Bluefish 2018!!!!!!

[baitstealer]

Cue to the sound of Rocky theme music! can't wait till they show up. Heard some reports, some fake news too. Haven't seen any myself when I am out fishing. Hope that changes soon. Love the blue demons!:drool:

[nitestrikes]

A lot of the early reports are highly exaggerated and posted by tackle shops to sell bait. The big racers come from the east. When they do get here you will see catches all up and down the coast. Should be soon, maybe this week.

[finchaser]

A lot of the early reports are highly exaggerated and posted by tackle shops to sell bait. The big racers come from the east. When they do get here you will see catches all up and down the coast. Should be soon, maybe this week.


What he said^^^^^

[fishinmission78]

Agreed. The guy who runs the AC shop was posting bluefish pics from last year. Some guys didn't read the date and assumed they were recent catches. This is how rumors become "facts". Combination of hype and poor reading comprehension.

[fishinmission78]

Though the above may be true, I think some blues may be here already. Very few, though. The cold water does not encourage them to hit lures. We will prob hear of some bunker guys catching them first. jmo

[blitzhunter]

Yeah I realize the hype is part of the game. Still it gets you going and hoping. I am hoping for soon! Love me some early bluefish racers.

[buckethead]

Water temperature has a lot to do with it as well. We are down about 4 degrees this time of year for our section of NJ. The waters seem warmer around Cape May. That is changing gradually for northern NJ. They could be here this weekend.

[seamonkey]

Shape of things to come. Elias V was catching big blues up to 37 inchers in NC the other day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt7n9pm67Cc

[clamchucker]

My logs say that when the water in the bay hovers around 50 degrees we tend to see them show up in greater numbers.

[ledhead36]

They finally arrived, got a few on bunker rigs last nite. 28-34 inchers.

[cowherder]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-hFbBhJyX8

[storminsteve]

X2 really glad they are here, bring out the Kracken!:viking:

[storminsteve]

Water temperature has a lot to do with it as well. We are down about 4 degrees this time of year for our section of NJ. The waters seem warmer around Cape May. That is changing gradually for northern NJ. They could be here this weekend.


My logs say that when the water in the bay hovers around 50 degrees we tend to see them show up in greater numbers.

Right on the $$ guys.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=01407081

[williehookem]

Keep them in NJ!:scared:

[clamchucker]

The Dock outfitters april 29.
Big blues off our dock!! >> Late yesterday afternoon was the start of the spring bluefish run out back off our pier.The long awaited yellow eyed slammers are out back! Blues in the double digit weight class were being taken on cut bunker. It's sure is good to see these tackle busters in our part of the bay once again. I'm sure the bite will last a bit, for the bay is loaded with adult size bunker, one of the items high on their favorite foods menu. The size of the bass in our area is also increasing. Fish in the mid to upper 30" class range both in the surf and bay have been taken yesterday. The tried and true surf clam along with the well proven SP minnow were responsible for these larger fish. With the warmer weather forecasted for this up coming week, I'm feeling things could just bust wide open! So make sure you have all your ducks in a row, it's almost game on!! ... John Yac

[bababooey]

Apparently they got them today, per Capt Al Ristori's blog. Where is that guy Monty, does he fish Jersey anymore? Hurry and get down there Monty you can get enough cat food for a year!:laugh: :HappyWave:
MAY 3, 2018 (https://tightlineswithalristori.com/2018/05/03/first-bluefish-in-surf/)
First bluefish in surf (https://tightlineswithalristori.com/2018/05/03/first-bluefish-in-surf/)We’ve been waiting for the bluefish to arrive in force as they usually do by the end of April, but nothing has been happening in N.J. — and Fred Golofaro of The Fisherman, Long Island edition had the same report from another early location at Fire Island Inlet. However, just before writing this blog I got a photo from outdoor writer Nick Honachefsky of Normandy Beach of a surfcaster with a good-sized bluefish. I picked a logbook from 1998, and found that my charter party was inundated with blues on May 1 in Raritan Bay. Yesterday, Honachefsky caught eight small bass (a 26-inch and micros) plus five hickory shad on a fly rod in the surf.
https://tightlineswithalristori.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/first-surf-blue.jpg?w=760
There have still been no reports of blues up there

[porgy75]

In clifwood today!, a kayaker posted on the net.

[Monty]

Apparently they got them today, per Capt Al Ristori's blog. Where is that guy Monty, does he fish Jersey anymore? Hurry and get down there Monty you can get enough cat food for a year!:laugh: :HappyWave:
[URL="https://tightlineswithalristori.com/2018/05/03/first-bluefish-in-surf/"]MAY 3, 2018We’ve been waiting for the bluefish to arrive in force as they usually do by the end of April, but nothing has been happening in N.J. — and Fred Golofaro of The Fisherman, Long Island edition had the same report from another early location at Fire Island Inlet. However, just before writing this blog I got a photo from outdoor writer Nick Honachefsky of Normandy Beach of a surfcaster with a good-sized bluefish. I picked a logbook from 1998, and found that my charter party was inundated with blues on May 1 in Raritan Bay. Yesterday, Honachefsky caught eight small bass (a 26-inch and micros) plus five hickory shad on a fly rod in the surf.
https://tightlineswithalristori.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/first-surf-blue.jpg?w=760
There have still been no reports of blues up there
[/FONT]
:HappyWave:
Great to see them in Jersey!!!
No Jersey for me!!!!!
It’s all about the Island. Fishing the west part of the sound lately :heart:

[storminsteve]

Bring on the bluefish I am so ready for them!!

[storminsteve]

Dude are you still fishing long-GAY-Land? When are you going to give that up. Nothing but mirror primping guidos up in there!:bucktooth:

[bababooey]

Don't be so harsh with each other. The bro mance should stay strong. rofl.
Found this video that has some stuff about long islanders and fishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReywolgEjXc

[cowherder]

haha bromance rofl. Do you guys buy each other flowers for valentines day or simply keep it on the down low with fanny pats?

[cowherder]

Back on topic bring on the blues please!

[jigfreak]

For anyone looking specifically for blues, island beach has been pretty good. Chunkers doing better, fairly consistent.

[lostatsea]

Thanks man.

[cowherder]

Thank you! Want to get me a crack at those downtown blues.

[bababooey]

Apparently the head boats will not have to spend too much on fuel today to chase the bluefish.:)

[jigfreak]

Thats a little close. He spent no money on fuel!

[jigfreak]

One thing I noticed about the big blues. Try to catch them when the water is cold, is like meh maybe they are here, maybe not. Toss out some sacrificial rubber and you will know. Chop chop

[blitzhunter]

Very true. Also they have this uncanny ability to bite rubber right before the hook!

[cowherder]

^^ Have had that happen to me as well. People say how stupid the blues are they will hit anything. Well if that is true how come they are smart enough to bite a shad after the shaft when a striper will swallow it whole?

[captnemo]

We had some bluefish today. Trolling, only 2 though. Back of raritan bay. Very unusual, much later for them to show up than in past years.

[fishgutz]

Please keep them all. Am hoping they show up late in MA as well. Schoolies already being caught on the cape, fellas.

[storminsteve]

Hey we would be glad to oblige. Have a lot of fun fighting these sick basstards. They are ferocious the bigger the better. Tried for one last night, only saw 2 caught. Not by me of course!

[rockhopper]

Got into some gators this afternoon. SS inlet on the front. Tins did it for me. Other ppl were using bucktails and chunked bunker.

[fishinmission78]

Island beach. All the blues you want.

[buckethead]

Haven't caught any big ones yet on my stretch of beach. Hopefully that will change after this weekend.

[hookset]

Got some bigger ones to 11pounds on saturday night. sunday with the rain they were smaller, a few cocktail size.

[bababooey]

Appears they are back! hmmmm, cat food for Monty's cats.:HappyWave:
After some lean years of ocean spring bluefishing, we’re finally seeing some old-fashioned action with large choppers. The Shore party boat fleet had been happy when small blues showed up for jigging after a terrible spring striper run in the ocean, but they’re now into blues of a size we haven’t been seeing much of until the fall in recent years.
The Golden Eagle reported that those blues were once again up on the surface chasing bunkers today, and they ranged up to 17 pounds. The action was on jigs, and many of those fish are lost by anglers who haven’t been hooking such sizes in a long time.
The Jamaica from Brielle was into that fishing yesterday as Abdullah Samardeen of Philadelphia took the pool with an 18-pounder.

[Monty]

Appears they are back! hmmmm, cat food for Monty's cats.:HappyWave:
After some lean years of ocean spring bluefishing, we’re finally seeing some old-fashioned action with large choppers. The Shore party boat fleet had been happy when small blues showed up for jigging after a terrible spring striper run in the ocean, but they’re now into blues of a size we haven’t been seeing much of until the fall in recent years.
The Golden Eagle reported that those blues were once again up on the surface chasing bunkers today, and they ranged up to 17 pounds. The action was on jigs, and many of those fish are lost by anglers who haven’t been hooking such sizes in a long time.
The Jamaica from Brielle was into that fishing yesterday as Abdullah Samardeen of Philadelphia took the pool with an 18-pounder.

They are still out on the Island in the surf (from this AM).
I have not caught a lot of blues this year, way down from previous years, been fishing different areas, (Bass count up, Blues count down). But most have been 30 inches or larger and have been FUN.
My cats would not touch Blues. Storminsteve knows they only go for that high end cat food (Big on Blue Fin Tuna) :HappyWave:


https://i1.wp.com/rocksimpsonsurffishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018_6_21_BF_SA_FG.jpg