Taking the Bite out of Bluefish by Tom Keer originally printed in Saltwater Fly Fishing

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October/November 2005;ri:: 37

It was a harsh lessonin just how effective bluefish are at shredding flesh. They are ultra-aggressive,chop-and-spin predators that can sever anyhing in front of their nose, including leaders and flies. S4ren they corral a school of baitfish, they will chop off the prey's tail, spin around, and then eat the head. Many times, pods of bluefish work themselvesinto such a bulimic frenzy that they eat until they vomit. And then they begin eating again, Ieaving behind nothing but a slick of fish parts and oil.

Fall-run bluefish are particularly savage, combining hard hits with occasional ;'umps and tail walks. They range in size from small, young-of-the-year "snappers" to adults in the double-digit range. Locals call the big autumn bluefish "choppers" or "gators." !\rhatever size bluefish you're catching, the fact is will lose terminal tackle. And mpst of your flies'

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theChop Stopping Flics can make a difference in bluefishing. EporT flies and balsa or hard-foam poppers are popular becauseyou can catch a few fish on them before they disintegrate. Another technique is to combine a fly with a bite guard. Simply tie a streamer or bucktail pattern just above the bend of a long-shanked hook, tarponsryle. The striking bluefish typically gets the ircxr shank in its teeth, and the feathers and hook point are in its mouth.

These bite-guard-style patterns will also catch striped bassand can be used effectively when bluefish and stripers are schooling together. They also work well when the bluefish are selectiveand shy away from wire.

There are severalways to rig terminal taclde fbr bluefish. The

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if a bluedog cuts olle strand there are othcrs to l-rolclhirn. Coatecl wire is usuallya soft-strirndcdwire that is covcrcclwith nylon fbr abra.sionresistanccurcl increasedknotting crrpabilities.The olcl standby bite guards arc made of stainless u'irc, somctimcs rcfcrred to as hard u,irc. While these rigs irrc ir.rcrediblystrong, thq, arc also inflcxiblc. \Mren bluefish irrc sclective, a clear, hearrr mor-rofilamcnt shock tippet works r.vcll.Most tropical t-u-rglers Lrseshock tippets for tarpon or big birckcour-rtry redfishand snook, and the concept is similar. You can usc prestraigl-rtened r.nonofilirmcntas well.

Itcgardlessof your choice of material, y<>n'llultimately nccd to rlatch your tip;ret to tl-rebite guarcl or shock tippet. I tvpicall1,uss a three-timesrule of thumb. For example,if I fish a l5pound tippet, I'll use a 45-pound section of wire or shock. The

length of the wire is personalprefel_,en-ce, with four to-eightinch-

Connections With today's l'righlyflcxible strandeclwircs, i'rthree-turn surgc<tu's knot is all yor-rnccc'lto c()nnect tl-rc wirc to the tippet. Attaching the fl,vis ecluall,vsin"rple,ar.rdlreu havc a ch<>iccof either a fixccl or a loop knot. For rr fixcc{knot, due tr>the bulk of thc material,usc a drree turn clinch knot. For a loop knot, tn, a cloublesurgeon's krop. Make slrre v()u tie a small loop so the bluefish don't krp it ofl. Hold dre back plrt of the loop (thc sectionclosestto the flr,) asyou seattl-reknot; in ckringso volr can control the lengtl-rof thc loop and make it small cnough so it's not in the fish's mouth aud big enough so your f1,vrvill srvim easily.

Wet eachknot bcfirrc y()u seatdrcm. Or.rebenefitofstranded wire is drat it cuts easilywidr scissorsor rvidr dre cutters on salnvaterpliers.

You'll need to rig differendy for hard-wire bite guards. Straight stainlessis quite strong. While it resistsbreakoffs,tJ-restainlesstends

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stripers mixed in,usea streamer tiedonanextra-long

gangbusters,you can saverigging time by tying in L2 to 14 inchtag of the wi-re so that it is parallel to the standing wire. Attach your es of shock tippet and simply attaching new flies as the old ones monofilament tippet with an Albright knot. To attach your fly, use get chewed. A Homer Rhode a haynire twist. Some anglers loop knot is perfect to add your like to use a snap between the fly to the shock. twist and the fly to facilitate Ifyou're fishing from a boat, changing flies. Others feel the a prerigged selection of attractor snap creates a weak link. To and imitator flies and some topwork with stainlessyou will need water poppers and subsurface pJiersand wire cutters. strearnerscan be neatly stored in The Orvis Company makes a tar?on stretcher box. If yor-r're an easy-to-rig bite prard; there is using a stretcher box, you may a loop on one end and a pre-tied favor mono shock tippets asyou Ha),wire Twist in the other end. can cover selective and unselecTie an Improved Cinch knot in tive fish in one shot. An advanthe loop end, unfurl the halwire tageis thatyou can store a dozen twist, add your fly, and twist it or more rigged flies, which back up. There is a plastic sleeve makes for quick changes when that drops over the end of the the bite is on. twist for security (see www.salt And all is not lost ifyou're a waterflydshingmagazine.com). wade fisherman.Simply prerig Sometimes you may prefer Inthefall,keepsomepoppers pre-rigged withsoftbraided wire,monofilament, 0r to use a clear connection l-o straight bluefish. your flies with flexible wire bite encounter witha school0f slashing hardwirefortheinevitable guards. TJse a FIomer Rhode your fly. Maybe you've got loop to your fly and tie a double surgeon's loop in the opposite striped bassmixed in with the bluefish, or maybe the bluefish are just piclg. Mono or fluorocarbon shock tippets work like a end. Coil the wire and wrap the tag around the loop and store in a ziplock bag. \44ren you come acrossa school of breaking bluechamp. Fluorocarbon offers additional toughness against the fish, you can tie a double surgeon's loop in your tippet and conbluedog's snapping fangs. For blues under six pounds, use 30nect your prerigged fly to your tippet with a loop-to-loop knot. pound test; 40-pound test for blues 6 to 10 pounds; and 50pound test for blues in double digits.

Attach your tippet to t1le shock tippet with an Albright knot.

The length ofyour shock will vary, but if the fi.sh are selective then you can tie sectionsoffour to six inches in length. If they're going

Techniques Fishing One of the most common mistakeswhen fighting bluefish is to treat them like other fish that you've been catching, such as

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to lessdowntime whenbluelish RIGtranslates THIS QUICK-CHANGE withEnrico,Puglisi andis handy I areonthebite.Theideaoriginated lt connects to yourtippetviaa whenbluesshowupwhilestriperfishing. youto replace or thestreamel or loopto loop,allowing eitherthepopper both,astheblueschewthemup.

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yellow, ofa 'll 0t02/0 J-type 0rchaftreuse bucktail totheshank / Tieorange, typical The latter results in more hookups following blueI orcirclehook. often fishcrash-and-turn t0 remove. attacks, andit iseasier

hookusinga perfection bitetippetto thedressed lllie a soft,braided-wire forthepopZ looporno-slip loop.Makea loopinthebigger endlargeenough perto passthrough.

I use ofwirebetween knots.

Youwantaboutsixinches Surflon MicroSupreme in 20-or 26-pound test. preformed, foam-either Popper headsareone-to two-inchclosed-cell (asin Bob'sBangers). tapered, andscoop-mouthed, or simplecylinders You'll need lengthwise heads lacking a hole.Don't todrillholes onpreformed

$f www.flyfishingmagazines.com 40 i} Saltwater FlyFishing

Poppers canbeasplainor withhookslotscutalongthebottom. useheads fancyasyoulike,withorwithout eyes. hooks thehead.Dressed Thread thelooped endof thebitetippetthrough justbehind intotherearend free-swinging theheadorpushed canbefished ofthepopper.

2O-pound-test tippetwith a looplarge to a minimum fiThe rig connects areto bea sideattraction, to interlock withthewireloop.lf bluefish r/ enough pre-looped setups, monotippetforstripers, or IGFA-legal sections of lighter to thematnleaderoncethe wirerig is removed. canbe quicklylooped -Jerrv Gibbs

striped bass, bonito, or fi.lse albacorc. Saltn'atcr anglers com monl,v change the direction of tl-reir rod to control the fish's head. When you do tirat with a bh-refish)rou fi'eqlrently pull the leader acrossl-risr.nor.rthand give him an opportllnit),to bite lrour light tippet. When fighting a bluefish,keep your rocl in one constantposition, maintain pressLlre,and fight dre fisir fiorn the butt of the rod instetrdof from the tip. Your fishing position should be slighdv above or belou. the fisl-r. You might need to r.valk around dre boat or move r-rpthe beacl-r,but keep the tension on the f1yat all times.

Another common mistake is to allow the fish to stay ir-r a school. Rival bluefish r,vill cor-rvergeon a fighting lish to investigate a possible free h-rnch.If yor-rallorv your I'rooked fish to sta1, in the middle of the school, odds are vou'll get broken off by another competitive fish. Muscle him to the edge of the school by applying consistentpressure. fu widr salmon or ta4)on, bft-refishjump to get dre upper h'and.

Bluefish will jump in deep r,vater,but thev are particularly prone to acrobatics or surfi.ce thrashing when you hook them in shallou'u'ater.Don't exert too much pressureon a jumping bluefish,but don't bow too mnch, eitl-rer.There is a middle ground, and if you totally bou. to dre jumping fish and allou.too rr-ulcl-r slackin your leader,l'rc'll get the mono in his teedr and cut 1,'ouoff It is best to land a bluefish with either a BogaGrip, a Lipper,

or a pair of piiers. Rut sornetimesyou're unprepared,t"lT;.; fishermen r'vading beachesdon't want the rveight of a BogaGrip in their kit. If you corne up against a pack of bluefisl'r barehanded, the first step is to tire him out. When your fish finall1, rolls, grab him on tl'redorsal side abovethe gill plate,right where the head and body meet. C)nce]ollr quarry is subdued,a pair of fbrceps or pliers will enable you to remove the fly easiiy. Rend c'loll'n \rour barbs for eas\,removal.

If you are rvade hshing, beach the fish and use the same metl-rod. But if you plan to keep one for tl're table, m'.rkesLlreto bleed the fish immecliatelyx161get him on ice as quickly as possible. Rluefisl-rget soft r'vhenthey're out of the r'vatcr,and since they are an oil,v fish they can taste \rery strong if left unbled in the sun fbr a long lr'hile.

These are just a fbu' technicluesto stop thc chop on blues,and therc are many regional variations, including the use of tube flies and various connection methods. But thcse basic rigging skills rvill keep -vou in thc fight r'vhentl-reblitz is on.

Tot'n l(eer is n Jisherwan nnd fi,eelance writer whl lives iw but nll Jingers are intact.

Mnssachusetts.He hnsslw.esca.j/s) Formoreinfo,go to f l y fi s hi ng m ag a z i n e sc.o

er 2005:t 41 0ctober/Novemb