During the early spring I tend to concentrate so much on striped bass that I often forget about my "bread and butter fishing" on the Sound later in the season. I am referring to the fish that is the staple of my charter business in saltwater - bluefish.

It is not at all unusual for many fisherman on the Sound to regard the bluefish as a "nuisance" when fishing for stripers. When the blues are in a feeding frenzy chopping up any and all baitfish near the surface, the big stripers are on the bottom collecting the remains. Trying to get your bait past the bluefish can be frustrating and it often leads the striper fisherman to regard these blues as nothing more than a nuisance.

But for my customers they are a fish that provides an exciting day on the water. I can recall calm mornings when we are heading out to one of my favorite spots and if the current is moving right the anticipation of spotting birds working the surface is always a thrill. If I have a charter on board that has never fished for blues before I usually do not tell them about the birds and the feeding frenzy until we are approaching one. "What are all those birds doing?" is a common question, and as we approach I have them use the binoculars to look closely at the water surface - usually "boiling" with blues and baitfish.

I prefer to troll the upcurrent side of the action and stay far enough away as to not disturb the school ( I wish more fishermen would understand how important it is to do this as running right into the feed will only put the fish down and scatter them). Umbrella rigs are best as it provides the customer with the potential of doubles or even triples! It is especially neat when another fish will hit the rig after the initial fish is hooked while it is being retrieved.

Commonly, hook-ups on all lines will occur and the action gets fast and furious. In the heat of it all, it is always important for me to boat these fish and remove the hooks as they are renowned for chomping on fingers. I have the scars to prove it!

I generally troll two lines using medium weight rods with Penn level winds and 30lb. test mono. It is essential to use a leader that is not going to be chomped through - I prefer 80lb. mono over wire. I use it on the umbrellas to attach the lures to the rig and then the umbrella to a snap swivel. Wire leaders are fine if you are casting or jigging and under those circumstances I would use it.

From July on the bluefishing gets better and better and the fish also tend to get larger. If it is fish you want to catch and return to the dock with sore arms at the end of a day bluefishing is the answer. Of course you can always try sharking or tuna, but that's another story.

© Osprey Marine 2000