Some may say that Bluefish are "Too Fishy"...well Jersey's Spring Bluefish Run can supply you with some Great Action AND Good Eating!
By Tom Vassallo
My Irish uncle, Jack O'Connor, used to sing at family parties. One of my favorite memories is when he would croon out the song "I've Got a Feelin' Called the Blues". It was a great song and every spring in early May I can't help but think of that song. However, it has nothing to do with family or parties, but with the way Barnegat Bay always lights up with fast and ferocious spring bluefish action! Usually not too long after the winter flounder bite is over in late April or early May, the bluefish begin to move into our New Jersey bays where many will spend the spring and summer gorging on killies, spearing, peanut bunker, small fluke and any other small fish or crab that tries to swim by them. Bluefish are not picky and that is why they are a great fish to get the youngsters started on...especially those that are quickly distracted. My kids never seemed disinterested or disappointed when we headed into the bay after bluefish. These fish are nothing like the monsters we would jig or chunk offshore in the fall. These are the "schoolies" just like the smaller stripers that run in the back bays in the spring. To me, a feeding blitz of these small fish is like watching a school of piranha feed!
Now when you mention bluefish, most people wince or cringe a bit. You have no idea how many times I have heard "I won't eat those"..."Too fishy"...and other disparaging remarks about the culinary drawbacks of bluefish. Well, I heartily disagree. Most people who put down bluefish probably missed a few important parts about preparing the fish or they have never had the pleasure of tasting smoked bluefish. One of the true secrets of bluefish connoisseurs is simply knowing the size to keep and which to release. I find that the early spring run in Barnegat Bay usually consists of fish in the 1 ½ to 4 pound range. I personally prefer the smaller fish for eating and will release larger fish. But bluefish are great crab bait and make good chum, too. So, I will sometimes keep a few larger fish and freeze them for when the blue claws start to run.
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| Each spring, New Jerseys bays come alive with the early run of "blues". These fish are great to get the kids started on since they usually hit just about anything and fight well on light tackle. |
However, before you can prepare bluefish, you have to get some in the boat! Since these are smaller fish, you want to keep your rods light to medium. These fish can really fight but, you will definitely appreciate the smaller fish more when using lighter tackle. Remember, however, that when God created bluefish, he created the perfect "chomping" machine. They have razor sharp teeth that will tear the paint off your plugs and bite your line clean off! I like a wire leader of at least 18 inches and to be perfectly honest...I prefer metal spoons for these fish. Since they will attack just about anything, you can use a few different techniques to land some of these early season predators. One way to initially find the fish is to simply throw on a trolling spoon or tube and keep it up close to the surface...no need to go deep, since you will be fishing in the shallower bay waters. Most of the time we would troll a custom-made bullet head lure that my father-in-law had made for him by a friend. The lure was very similar to a wahoo or tuna bullet head, but on a much smaller scale. The lure had a flatter profile but it caught more bay bluefish than any other lure I've ever trolled. It might be worth it to try a light-blue and white bullet head hair or skirted rig and see if it works for you. The other lure we would troll is a hammered metal spoon called a "Krocodile". This spoon is called a "wobbler" and has a more unique action upon retrieval than a plain spoon. The old vintage ones were a nice hammered finish. Made by Luhr-Jensen, most now use a "holographic" tape, probably to keep down the manufacturing costs... but pretty much any silver or gold spoon seems to work.
One of the most exciting ways to catch spring blues is if you have a flat bottom boat where you can trim up the motor and venture onto the flats outside the main channels. This technique has some danger in running aground, but it is an excellent very early morning technique before all the boat traffic gets going. (Always pack a pole or long oar to pole off a sand bar and watch your tides. No pole and in a tough spot? Toss the anchor and pull yourself off the bar!) We would motor very slowly along the flats and the sedge and keep a sharp eye for any swirls. Usually you can get within casting distance when you'll notice a few swirls on the surface. Many would argue that these "spooked" fish are difficult to catch, but I have put a boatload of fish in the well using this "watch and cast" technique. Nearly any Rapala or swimmer will work, but my all-time favorite is a Clark's Spoon Squid. I have caught more spring bluefish on this chrome spoon than any other lure I own. This lure has one single large hook and you will definitely find it both easier and SAFER than a plug with three trebles when one of these bundles of energy is leaping around the boat with blood and hooks flying all over the place. It is especially safer if you are fishing with kids on the boat. By the way...bluefish are notorious "bleeders". Be prepared for a good cleaning session on the boat when you return to the slip! Yet the anticipation and action with these early spring fighters on light tackle is like Florida bonefishing on a much smaller scale...and will make the extra clean up worthwhile!
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| The "Clark's Spoon Squid" is a great casting spoon for early spring stripers. They come in an assortment of sizes. The single large hook may cause you to miss a few, but there is usually another right behind to hook up. The single hook is a bit safer once the hard fighter is in the boat and helps keep bleeding to a minimum. |
Just like on a party boat, you can also chum and "chunk" these fish even in the bay. Use some of the ground up bluefish from your last trip and some fresh chunks of the first bluefish you trolled up. Anchor up and you might want to use two anchors. You may also be pleasantly surprised to land a few weakfish using this technique. Many old bay anglers will tell you that the weakfish will usually follow the bluefish school. Why? The "weakies" are a bit lazier and laid back. They are quite content to sit below the blues and lazily pick up the scraps. Try to drop a jighead through the bluefish with some Gulp or soft plastics attached and you may hook into a really decent sized weakfish or even an early season fluke sitting right below the blues!
Now the secret to "good eating" bluefish...(considered an oxymoron by most)...is to take the 1 to 2 pound fish. You can usually push it to 2 ½ pounds but above that I would release them or use them for chum or bait. Fillet your fish as you would pretty much any other and skin them. Now for the trick that will have people asking for more at dinner time! See that red "fat" running through the fish? That ALL has to go!! That's right...if the fish has any toxins in it, that's usually where it will be found...and that is the part of the fillet that many swear makes bluefish taste too "fishy". Once I have removed that and rinsed every drop of blood off the fillet, I like to bread those fillets just like my fluke. Sometimes we have had a fish fry with a mixed bag of fluke, weakfish and bluefish. Many of our guests never realized that they had eaten bluefish. They usually don't believe it, but that's okay...just more for me to eat later. They are also absolutely delicious smoked when brined and flavored by your favorite hardwood. Mike Melchionne, one of our co-owners makes an awesome "bluefish salad" like tuna salad that is great with some fresh veggies or on a sandwich.
