# Tired of blue fishing in Jersey



## djrek07 (Feb 9, 2009)

I been blue fIshing out of Brielle since I was a kid. I used to love it but now Im getting kinda sick of it, so Im going to the Florida keys for some different types of fish. My question is how do these blue fish stay in heavy supply. They seem to be like the rats of the sea but When I go on charters in Jersey they end up killing every blue that is caught. Me and my friend would catch 20 something each. The meat is not that great. Is there any other fish thats fun to catch out of Point Pleasant area. Where you dont have to go hours out for.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Sure there is. Striper, weakies, Sea Bass, and the list goes on.


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## davehunt (Mar 27, 2003)

Fun is what you make it!!

Try changing up your MO, change tackle (maybe down size), fish in the surf, use only artificials, etc.

Some of the best fun I have is trying to catch kingfish (whiting in North Jersey/New York) on a little fresh water baitcast combo my brother gave me a few years ago.

Another great time with that same outfit was an early morning under the 2 Mile Bridge (between Cape May and the Wildwoods). It was just after dawn, dead low tide and the inlet was like a bath tub. Snapper blues were ripping through schools of spearing, actually going airborne. I put aside my surf gear, tied a popper onto the end of my freshwater outfit and had at them. The popper was way to big, but that didn't stop those maniac fish! They were slamming it! I caught about a half dozen before the tide started moving and broke up the fun. I've been trying to recreate that outing ever since but so far no luck, but I keep trying, it was a real "ESPN Outdoors" moment!!


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## Big Rad (May 19, 2003)

djrek07 said:


> I been blue fIshing out of Brielle since I was a kid. I used to love it but now Im getting kinda sick of it, so Im going to the Florida keys for some different types of fish. My question is how do these blue fish stay in heavy supply. They seem to be like the rats of the sea but When I go on charters in Jersey they end up killing every blue that is caught. Me and my friend would catch 20 something each. The meat is not that great. Is there any other fish thats fun to catch out of Point Pleasant area. Where you dont have to go hours out for.


You can catch some nice tautog off the jetty near Bogan's Basin. They be some dang fine eating


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## djrek07 (Feb 9, 2009)

Yeah maybe I will try something different this summer. I catch the stripers when they come up the hudson river. But I still like to make a summer trip to Jersey.


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## MDubious (May 10, 2008)

STRIPERS!!! THE NE GAMEFISH!!! Blues get a bad wrap cause of their rep as a "gamey" table fare. No one can deny they are a fun fighting fish though. I hate how people treat blues when they realize it's not a striper; they should be released as respectfully as any other gamefish and not be left for dead. People in SC love'em and I understand why. Just bleed them and make fish tacos lol!


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## davehunt (Mar 27, 2003)

MDubious said:


> STRIPERS!!! THE NE GAMEFISH!!! Blues get a bad wrap cause of their rep as a "gamey" table fare. No one can deny they are a fun fighting fish though. I hate how people treat blues when they realize it's not a striper; they should be released as respectfully as any other gamefish and not be left for dead. People in SC love'em and I understand why. Just bleed them and make fish tacos lol!



That's the best advice - Blues are like any other oily fish, you have to bleed them - they also smoke really well!


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## DarkSkies (Aug 16, 2008)

MDubious said:


> STRIPERS!!! THE NE GAMEFISH!!! Blues get a bad wrap cause of their rep as a "gamey" table fare. No one can deny they are a fun fighting fish though. *I hate how people treat blues when they realize it's not a striper; they should be released as respectfully as any other gamefish and not be left for dead. * People in SC love'em and I understand why. Just bleed them and make fish tacos lol!



:fishing: You said it, man. Try catching blues 11-15lbs in a ripping current every night for 3 weeks. Last season around the end of the summer, the big bass were few and far between. Lots of action of the 20-24" bass, but that's no challenge. So I spent a couple of weeks playing with big bluefish in fast current. I love catchign bass, but will never turn away from catching big blues, they wear your arms out!


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## montylfl (Mar 29, 2009)

Tired of Bluefishing???? Stop complaining. Here is an idea. Why not take some kids fishing and show them how to catch blues. Seeing a kid catch his first blue will chance your outlook. You will look forward to fishing for those blues.

You can enhance the flavor of the meat by slicing the throat of the fish and placing the fish head down into a bucket of slurry. ( Ice and saltwater). This will bleed the fish out making a little tasting flesh.


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## davehunt (Mar 27, 2003)

montylfl said:


> Tired of Bluefishing???? Stop complaining. Here is an idea. Why not take some kids fishing and show them how to catch blues. Seeing a kid catch his first blue will chance your outlook. You will look forward to fishing for those blues.QUOTE]
> 
> Hell yes!! bluesfish from snappers up to the big suckers were a huge part of getting my sons into fishing (I've tried with limited success to get my daughter into it - haven't given up hope). Anyway, catching snappers is the saltwater equivilant of catching crappies or bluegill in freshwater - plenty of action to keep the kids and other novices interetsed.
> 
> ...


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## djrek07 (Feb 9, 2009)

Nice. I remember when I was a kid I couldnt get enough of blue fishing. I have caught bigger stripers than bluefish. But blue fish swim fast and fight hard.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Look at it this way, if ya don't eat them, blue make great bait. The smaller snapper blues I keep for chum as I make my own. The bigger blues make great Mako bait in July and August when Mako fishin is at it's best here. I even keep the trash fish I catch. Got my meat grinder, bait for chum, molds and I'm good to go.


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## montylfl (Mar 29, 2009)

Dave. That is what it is all about. Your sone will rememebr that day for the rest of his live. 

I have one daughter and she loves to fish. She loved to fish fom the time she was three until @ eight. Then fish became smelly. Right before she turned 13 she came back to fishing. She is now 14 and begs me on weekends to take her. We go four times a month even if only for a hour to throw some lures.

So do not give up yet. She will come around. ( I think my daughter came back because all the cute guys were into fishing. lol. )


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

Forget the bait and try to catch them on lures - They rock!

Sandcrab


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## davehunt (Mar 27, 2003)

RuddeDogg said:


> Look at it this way, if ya don't eat them, blue make great bait. The smaller snapper blues I keep for chum as I make my own. The bigger blues make great Mako bait in July and August when Mako fishin is at it's best here. I even keep the trash fish I catch. Got my meat grinder, bait for chum, molds and I'm good to go.


As a friend taught me a few years ago, live snappers fished on a jig head are killer on big fluke!


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## rgking03 (Mar 20, 2005)

You think blues suck and are boring, Well then you never tried catching them on a fly outfit. Best damn fighting fish around. Sometimes you think you hooked a Billfish or Tarpon. Love Catching and Releasing blues just not eating. Bluefish area the best damn fighting fish pound for pound!!!!!


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