Along the Mid Atlantic coast and in estuaries
such as the Chesapeake and Delaware bays,
bluefish are a common catch. The first fish may arrive inshore
as early as April. Flounder fisherman can be caught by
surprise as mid-sized bluefish invade the coastal
waters, attacking baits intended for flounder. About this same
time, bluefish begin patrolling the surf as well. On either
location, the site of birds diving will sometimes signal the
presence of large numbers of bluefish.
By late May or early June, Bluefish often
appear off the coast in enormous numbers. From a
few miles from the beach, out to the 20 fathom line and
sometimes beyond, large schools will take up residence on
lumps, hills and shoals.
Bluefish are shadowed by mako sharks in the
late spring and are often used as bait by anglers targeting
sharks. As tuna arrive, bluefish may become pests as they
occupy the prime tuna haunts, eagerly destroying anglers lures
and tackle.
By mid- summer, most of the larger
bluefish tend to migrate north and tuna fishing is not
disrupted. Meanwhile anglers in the Chesapeake may find these
fish from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel northward to the
Bay Bridge and beyond.
In general, bluefish are not hard to catch.
They readily attack metal jigs and lures which match the prey
they are after. They also take almost any cut or live bait,
spot being a favorite morsel of bluefish.
Bluefish have dark meat and their table
quality is a matter of opinion. The flesh is soft but easy to
fillet, and the fish yield a good amount of meat. Many anglers
skin the fillets, which helps to remove some of the strong,
dark meat. Large bluefish is excellent smoked due to its
high oil content.
