Bluefish Flies

[Fishidiot]

Like other toothy gamefish, bluefish require a wire bite tippet to prevent bite offs (or at the least very heavy mono shock tippet - I prefer wire). Since I don't care for standard wire leaders for FFing I like to tie my bluefish flies with an integral bite tippet. This technique will also make for a "frame" for cuda or muskie flies as well. You'll need a crimping tool, three crimp sleeves, kevlar or other heavy thread, and about 10" of braided #60 lb wire. For bluefish, I prefer flies with only a single barbless hook as blues hook themselves and clamp down hard making unhooking them difficult. Anything more than a single hook is more trouble than it's worth for these fellas. Big blues are impressed by size, speed, and bright color, so I like large flies about 5-8" that can be speed stripped with a two hand retrieve. While stripers tend to hit the forward part of a fly, or simply inhale a typical sized clouser of popper, bluefish have an uncanny tendency to bite down in the center or tail end of a large fly or lure so, for this reason, I prefer the hook to ride a bit toward the rear of my bluefish flies.

STEP 1: Tie the end of the wire to the hook shank using kevlar thread, I usually loop the wire once through the hook eye. Apply a heavy coat of cement. Although not shown in this image, it adds some weight and durability if you wrap the shank with wire after this step.

STEP 2: Crimp two sleeves about 2-3" up from the eye of the hook (make sure the crimp is tight). These sleeves will provide a base to tie the front part of the fly and keep it from sliding up and down the wire. Then crimp a loop at the far end of the wire to attach your tippet to (see image).

STEP 3: Tie in the back half of the fly right onto the hook like a conventional fly. When finished, cement the thread heavily and allow to dry. Then remove the hook from the vise and put the wire in the vise right behind the double crimps. Proceed to tie the forward part of the fly right onto the crimps. The finished flies in the photo have a rabbit strip collar and some crystal flash although they're not needed to entice bluefish. Bright colors like yellow, pink, and silver really help get the fish's attention, especially when they're distracted by swarms of bait and frothy surf.

 

[osprey]

fISHIDIOT..........those are nice lookin ties , i've always wanted to try the salt around here , the only place i ever got to try the salt was in Jamaica long time ago , if i might ask , where do you go from PA to be able to catch a few fish in the salt?

 

[sandfly]

nice flies, i don't like wire myself. I use heavy mono instead, my catch ratio goes up.

 

[Fishidiot]

Thanks.

Osprey,
With regards to where to fish salt for PA guys - I live in the southcentral part of the state and the closest saltwater (really, tidal brackish water) is the upper Chesapeake Bay. However, this is predominately a boat game with limited shore and wade fishing opportunities. I prefer moving water and surf so usually visit the NJ shore. The drive time from my neck of the woods to the NJ shore is close to 4 hours, which is about the same for DE and MD beaches. I just prefer NJ, esp for striped bass. If you're after weaks, blues, or red drum you're more likely to have better luck down around MD and VA. A lot of PA FFers get salt fishing in as part of a larger business or family vacation trip. Of course, this is fine (I do it too) but saltwater fishing varies a lot according to the seasons. If you're actually going to plan a fishing trip, I'd avoid the periods from late June till Labor Day and late Dec to mid April.

 

[Acristickid]

FI- nice.

I have never caught a Bluefish so I did some googling- HOLY CRAP!

Bluefish are voracious, predatory fish and are the only fish known to kill for the sake of killing. Depending on area and season, they favor menhaden and other sardine-like fish (Clupeidae), jacks (Scombridae), weakfish (Sciaenidae), grunts (Haemulidae), striped anchovies (Engraulidae), shrimp and squid. They should be handled with care due to their ability to snap at an unwary hand. In July 2006, a 7 year-old girl was attacked on a beach, near the Spanish town of Alicante, allegedly by a bluefish.[3]

Bluefish are extremely aggressive, and will often chase bait through the surf zone, and literally onto dry beach. Thousands of big bluefish will attack schools of hapless baitfish in mere inches of water, churning the water like a washing machine. This behavior is referred to as a "bluefish blitz". Baitfish, such as bunker, will willingly run themselves high and dry on the sand, where they will suffocate, rather than be shredded by the marauding bluefish schools.

Bluefish in the midst of a feeding frenzy or blitz will often bite at anything shiny, including bracelets and earrings. In 1993, a woman swimming in Seaside Park, New Jersey, had both her ears bitten off by bluefish that attacked her silver earrings. She survived, but lost her hearing and could not wear glasses following the attack.

Bluefish are cannibalistic. Some theorize that because of cannibalistic behavior, bluefish tend to swim in schools of similarly-sized specimens. Others theorize that bluefish school with like-sized individuals, because they swim at the same rate, thus expending the same energy when traveling, and thus having identical food intake requirements. Bluefish are preyed upon at all stages of their life cycle. As juveniles, they fall victim to a wide variety of oceanic predators, including striped bass, larger bluefish, fluke (summer flounder), weakfish, tuna, sharks, rays, and dolphin. As adults, bluefish are taken by tuna, sharks, billfish, seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoise, and many other species.

I dont understand why more folks dont talk about saltwater on here- I am bitten!

 

[tomgamber]

Some people hate bluefish because they don't taste very good. Blue fish are like smallies. They fight like hell and you can really get into them. They also usually show up when you are trying to catch trout (specks in this case).

There was talk of having a "salt" forum until we all realized Pa has no saltwater. It gets discusses pretty frequently in the Warm water forum though.

 

[jayL]

Bluefish are an absolute blast.

I was fishing a lure with two treble hooks once, and managed to hook 3 of them at the same time. They are great.

I plan on really getting into the salt soon.

Nice ties dave.

 

[vcregular]

Bluefish are great! Some bluefish carnage below!! Now is the time to get after it. Nice ties man.

 

[Acristickid]

VC- cool.

This might sound corny but this type of stuff (peoples pictures and stories) gets me fired up to fish. Maybe I reading too much about saltwater. Don't think fishing the saltwater- Jersey,VA and MD is that far to be prohibitive. Look forward to learning this whole new ballgame.

A year ago I had no thoughts of doing this type of fishing but times have changed. Someday I will make it out to the Jersey shore area. Truly a sport that goes on forever- at least for me.

 

[tomgamber]

Akid, its no more prohibitive than SE pa guys going to Erie.

I have only done it in the OBX and for short periods when I was able to slip away from the family vacation, so the tease that I get is worse then the curiosity.

I haven't fished the surf much as not having enough time to get used to waves makes it frustrating but I do get to fish the sound side and it is addicting, especially in the kayak. I need to get back in the saltwater too as we didn't do the beach thing last year.

 

[BelAirSteve]

tomgamber wrote:
Some people hate bluefish because they don't taste very good.

The larger ones can get a little "gamey" but a 2 or 3 pound bluefish provides some nice filets. A lot of fun to catch too. I've never fished for them on the fly, but I went on a trip this year fishing with light spinning tackle and had a blast.

 

[Fishidiot]

Cool photo VC - I'm hoping to see some of that soon.
Note the coughed up peanut bunker laying in the sand. Some of them exhibit the tell tale toothy "chop mark" typical of baitfish attacked by blues. When the bait are bigger, the baitfish are often completely severed and wash up on the beach in chunks (seagulls love it). I've seen small weakfish and croakers get this cutting edge treatment too. When there are lots of hungry blues in shallow surf, their handiwork is undeniable.
Never heard the story about the gal at Seaside Heights (this is where I do most of my surf fishing) who lost her ears. Ouchh!

 

[tomgamber]

Yeah, I have eaten the snapper blues you catch just beyond the breakers (when you can get the yak out there) and they were Ok. But I did it again the next year and they were oily and gamy again.

This recipe is still the best..

Take a cleaned bluefish, wrap it in aluminum foil, and place it an oven with a brick. Cook for one hour at 350 degrees. When the hour is up, throw out the bluefish and eat the brick.

 

[bam]

hey kid, if you're impressed by that google search check out the videos Frederick posted in the Warmwater FF Forum. They're in the long Saltwater Bug thread and were posted on 11/1.

I watched a guy lip a small one like a bass down at OBX when I was a kid... Not a good sight if blood gets to you. On a side note, that same day my Dad take a treble through the thumb while his lure was connected to a huge flopping flounder. After 1 minute of trying to remove the fish we finally just cut off the treble. We couldn't get the hook out so he pushed it out the thumbnail and I had to pull it the rest of the way through with pliers. I nearly passed out when the plyers slipped off the hook the first time I gave it a yank. I think he enjoyed it just a bit too much everytime he ate a forkfull of that flounder.

 

[vcregular]

Ok...here is part of the deal with salt fly fishing. And I am speaking speciifically about NJ in the fall.

Lets just start by saying it is FAR from a sure-thing. It is a 100% roll-of-the-dice if you are fishing from the sand. (having access to a boat does increase your odds) I don't live that far away, and a day trip is not difficult at all, but I have made the run many times and come up empty this time of year (more times than I care to admit). And that is with a lot of reports a day or two a head of when I hit it indicating that bait and predators are at your feet.

So having bait and predators around is a big part of the puzzle. Then add in Mother Nature. More times than not the surf is not fly friendly, but you can get good at using the wind to your advantage.

All that said, when you hit it good, it is killer! There is nothing like an all out blitz in the fall.

Making a multiple day trip out of it is prolly your best bet. I'd say there is a like a three-week-window where the Jersey shore - -Island Beach STate Park, and north can be world class. Also getting some sort of beach permit to drive the sand also helps in mobility. Island Beach offers a three-day permit for $50.

All that said, despite numerous 4am wake-up each year, and fishless trips where i stare at the water and get beach brain a group of us continue to beat ourselves up and make the trip. You just never know.

 

[Acristickid]

bam- good videos huh.

Till now the only bunker I knew of is that where to look for my golf ball. hah Wonder how many birds get picked off?

VC- story of my life! Good stuff. Yea, I looked the other day at the video fishing report on Betty and Nick's site. Looked like the surf in a hurricane.

Going to take some getting used too in that froth. I will be ready next year for sure. Got to get a stripping basket and more saltflies.

 

[sandfly]

hey fishidiot----I grew up in seaside park in the summers..I think i started surf fishing in 1965...up until i moved here i fished there every weekend and for 2 years lived in my van on the beach (I.B.S.P.) 4 days a week.. I have fished from cape cod to OBX. over the years..jersey has to the best place for big stripers and blues (10 lbs.+)..do you fish the back side of the island ?? (area 21)

I remember seeing lefty kreh, bob popivics, when i was younger. Have fished with Bob many times there. First rod was a fenwick fiber glass 9' 10wt. with a 1498 medalist. still have the reel.

 

[gfen]

Questions on fishing the salt... I've been tempted to make a day trip out there at least once this fall, or at teh very least, next spring.

Barnegat Bay is probably going to be the destination, if I can figure something out: If I don't have a boat, and I don't have a beach buggy permit, am I still able to access decent fishing spots on IBSP?

In some of the reading, it seems like to get anywhere good on IBSP, you need to have a pass and a car that's capable of driving through sand. If this is true, is there a better place I can try?

My sole experience with salt fishing is Corson's Inlet in Ocean City, and a charter to the estuaries and creeks at Cape May.

 

[osprey]

Sandfly..............that info about the Pfluger fly rod and reel tells alot , seems the era of flingers that started out with that equipment is when the sport and the industry that sprang up around it really took off , the era or generation right before that was shakespear wonder rods and perrine automatic reels (my dads era) and the one before that was three peice bamboo from the hardware store (my paps era) do you still fish the glass rods at times? I'll betcha do , gotta say you impress me more every post , shine some of that light on me buddy.

 

[Fishidiot]

vcregular wrote:
Ok...here is part of the deal with salt fly fishing. And I am speaking speciifically about NJ in the fall.

Lets just start by saying it is FAR from a sure-thing. It is a 100% roll-of-the-dice if you are fishing from the sand. (having access to a boat does increase your odds) I don't live that far away, and a day trip is not difficult at all, but I have made the run many times and come up empty this time of year (more times than I care to admit). And that is with a lot of reports a day or two a head of when I hit it indicating that bait and predators are at your feet.

So having bait and predators around is a big part of the puzzle. Then add in Mother Nature. More times than not the surf is not fly friendly, but you can get good at using the wind to your advantage.

All that said, when you hit it good, it is killer! There is nothing like an all out blitz in the fall.

Making a multiple day trip out of it is prolly your best bet. I'd say there is a like a three-week-window where the Jersey shore - -Island Beach STate Park, and north can be world class. Also getting some sort of beach permit to drive the sand also helps in mobility. Island Beach offers a three-day permit for $50.

All that said, despite numerous 4am wake-up each year, and fishless trips where i stare at the water and get beach brain a group of us continue to beat ourselves up and make the trip. You just never know.

VC Regular's points are well taken. I too have had many more days casting into an empty sea than seeing blitzing fish. It really is entirely hit and miss for beach jetty guys. I have found that spin tackle has saved a few days when FFing just wasn't possible.

Gfen,
You can fish IBSP and the Barnegat area without a boat or 4wd (although they help). The north jetty at IBSP is about 1.4 miles from the nearest hard pavement parking lot but I enjoy the walk (sometimes you can thumb a ride with a 4WD guy). The bay is great kayaking water but there are some wade fishing opportunities too.

Sandfly,
Great summers as a kid - some cool memories I'd imagin. I've never bumped into Lefty while fishing but Bob Popovics is, as you know, still a regular there. I don't know if he still has it, but a few years ago he a had a distinctive black 4wd conversion van with his "popflyes" logo and could be seen often along IBSP. I think he's a geat tier and although I've never chatted with him, hear he's a heckuva nice guy. I do fish the back side, mostly from my kayak in the springtime. In the fall, I prefer the beach. Do you ever return to fish there?