Big Bluefish, Will They do it Again?
By Joe Malat

Bluefish are slashing, crashing, swimming, eating machines. During a frantic feeding frenzy which coastal anglers call a “blitz,” bluefish often feed on whatever unfortunate baitfish they encounter and, luckily for anglers who are in the right place at the right time, any lure that is tossed into the fray will be pounced on immediately.

Their numbers have dwindled during the past decade, but they made a few impressive showings along the Outer Banks last year that offered some promise for this year’s fall season.

After more than 45 years of fishing along the Atlantic Coast, it’s been my good fortune to share several of these wild blitzes, but I know it’s not all catch-‘em-on-every-cast blitz fishing. Often it was a slow pick when the blues refused almost every offering. That may be rare, but there are several rigs and baits preferred by coastal veterans who consistently come home with fish in the box when others come up empty.

All of the rigs highlighted in this article are fished with pieces of fresh fish, generically called “cut bait,” but each region may have a popular local baitfish. The best way to find out what the locals use is to pay a visit to a coastal tackle shop, and get the straight scoop.

Mullet, sometimes referred to as “jumping mullet,” can be found in the waters of every Atlantic coastal state and into the Gulf of Mexico. They are a primary food source for many predator fish. Mullet flesh is oily and the skin is tough as leather.

Mullet come in all sizes: finger mullet, mid-size fish known as “corncobs,” and full-grown fish that may weigh several pounds. Big mullet should be cut into strips or chunks to match the size hook and rig, and I always scale and fillet the big mullet. I remove the scales to make it easier to run a hook through the baits. Small finger mullet may be chunked, stripped, filleted, or used whole on rigs designed for that purpose.

Menhaden or herring are deadly baits preferred along some coastal sections, but the flesh and scales are soft and they should be prepared in a slightly different manner than mullet. I never scale and rarely fillet menhaden. These baits can be cut into steaks, or “chunked.”
Whatever bait, do not try to hide the hook point. An exposed barb stands a much better chance of method of hooking a fish.

What are the best bait rigs to use along the beach, or around inlets and rock jetties for bluefish? Talk to a dozen fishermen and you might get twelve different answers, but the most effective bluefish rigs have two things in common: bright colors and movement. Even if a rig is fished with dead bait on the bottom, a small, brightly painted cork or plastic foam float that rides directly in front of the hook will do the trick. These rigs are known by a variety of different names such as doodlebugs, bait bugs, and fireballs.

Two-hook fireballs are primarily for small blues, and are deadly for fish in the ½ to four-pound range. They are set up in a high/low fashion, with a snap for the sinker at the bottom of the rig. Hook sizes may range from 2 to 2/0. A North Carolina company called Sea Striker makes a mini fireball rig with gold hooks that I like for small blues, but the rig is also ideal for pompano and whiting when baited with pieces of fresh shrimp.

Big fireball rigs are for jumbo blues, the big brutes that might weigh into the teens, and boast large 7/0 hooks; a big float and nylon coated steel cable for a leader. The leader is crimped on one eye of a triple swivel rig, and another eye features a sinker clip.
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Above: This finger mullet rig for bluefish allows the hook to be placed at the rear of the bait, where bluefish often strike. Photo by Joe Malat

Another variation on the fireball theme, a mullet rig, is used primarily when the finger mullet are running along the shoreline. The mullet rig features a single strand of bluefish tooth-proof wire that runs through the entire length of the baitfish. A double-barbed hook is clipped onto the wire near the tail of the bait, and surprises those bluefish that try to nip the tail off a small, whole finger mullet. It is also highlighted by a small float that rides directly in front of the hook.

Above: The hook is removed from the wire, the wire is pushed into the mouth of the mullet and through the anal opening and the hook is re-attached. Photo by Joe Malat

Some coastal anglers prefer a sliding sinker, or fishfinder rig for blues. This is not some magic invention that automatically locates a school of fish, but a rig that lets the sinker, clipped to a small plastic sleeve, move freely along the line. Fishfinders excel when the blues are feeding tentatively or during those days when the surf conditions are rough enough to require an excessive amount of weight that might spook a fish when it picks up bait on the bottom.

The angler has a direct line to the bait and a bluefish can move off with the bait without feeling the weight.

Whatever your choice of bottom rig for blues, be sure to keep hooks sharp. I habitually take a stone or file to every hook before it goes into the water, and periodically check my hooks during a day of fishing. Sharp hooks catch fish.

It is of utmost importance to check and change baits frequently. Like humans, bluefish prefer to eat something that not only looks, but also smells, good. An old, washed out bait is not good for attracting much more than crabs. On several occasions I’ve had a bluefish strike immediately after a fresh bait hits the water and settles to the bottom. Fresh bait is exactly that, not frozen, brined or pickled. Fresh bait has the right smell and looks and will stay on a hook better than anything else. Keep your baits cold and surrounded by ice, and don’t let them sit in water at the bottom of a cooler.