We were spoiled for a couple of days last week with some warm SW winds bringing in nice sunny days and warmer waters. There were lots of drum caught and some blue fish were starting to show up. It was about this time last year that we had a run of big bluefish. Hopefully, the few we saw last week were a good indication of what is to come so I figured this week we would talk about bluefish tackle so we can all get ready.

Water temperature is important for the blues. They prefer water temperature between 66 and 72 degrees. Bluefish can be caught in the surf and in the sound later in the year when the water warms up. In order to target bluefish, it is important to understand how they feed. Bluefish tend to school up to feed by chasing the bait fish into a bait ball. Blues will quickly zip in and out of the bait ball picking up their prey and the lazy ones sit on the outside watching for the wounded ones that are easy to catch. It is awesome to see a bluefish feeding frenzy from the beach as there is bait and blues jumping all around. This will often occur when the bait is plentiful. It is best to use wire leaders as bluefish have very sharp teeth. Don't forget your pliers or your hook remover as you don't want to stick your fingers in their mouth to retrieve your hook!

It is possible to use cut bait or artificial lures to catch blues. The best bait for bluefish depends on what they are currently feeding on in the surf. They will hit on shrimp, squid, mullet and menhaden. Float rigs such as fireball rigs are great for throwing out a chunk of bait and letting it be suspended in the water column to attract a blue. If you are a more active fisherman and want to cast and retrieve, blues also like anything shiny and fast so Hopkins, stingsilvers and spoons such as the Acme Kastmaster work well for blues. These are best fished on a high speed spinning reel such as an Okuma Trio. You can also use a small strip of mullet on lure to help leave behind a scent as you reel it back in.

The limits for bluefish are 15 per day but only five can be greater than 24" total length. These are fun fish to catch due to their speed and action in the water. Get your gear ready and be sure to check our fishing reports and we will let you know when they start to show up in larger numbers.