluefish school together and can feed at any hour. However, the time just before and after sunrise is prime. This window of opportunity widens into the morning in overcast or foggy conditions, especially if the tide is still pulling. Dusk sees a second shorter period of intensive feeding. After dark, things go quiet for an hour and then slowly pick up again. Night fishing can be very rewarding as bigger blues will drift back into the shallows.

The right rod, for those who want one stick to do it all, is a 9 foot for 9 or 10 weight line. It will cast everything from a salt water popper to large 3/0 streamers. For a reel, I prefer a direct drive model capable of holding at least 150 yards of 20 lb. backing. Big blues in the low to mid teens can really burn, so a decent drag is needed. If you're mixing it up with small blues in the 3 to 6 pound range, you can go to smaller flies and lighter equipment. When the wind allows, a 6, or 7 weight outfit makes for some excellent sport.

Keep your leaders short and stiff, especially if you're new to using a big rod in windy conditions. A 7 foot leader tapered to 12 pound test is fine. I use hard monofilament and start with a 3 foot butt section of 40 pound when connecting to a 9 or 10 weight fly line. You can use a nail knot to attach it to the fly line or a braided butt connector if you remember to super glue it well! Next, I barrel knot a 2 foot section of 30 pound mono to the far end of the 40. In the loose end of the 30, I make a surgeon's loop. The tippet is formed from a two foot piece of 12 pound test. Make a double surgeon's loop in one end and loop it to the 30. Done this way, replacing a tippet is a breeze. When fishing deep, a leader of 3 or 4 feet total is really all that is required.

No leader in bluefish country is complete without a shock tippet. You need one not only to land these beasts but to protect them from the needless stress of having to swim off with a hook dangling from their jaw. I still see some anglers using monofilament for this purpose. Don't do it. Monofilament does a poor job. It may survive an occasional small blue, but with the big guys you are riding with lady luck. I use solid leader wire in 58 pound test (number 6#), which commonly has a diameter of only .016. Using pliers, cut off a piece around six inches long. Haywire twist it to the eye of the fly and then haywire a loop in the other end so the shock tippet is 3 1/2 inches long. Use a clinch knot to attach the tippet to the far eye of the wire. Shops now carry commercial leaders with wire shock tippets ready to go.

The right fly line is one that puts the fly both at the right level and helps you control it. Floating line do work for shallow running flies, but since these lines take on the contour of the water's surface in anything less than total calm seas they produce too much slack. Therefore intermediate lines are better. Lying just below the waves, they give you a direct connection. You can even work a popper well with one. In heavy surf or where blues are deep, faster sinking lines score. Remember, the true trophies often are caught offshore and getting down quickly is essential. A full fast sinking line or an express sink tip such as the T-300 or T-400 made by the Teeny Line company are the right medicine.

Fly fisherman targeting blues use three types of flies: poppers, slider and streamers. The standard salt water poppers are made of foam and have a total length close to four inches. They ride 2/0 long shank stainless hooks and are widely available in fly shops with an eye to the salt. These poppers work on a principle as old as life and death. Make a commotion, begin to struggle and predators soon appear. Streamer and slider, on the other hand, silently go about the job of more closely matching various small baitfish. The slider swim at the surface and push a wake. And there are a few excellent ones presently on the market. You can retrieve them straight back or allow them to skate down and across a current on a tight line much the way a steelhead dry fly is used. This "skating" presentation can bring up big blues that otherwise refuse to hit. The best sliders in that regard are made with balsa wood bodies such as the Farnsworth Fly. Streamer selections go from Deceivers and Clousers to newer coastal creations using epoxy, mylar and other synthetics. These new flies are very life like and a real help in clear water. Popular ones include: Pop-Fleyes, Epoxy minnows and Menemsha Minnows. They are not found everywhere so you may have to shop around.

Let me pass along a couple more thoughts on flies. Blues are impressed with size. So carry and learn to cast flies of five inches or better. They are your ace in the hole when trophy blues are feeding on large baitfish like adult menhaden. They can also pay off even when blues are chopping up small things such as silversides and sand eels. Research shows that during a heavy feeding, blues as they become satiated will zero in on the largest baitfish present. Therefore, it pays to switch to a bigger fly as the blitz progresses. Second, bluefish have a thing for florescent colors. Flies in hot red, chartreuse and neon yellow are bluefish killers.

When it comes to the best retrieve for these toothy guys remember this: bluefish like fast food. By that I mean day in and day out high speed retrieves rule and for two reasons. First, a fast fly seems to trigger an aggressive reaction. Yet equally important and less well known is that bluefish often refuse a slower fly simply because they can identify it as a fraud. This may come as a surprise to many anglers who feel blues are totally indiscriminate. Last spring, I was able to watch blues feed in shallow clear water everyday for a week. They would track a slow fly a short distance and then turn off. Bluefish realize than any self respecting baitfish would scram as they approached. The slow fly behaves unnaturally. But give that fly back to them at high speed and they would cream it.

Now that I have said fast is better, let me tell you that there are exceptions to the rule. At night, you should slow down the retrieve. And you should in a strong rip where blues will have to swim up through a heavy current to reach the fly. Lastly, in coldest waters of early spring and late fall, bluefish prefer not to chase things as far, so a slower retrieve can earn its keep.

For anglers who would like to get in on this exciting action, but have limited time or experience in the salt, hiring a guide is the best answer. Not only will they find the fish for you, working from a boat is easier than working the beach. Still it is fair to note that locking horns with a monster blue in the surf is the ultimate experience. Believe me, it will unravel your socks. If you have your heart set on this adventure, you need to do several things. First, consult local tackle shops to get the name of beaches than have been consistently productive. Game fish are creatures of habit and a beach that attracts them regularly one year will likely do so the next. Also ask where large concentrations of bait fish have been seen recently, especially menhaden. Blues can't resist these oily creatures and will be near by.

Once you are on a beach, be alert. Noisy diving birds are one obvious clue, especially if the birds refuse to actually alight on the water. When blues are under them, birds are very careful where they place their feet! You may also see swirls or busting fish without or without bird activity. However, much of time you will be fishing blind and unfortunately just like a trout stream, only a small percentage of the water holds the fish. For that reason remember these simple rules. First, watch the water. A change in the surface means a change in the bottom. Transition points where wave activity suddenly increases or decreases mark good feeding areas. It might be right behind the curling waves as they greet the shore along a steeply inclined beach or a line of breakers rolling over a sand bar. A patch or line of dark turbulent looking water in otherwise smooth surface conditions, identifies not only a change in the bottom but an increased in the current. These rips or rip lines are powerful fish magnets. Find one and you have found the fish. Second, study the shore. Walk to the water's edge and look up and down the entire stretch. Wherever the coastline varies its shape, the adjacent bottom is also varied. A point of land jutting out seaward is nearly always a more consistent producer than a straight stretch of beach. On a straight stretch, the slightest bulge or indentation is the spot to start.

With as much sport as these guys supply to the coastal angler, it sometimes gets easy to forget that bluefish conservation is needed. The data shows that each year in all probability, slightly better than a third of all adult bluefish are harvested. That is a lot of blues. And probably 80 percent of those fish are caught by recreational anglers. Bluefish also have a long history of boom and bust. Research tells us that 1981, 1984 and 1989 were excellent year classes. But it also notes that 1986 and 1987 were poor years and 1988 was the worst recorded. So, hook them, fight them, and release them. And above all, be sure to watch your fingers.

The End

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