The Best Baits and Techniques to Catch East Coast Bluefish

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Perhaps no fish is as feared by anglers and baitfish alike as the bluefish. Its knife-wielding maw, combined with a notoriously bad attitude, is equipped to slice, dice and puree any baitfish or destroy any lure cast in its general vicinity. Its tenacious fighting ability pushes tackle to its limits. And the careless handling of a flopping blue has sent many anglers to emergency rooms with hooks embedded in hands.

Summertime bluefish are well fed, fat and ornery. The size of the fish that will be predominant in any given year varies, but blues from 3 to 20 pounds can be in the offing anywhere on the East coast, and you need to prepare accordingly to tackle the yellow-eyed demons.

CHOP CHOP

In spring, bluefish schools migrate from the Carolinas northward along the coast, hell-bent on destroying the tackle of any angler willing to target them. By summertime, choppers, as they are known, are thick in the back bays and inshore grounds along the coasts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

While shallow-water fishing is the main game in the southern New England states, blues occupy deeper waters along the coasts of New York and New Jersey. Come early September, they migrate back down the Eastern Seaboard to winter in the Carolinas.

Various tactics can be implemented to catch them, but before we get started on that, a few good rules to follow include:

1. Never use soft baits.
2. Swap out any treble hooks for single Siwash hooks.
3. Only use lures you wouldn’t mind losing.
4. Use leaders of 40- to 60-pound test to prevent bite offs.

With those rules of thumb in mind, let’s discuss ideal rods and reels. First of all, leave the light tackle at home. You’ll need heavy-duty stuff to even turn the head of a 20-pound bluefish. I like beefy, 7-foot Penn Slammer rods rated for 20- to 50-pound braid matched with Penn 6500 or Shimano Stradic 6000 reels. Spool up with 30- to 50-pound Power Pro, a 100-pound Spro Barrel swivel tied to a 36-inch section of 50- to 60-pound monofilament Triple Fish leader with a 100-pound Tactical Anglers Power Clip on the end to switch out lures. Or, instead of the TA clip, tie on a 12-inch, 80-pound-class steel leader with a snap clip. The long mono leader is key to landing fish and avoiding the dangers of snapping jaws—and they do snap. Grab the leader and either swing the fish over the side of the boat or drag it up onto the bank or beach without the leader cutting through your hand like braided line often does.

TOSSING TOPWATERS

Nothing buckles an angler’s knees like a bluefish crushing a topwater popper on a backwater flat. Poppers are best utilized to get a bite going or if you have visuals of feeding fish. Strikes are violent and unforgiving, as choppers can rarely contain their desire to hit what appears to be a fleeing baitfish.

I gravitate to Yo-Zuri Hydro Poppers, Savage Gear Panic Pencil Poppers and Island X Sidewinders, which come with single in-line hooks. If you see busting schools, cast to the outskirts and work poppers frantically, creating as much surface commotion as possible to make them aware of the “fleeing baitfish.” When a blue strikes, set the hook hard and fight the fish with a heavy drag setting.

HEAVY METALS AND JIGGING

Casting and blasting with metals is the easiest and the most effective way to score with the slammers from the surf line, a boat or a riverbank. Most metal lures come equipped with single hooks, so that box is already checked, plus they can take a real beating.

Ava jigs from size 007 to A27 are the go-to lure in rivers or the surf, where they can be cast and retrieved at a moderate pace. Metals are great for unhooking fish, as you can usually grab the lure itself instead of the leader to control and handle the fish more safely.

If fishing offshore, jigging with metal lures is top-notch and has been a tried-and-true method for decades. Note that any metal you drop needs to have enough weight to keep it straight up and down in the water column with no angle. Both Ava jigs in sizes A27 to A87 and 6- to 10-ounce hammered jigs will fit the bill.

Vertical jigging is the most common technique and is quite simple. First, drop the jig straight to the seafloor, then engage the reel and simply reel up as fast as you can until you receive a strike.

Another proven method is yo-yo jigging. Drop the jig to the bottom, reel it up a few cranks, swing the jig in long, rhythmic strokes a few times, then reel up a few more cranks and repeat the process throughout the water column until you receive a strike. The true key to jigging success is to find where the bluefish are marking, so if you’re on a boat, pay attention to the captain when he declares the depth at which he’s marking fish.

CHUNK BUSTING

Bluefish cannot resist the meat. Baiting up with chunks of bunker, butterfish or mackerel is sure to get you strikes. Get a solid chum slick going to draw the fish in. To your main running line, tie a simple 6-inch, 100-pound wire leader and a 6/0 to 8/0 baitholder or octopus hook to hold a chunk. You can also use a section of 60-pound monofilament leader if the fish are picky and not hitting the steel leader.

Hook a chunk below the backbone and pierce through to the opposite side so the backbone effectively holds the bait on the hook and the bait does not spin in the current. Drop a chunk in the water and keep the bail open, pulling out line with a big bow of slack in it so that the chunk sinks without any restriction. Egg sinkers from 1 to 8 ounces may be slipped on above the barrel swivel to keep the line in the buffet zone. When a blue takes the bait, give it a three count, flip the bail and set the hook.

ON THE FLY

If you’ve had your fill of bluefish on standard tackle, why not elevate your game and bring out the long rod? A 9- to 10-weight fly rod is sufficient, as long as your tippet is 30- or 40-pound test. Clouser and Deceiver flies will get beaten up pretty good, though you’ll typically be able to catch about a dozen blues before the fly becomes dehaired and needs to be replaced. Harder flies like Surf Candies are more durable. A battle with a blue on a long rod is unparalleled, with ripping runs and aerial antics sure to get your blood pumping. Strip quickly.

The various bluefish grounds, from flats and riverbanks to off-shore ledges and humps, bring exciting, action-packed opportunity throughout the summer months. Be sure to scale tackle up accordingly and keep your wits about you, for you are going to war with one of the meanest fish in saltwater.

SMOKED BLUEFISH DIP RECIPE

• Turn your catch into a simple and crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Invite some fishing buddies over for dinner and tell them that bluefish is on the menu, and you very well might be dining alone. Many folks want absolutely nothing to do with cooked bluefish. However, make this smoked bluefish appetizer and they’ll all ignore the main course. The best part is, it’s super simple.

This recipe is unabashedly stolen from Ryan Lambert at Cajun Fishing Adventures in Buras, La. (cajunfishingadventures.com). He makes it with bull redfish, which can often be as strong-tasting as blues.

Note: To get the best flavor out of bluefish, it’s important to bleed them out and cooler them as soon as they hit the deck.

INGREDIENTS:

• Smoked bluefish fillets
• 1/4 onion chopped
• 1/2 stalk celery chopped
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning
• Lemon pepper seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season fillets with both seasonings and smoke for 4 hours at 250 degrees.
2. Just before removing filets, finely chop 1/4 onion, 1/2 stalk celery, 1 tomato and jalapeño slices.
3. Remove fillets and crumble into small pieces.
4. Mix two cups bluefish with chopped ingredients.
5. Add 1/2 cup mayo and stir.
6. Serve with crackers. Any remaining crumbled bluefish can be vacuum-packed and frozen for later.

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• This article was featured in the August 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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