Catch More Blues!
Tuna fishermen have known for years that tuna can become line shy and the only way to entice a bite is to go light. Sometimes, going as light as 30 pound test is necessary to get these 60 pound plus rockets to take the hook. At 30, you will be breaking some off, but above 30 the action stops. So the choice is obvious. Now we've all had those days when you can do nothing wrong. Especially with bluefish. On one day out at Cholera, a friend of mine tossed a half eaten apple over the side and we watched as it was attacked three times by blues. And then there are those days where it seems you can't buy a bite. Well, take a page from the tuna guys, go light. Often, when there doesn't seem to be a blue in the ocean, I will rig up a smaller hook with some 30 pound wire (instead of the 80 plus wire that the packaged hooks comes with) and, BANG-FISH ON! It is critical when using such light wire to check your terminal rig after every fish and rerig if there is any sign of stress. But the 30 pound wire will hold even the biggest of the blues in our area. Another trick I use that was inspired by the smaller hook is to bait the hook like you would for fluke. That's right, again, we go to all kinds of trouble to make sure our bait looks good for fluke but for blues we just slap on a hunk of bunker or a butterfish and expect some bluefish to commit suicide on it. One of my famous tricks is to filet a butterfish and put this soft boneless bait on the hook. Or, if I am using bunker, take a small boneless slice from the back and attach that to the hook. The results are often incredible. More fish and more hook-ups. The hook I use when going light is a 5/0 beak. I like that hook the best, but any thin wire hook will do. My wire leader is seldom longer than 4 inches. This is more than long enough unless the fish engulfs the bait. This rarely happens and when it does, that is just one lost fish. The 30 lb wire is incredibly easy to work with and you will find that you can tie up a rig in seconds. A 2 foot shot of 40 to 60 pound mono between your hook and your main line can help often without any less bites.
People tend to take blues for granted and on some days that's ok. But how many times have you or someone you know been skunked while blue fishing. How would you like to be the one who limited out on those tough days?
Usually, I will start out with no heavier than 60 pound wire and will often scale down as the day progresses. I have even used 20 pound wire on the really tough days. It is now my habit to use the light wire even on the good days and while the other boats may be doing well, the MegaByte will be bringing in the heaviest cooler and countless other fish released. Remember, go Light for the Bite!
Good Fishing - Captain John
(cr) May 2002