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Bluefish are a ferocious schooling fish that can be found all along both Gulf and Atlantic shores. The funnest way to catch them is to use topwater plugs and poppers. However, they can be enticed by using all sorts of other lures and natural baits as well. The best lures are both fast moving, and bright or shiny. The best natural baits are bunker, mullet and mackerel. The truth of the matter is, if bluefish are around, they’re generally not that hard to catch.
Let’s find out a bit more about bluefish, and how you can successfully target them from the beach.
General Info About Bluefish
Bluefish are pelagic, strong fighting, and typically travel in schools with other similar sized bluefish. They are very aggressive biters, and often jump when hooked, so they are a fun game species to target.
They are not considered picky eaters, and will pretty much attack any other school of smaller sized fish they can find. When blues are terrorizing a school of bait, there tends to be morsels that fall to the bottom. Bluefish will eat these scraps off the sea floor, and therefore cut bait on the bottom is an effective tactic to catch them.
They are a cannibalistic fish that often attacks smaller sized schools of blues. Because of this, they run in schools of similar sized fish, in order to protect themselves from larger family members.
Small bluefish are oftentimes referred to as “snappers“, and larger ones, around 10 lbs. or more, are called “chopper“, or “gator” blues. Coloration tends to change with age, with smaller ones having a silver color, whereas larger ones become a shade of blue-green.
Bluefish are normally daytime sight feeders that will attack larger individual fish from behind, and then attempt to go for the head. To me, their behavior is reminiscent of a big cat, picking out a single animal to pursue, chasing it down from behind, then going for the head and neck area.
State Record Bluefish
Bluefish run fairly small along the Gulf Coast states, usually averaging less than 3 pounds. However, they can get rather large in the Northeast, where they regularly catch fish around 15 lbs. The world record is 31 lbs. 12 oz, taken from Hatteras, North Carolina.
Based on the chart below, it’s theoretically possible to catch a huge bluefish in any of the Gulf or Atlantic states.
| State | Record Weight In lbs. |
|---|---|
| Texas | 16.62 |
| Louisiana | 21.88 |
| Mississippi | 16 lb. 6 oz. |
| Alabama | 17 lb. 4 oz. |
| Florida | 22.13 |
| Georgia | 17 lb. 12 oz. |
| South Carolina | 21 |
| *North Carolina | 31 lb. 12 oz. |
| Virginia | 25 lb. 4 oz. |
| Maryland | 23.5 |
| Delaware | 21 lb. 15 oz. |
| New Jersey | 27 |
| New York | 25 |
| Connecticut | 24 lb. 13 oz. |
| Rhode Island | 26 |
| Massachusetts | 27 lb. 4 oz. |
| New Hampshire | 21 |
| Maine | 19.66 |
When To Target Bluefish
The best times to catch sizable bluefish from Cape Cod to New Jersey is May to November. North of there, you’re looking at a peak from June to early fall. South of Cape Hatteras, the best fishing will generally be in the spring, and again from November to December.
In North Carolina, you have a chance at catching a large bluefish in spring, and again in the fall, as the migration occurs. However, you’ll mostly be relegated to smaller sized blues throughout the summer.
Southeast Florida also gets a brief run of large blues around March.
Best times for bluefish, by region
| Region | Best Time |
|---|---|
| Above Cape Cod | June – September |
| New Jersey to Cape Cod | May – November |
| North Of Cape Hatteras | spring – fall |
| North Carolina | March – April; November – December |
| Southern Atlantic States | spring – fall |
| East and South Florida | winter |
| Gulf States | spring – summer |
Where To Find Bluefish
Range
Bluefish are found all along the Gulf, from Texas to Florida, but more prolifically up and down the Atlantic coast, from Florida to New England.
The largest blues are mostly caught in the northern part of their Atlantic range, from Maryland to Massachusetts. You can see this reflected in the state record chart above.
In summer, they are one of the most common species caught in the surf, from North Carolina to Maine. If all you have available to you are smaller blues, no worries, those are still a blast to catch.
In most of the Gulf, bluefish are not often specifically targeted, as they’re not nearly as reliable as they are on the Atlantic side. The southern portion of Florida might be the exception to this.
Migration
Bluefish are commonly caught in the Northeast from spring through fall, when they will begin to migrate south, as the water cools down. That’s when the more southern Atlantic states experience a surge in bigger sized bluefish, as they make their way down. The large blues don’t typically make it all the way to Florida before moving offshore. Therefore, you don’t typically see the huge blues in large numbers in the southeastern states.
Unfortunately, Gulf states tend to have less predictable runs of larger bluefish. They will sometimes show up in spring or fall, but not often enough to ever count on. In Gulf regions, you can downsize your tackle, as you won’t likely encounter any 10 lb. chopper blues there. Perhaps you could run across a 6 or 7 pounder on occasion.
Water Conditions
Like any fish, blues have their preferences for water conditions. The temps most preferred by bluefish are 65 to 74 degrees, and clearer water is better. Preferred depths are at least 6 feet or deeper, and better fishing will be found near jetties and passes.
Surf Fishing Gear For Bluefish
You can go in a couple different directions when it comes to your rod and reel setup for bluefish. If you wish to cast lures, you’ll want lean toward a lighter setup, that won’t wear you out. If soaking bait, you might prefer a heavier setup that can cast a bait out further when needed.
Rods For Bluefish
I don’t think my view will ever change on rod length for surf fishing. I prefer a rod that is a minimum of 8 feet when fishing from the beach. Any shorter than that, and you’re going to start losing considerable casting distance.
Anglers fishing in the Gulf can get away with a fairly light action rod, as the blues don’t typically run that large. However, if you’re fishing in the Northeast, you’ll want to be prepared to handle a 15 lb. fish, if the opportunity presents itself.
For casting plugs, a 9 foot medium rod hits a good sweet spot. For soaking bait, I like a longer 10-12 foot medium heavy rod that’s and capable of casting a heavy payload a great distance.
If you would like more guidance on how to choose a rod, you can learn more about that in my article about choosing surf rods here.
Reels For Bluefish
A 4000-5000 sized reel, either spinning or casting, is usually sufficient when casting for bluefish. Reels should hold somewhere around 150-200 yards of line. I prefer a spinning reel, if I’m going to be casting lures, but you should use whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Line
The proper main line poundage for bluefish is 10-17 lb. mono, or 20-30 lb. braid. Regardless of your main line choice, you’ll always need heavier leader material.
Hooks
One of the few times I use longer shank hooks is when fishing for bluefish. When a wire leader might spook fish in clear water, you can use a sliced shank hook to help prevent bluefish from cutting your line. 4/0 to 6/0 are good sizes for large blues. You can also use circle hooks with good success. Use smaller hooks in the Gulf, where the blues run much smaller.
Leaders And Rigs
Heavy leaders are needed because bluefish have very sharp teeth. Although wire will work in some cases, you’ll get more bites by using heavy monofilament instead. Because bluefish rely heavily on their vision when hunting, you’ll want to steer clear of any gaudy rigs.
50 – 80 lb. monofilament is a great size for leader material. Even with 80 lb. leader, you need to check your leader often for fraying, and retie if necessary. Occasionally you could still get bitten off by a very large blue, but 50 will usually get the job done. It’s hard to beat the old reliable ![""]("//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=anglerwithi04-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B0036DS8M0")
Berkley Trilene Big Game.
When using natural bait with monofilament leader, you should go with a long shanked hook to further minimize cutoffs.
Be sure to use small (appx. 75 lb.) dark colored swivels when connecting your leader material to your main line – nothing shiny. Better yet, learn to tie the uni to uni knot, or the fg knot in order to connect your leader directly to the main line.
Below are several commercially available rigs that work well for bluefish. Simply tie your main line to the barrel swivel, and attach a pyramid sinker to the bottom of each rig.
Double Fireball Rig
The fireball rig is a commonly used rig for bluefish. Below is an example of a 2 hook fireball rig. These are very similar to a pompano rig, but with larger sized floats and hooks. It’s designed to hold your bait off the bottom, where blues can see it better, and away from the crabs. Tie your main line to the swivel, and add a weight to the included snap. Add to it one of the natural baits listed below.
Bluefish Rig (Doodlebug Rig)
I don’t know what the proper term for this rig is, perhaps a doodlebug rig? Regardless, this style of rig is commonly used to target bluefish. It’s a sort of fish finder rig with a float added into the mix. The float keeps the bait off the bottom, away from crabs, and more in the zone where blues are actually feeding. The float also serves as a visual attractant to draw in this sight feeding fish.
2 Hook Dropper Loop Rig (Hi-lo rig)
Any dropper loop rig with appropriate sized hooks and leader material will work for soaking baits for bluefish. There are lots of videos on Youtube showing you how to tie your own dropper loop rigs, or you can just purchase some locally.
Local Knowledge Helps
I recommend you visit a bait shop, local to your area, and purchase your rigs there. Local tackle shops are usually more than willing to give plenty of advice on what setup works best in the specific region you’re fishing. You catching fish, is always good business for them.
Other Gear
- Pliers
- Knife
- Cooler
- Fish Grip
- Sunscreen
Be sure to include pliers and a knife in your fishing gear. You will certainly want to use your pliers when unhooking these toothy critters.
You’ll also need a cooler with ice if you plan to keep a bluefish – ice them down IMMEDIATELY for best taste.
I like to also include a fish grip tool in my load out, as I don’t want my hand anywhere near those teeth or lodged hooks.
Lastly, for the love of all things sacred, don’t forget your sunscreen.
Baits And Lures For Bluefish
Best Natural Baits For Bluefish
Blues are known to be voracious feeders that don’t often pride themselves on being picky. With that said, below are some of the known favorite options.
- Bunker Chunks (aka menhaden or pogy)
- Live Bunker (for huge blues)
- Cut Mullet
- Live Finger Mullet
- Mackerel
- Squid
- Live Shrimp
Natural Bait Presentation
Bunker can be used as live bait when fishing for chopper blues. More commonly, they’re used as chunks of dead bait fished on one of the rigs discussed above.
Any type of mackerel will make good bluefish bait. It’s very oily, and very smelly. Both aspects help draw in bluefish from a distance. In fact, chumming is an effective tactic for blues, but we won’t be doing any chumming from shore. You can add strips of mackerel to spoons or jigs, or cut it into chunks for a very effective cut bait.
Mullet is particularly effective along the Atlantic coast when the mullet run is taking place in the fall. You can cut mullet into chunks, or you can fish them whole for huge blues. Mullet chunks can be placed on any of the rigs discussed above.
Squid can be fished whole, or it can be sliced into thin strips and fished on the rigs above. It can also be used to tip jigs.
When fishing with large natural baits for bluefish, you may need to add a stinger hook to your rig. Blues are bad about striking at the rear of a bait to chop it in half. When doing so, they’ll often miss your primary hook altogether. Here is a link to an article showing how to add a stinger hook to large baits.
Best Surfcasting Lures For Bluefish
The best lures are going to be something that’s both fast moving and bright or flashy. In fact, when blues are in feeding mode, they’ll just about hit any lure you throw out there. Be sure to attach your lure to a heavy leader material.
- Topwaters
- Pencil Poppers (ex. Cotton Cordell)
- Silver Spoons
- Jerkbaits
- White Bucktail Jigs
- Any Long Casting Metal Lures
- Diamond Jigs
- Kastmaster Spoons
- Deadly Dick Spoon
- Zara Spook
- Tsunami Talkin Poppers
- Hopkins Spoons
- Krocodile Spoons
Popping topwater lures have to be the funnest way possible to surf fish for blues. Even when they aren’t actively feeding, you can often draw interest from nearby bluefish by using a huge popper. When that doesn’t produce, move to sub-surface lures, such as jerkbaits, jigs and spoons.
Silver spoons work really well for bluefish. Designs such as the Hopkins and Krocodile spoons can be cast out a country mile in order to reach passing schools.
Stick with durable and affordable lures, and stay away from soft plastics and high end plugs, unless you are one wealthy dude.
It’s also a good idea to swap out trebles for single hooks, and to smash the barbs. This is both for the fish’s protection as well as your own.
How To Catch Them
Bluefish move quickly, so being prepared and mobile can sometimes be key to catching more than one. Oftentimes, you’ll catch a bluefish, and look up to see that the school has continued on down the beach. You’ll need to sometimes quickly pursue the pack, in order to keep hooking them.
Bait Presentation
When fishing with lures, be sure to retrieve them very quickly and erratically for best results.
When fishing with natural baits on the bottom, just let them soak for a while, before repositioning them. Blues could be running close to shore, or further out, so you’ll have to try different “zones” to find them.
To increase your odds when fishing with natural bait, always keep an extra rig on hand, set up with a heavy lure that can be cast really far. You’ll want to be able to take advantage if a busting school moves within your reach.
Hooking And Landing Bluefish From Shore
Bluefish are not especially hard to hook and land, as they usually commit hard to a bait, and they have very tough mouths. The only time you would typically have consistent problems hooking them, is if you don’t have a hook far enough back on a bait. They tend to strike the back of a bait. So, if you don’t have a hook in the rear, they may miss it. As previously mentioned, you may have to add a stinger hook to remedy this problem.
Once a blue is hooked, just keep the line tight through any jumps, unless you are using very light line. In those cases, you may have to give a little so he doesn’t break you off.
Safely Un-Hooking Bluefish
It’s best that you not forget to use your pliers when removing hooks from a bluefish’s mouth. One slip up can result in a nasty bite, or a hook in the hand. Lots of people swap out trebles for single hooks for this very reason. Single hooks are easier on the fish, as well as the angler.
Culinary Information
Although many people don’t keep them, smaller bluefish are certainly good to eat. The issues come about when you don’t properly care for, or prepare the fish. Bluefish have an oily flesh that can spoil rapidly, therefore they should be bled by cutting the gills, and properly cooled down immediately. It’s also important to consume them the same day you catch them. Otherwise, the taste starts to diminish quickly. Blues just don’t keep, or hold up as well as some other species. Finally, when you’re ready to eat them, be sure to remove the blood line.
Conclusion
While some anglers view bluefish as more of a nuisance than anything else, I think they’re a joy to catch. If you’re lucky enough to fish in a region that commonly encounters chopper blues, count yourself blessed. The rest of us have to make due with the little guys. No matter the size, they sure are feisty little devils.
It’s hard to have a bad day when you’re catching blues, unless of course you get bit, or catch a hook. Use those pliers!
See ya,
Augustus Clay
