Outdoors
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There’s no doubt about it. When it comes to saltwater angling, striped bass are the undisputed king along the Maine coast, and I’m snob enough to say the only way to catch them, in my humble opinion, is on a fly rod. But if the truth be known, bluefish should be held in equal regard.
Bluefish can be caught by chumming and trolling from boats offshore or casting from piers, jetties, seawalls and beaches using a variety of live or cut bait, jigs, lures and flies. When on the feedbag, bluefish are known to be aggressive. They hit like a Mack truck and are strong, ferocious fighters once hooked, often putting on an impressive display by violently thrashing their heads, sometimes leaping or flipping clear of the water and generally creating a ruckus.
What’s not to love about bluefish?
But one of the challenges to catching bluefish is finding them.
Bluefish are migratory and their presence in the Gulf of Maine is seasonal, dictated by water temperatures and food. Blues can be found in water temperatures as low as 50 degrees but prefer much warmer water. Peak feeding activity generally occurs when water temperatures reach and remain in the mid-60s to mid-70s. Anything cooler than 55 degrees or so and bluefish can be slow to feed. Anything warmer and they generally move offshore to deeper water.
It takes a while for Maine coastal waters to warm to those levels, but generally where we are right now in June — especially in July and August through early September as they prepare to exit the state — is the time to catch them. The thing to remember is that conditions can change a lot from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay, including water temperatures, baitfish numbers and the presence of bluefish.
Some years anglers will find blues just about everywhere south of Casco Bay to Kittery and very little action eastward. In other years anglers around the Kennebec and Popham will slay them. Bluefish travel and feed in schools, so where you find one you’re apt to find others, but they are highly mobile, often disappearing after a blitz or feeding frenzy as fast as they appeared.
I’ve lived within 30 minutes of the Maine coast all my life and fish it regularly during the summer season. I long ago came to the realization that finding bluefish can be a challenge, if not frustrating, and I hate to admit it but I have caught as many bluefish coincidentally while fishing for striped bass as I have while specifically targeting them. It can be a hit-or-miss game.
But the fun is in the trying, and there are times and things we can look for to at least hope for some action.
It should be said that boat, kayak and float tube anglers have an advantage over anglers like me stuck on shore. Tides and time of day, weather patterns, changes in water temperatures and other factors can all influence baitfish movement, and bluefish move right along with them. Anglers afloat can also troll and cover more water or drift and chum, which is not only a good way to attract bluefish and other fish, but also hold them within casting range.
Shore-bound anglers don’t have these options, but boaters do.
But shore anglers should not give up hope or the hunt for action.
I don’t know if it’s set in stone, but I have always had my best luck fishing during low-light hours, generally an hour or two either side of daybreak or dusk. Overcast days can be productive as well.
My unproven theory is that some bluefish prey feel more secure moving or congregating close to shore where I can reach them at these hours. Right or hogwash, it seems to work. The wind or sea breeze often dies, goes calm or changes direction during these hours and whether fishing from a beach, a river mouth or off a rocky point, the water often goes flat or calm, making it easier to see surface action.
I’ve witnessed several times during a bluefish blitz when the ocean surface practically boils with activity. Sometimes the activity is beyond casting range, but there are times it can be relatively close.
Prey species being chased by blitzing bluefish seek safety where they can and can be found just beyond the surf along a sandy beach, sometimes along a breakwater or jetty. A bluefish blitz often brings gull and other seabird activity in a frenzy of their own as they dive to scavenge the scraps.
I’ve caught bluefish on all types of tides and when blues are on a visible blitz I have not found it makes a lot of difference when fishing from a boat. Cast to the side of the activity, work a lure, fly or bait through it and odds are good it’s going to get smacked.
But I do tend to think tides can make a difference depending on where you fish from shore. I have a buddy who claims a rising tide is most productive when fishing river mouths, bays and estuaries because prey species naturally move or are forced into these and other shallow areas by the incoming currents. I personally like fishing the beaches at high tide as baitfish seek refuge on either side of the surf.
Ask a dozen saltwater anglers what’s the best tide to fish for blues and you’re apt to get conflicting answers. Based on my experience, I would have to say in general the incoming or outgoing flows are the best bets from shore since they move more food that can trigger feeding activity.
As I said earlier, bluefish are a challenge. After a few decades of fishing for them, with good outings and not so good, they still have me scratching my head more than I like to admit. But they are worth the time and effort trying to figure them out.
Right now and the next couple of months is the best time to give them a try. After that they’ll be gone until next year.