# how to catch bluefish



## samnc (May 1, 2008)

I would like some help with catching blues and other similar fish with gotcha plugs. (I actually had some pretty good luck with cutbait getting blues, but I heard gotchas are best)

When I was fishing last fall, I was struggling to get blues with the gotcha plugs, but people next to me where hauling them in! From what I heard, what you need to do is to:

1. cast out
2. while you slowly reel the line in, moderately jerk it up and down
3. keep on doing this until the line is all the way in. It takes about 45 seconds to one minute to do the reeling in/jerking
4. cast out again.

Is there anything I am doing wrong?


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## Don W (Apr 27, 2008)

Samnc,
I reel in faster than what I would consider slow. Maybe you are a bit slow. Vary the retrieve speed until something starts to happen.


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## mountainsalt (Mar 13, 2007)

I generally have better reeling a little faster with the jerking motion, never know when a spanish could be in the mix and they prefer a faster bait.


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## scavengerj (Sep 10, 2007)

Watch what the others are doing, what colors and sizes they may be using. Sometimes letting it sink for a couple of counts is what is needed and I would have to agree a fast retrieve does not hurt when they are biting. You sometimes can't reel it fast enough.


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

scavengerj said:


> Watch what the others are doing, what colors and sizes they may be using. Sometimes letting it sink for a couple of counts is what is needed and I would have to agree a fast retrieve does not hurt when they are biting. You sometimes can't reel it fast enough.


QFT

if others are catching and you arent, look and see how they are retreiving. chances are they are doing something your not. but then again, its entirely possible that they are just having good luck that day. ive seen it many times, using the same lure/bait and fishing method side by side, yet one not catching a thing.

i personally prefer a faster retreive, shiny and fast... thats how i fish for blues.


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## ffemtreed (Mar 29, 2007)

When you are having trouble hooking up with gotcha's here is what I do. 

Throw out as far as possible. Then let it sink, reel as fast as you can for a couple seconds then let it sink again, Rinse later repeat until your lure is at your feet. 

90% of my strikes have been on the initial drop.


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

There are so many different variables when retrieving gotcha's. Like it has been said, if others are catching watch what they are doing. Sometimes, I can throw for what seems like forever without a flash. Then I will work it in a different part of the water column. If I was retrieving it towards the surface, I will let it drop and keep it in the middle. If that doesn't produce a strike, I will bounce it off the bottom. About 2 weeks ago at Mercer's pier, the only way that we could get a hit was to slowly bounce it off the bottom. As a result we actually had some guys pulling flounder up. If what ever you are trying is not working as well as you would like, don't hesitate changing things up. Experiment. Who knows, you might come up with a irresistible retrieve.

Robert


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## HellRhaY (Jul 6, 2007)

spoon works alot better compared to gotchas when it comes to bluefish, they flicker better in the water. retrieve it as fast as the bait fish are swimming, not too slow not too fast. you only want it super fsat when you're fishing for spanish.
now, when you're spanish fishing, gotchas is the way to go.


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

I dont' have much experience with them but Sometimes an erratic jerk like jigging a buck tail or sting silver works well while retrieving the gotcha jerk jigger.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

*Sam*

Make sure your gotcha is doing a "side to side".. Try both fast and slow retrieve,but the side to side thing is the most important part of the action in a gotcha... Imho,if worked properly,and experimenting with speeds,colors, and depths as in above posts,it should outcatch any other lure out there in most cases,jmho...

PS one more thing to bear in mind: It can truely be a bigger pain in the arse getting a fish unhooked with a gotcha.. Getting those two trebles out with a bluefish flapping can be a bear....


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## NateM (Jan 9, 2008)

Im all with thekingfeeder on this one. Down in NC I dont even want to see my gotcha while fishing it for blues. I fish the bottom to the middle of the water column for the blues and that seems to put a whole more fish on the planks. Once the gotcha is casted let it sink to the bottom, reel and jerk a few times to get it to the middle of the water column, then let it fall back down. When after spanish its completely opposite and you would want to crank your gotcha quick so it swims on the top. Hope this helps.


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## Pho Real? (May 3, 2008)

well instead of using gotchas and plugs or w/e
why dont you just use cut bait?
just use the spot of anything small that you could use as bait.
and just use the same reeling tactics that you listed up there.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

The Gotcha plug is my favorite bluefish lure. 

Hands down the best when you are above the water, like a pier, jetty or even on a boat. When on a pier or jetty, I turn my rod upside down and jerk the chit out of it - at the same time cranking the reel. I'm sure speed might matter in some instances, but lots of times them blues like lots of action on that Gotcha.

To me Gotchas work much better than metal when you're working from above. 

Yeah, on the beach a metal lure like a Stingsilver, Kastmaster or Hopkins works better.

Either way, it's more fun to catch blues on a lure than bait, IMHO. The only time I bait fish for them is if I need them for bait. 

They're even more fun when lure fishin' for em with a trout rod.


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## skunk king (Mar 25, 2008)

how do mirror lures rank on the list of bluefish lures?


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

skunk king said:


> how do mirror lures rank on the list of bluefish lures?


They work very well.

However, blues tear em up purdy good. 

And I always seem to bend the trebles on a Mirrolures gettin em out of a bluefish mouth. I got a couple in my bag right now that need new hooks.


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## Dyhard (Oct 24, 2002)

I use spoons and replace treble hooks with single hooks. Most of the time I think they like it fast moving, they will hit anything, I even have a lure shaped like a bottle. I saw a joke lure that was a tiny kitchen sink catch Bluefish.


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## Mdt1992 (Sep 3, 2007)

i use mirrolures for trout in rudee and when hits it it is a pain in the but becuase it has 3 friggen trebles and they tear that 8 dollar lure up but the trout love em'


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## jerkjigger (Oct 22, 2006)

when the waters cold, i like the gotcha to go to the bottom, to 3-4 twitchs, leter sit for a couple secs, and repete.
in the summer, reel and twitch, with a stop or 2 in the retrive.

spanish on the other hand, reel and twitch as fast as you can


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

Newsjeff said:


> I turn my rod upside down and jerk the chit out of it.


do you reel the spinning reel backwards while the rod is upside down?

just messin


gotchas and clarkspoons are by far some of the most productive bluefish/spanish lures from a pier...clarkspoon + 3' of flouro and trolling weight cranked fast as hell on a pier dominates the blues and spanish, my prefered way of catching a blue for bait, because you dont have to worry about gettin em bad with a trebble or 2.

Jesse


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## Catfish713 (Nov 9, 2006)

fish for something else, i always catch em that way


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## Slammer (Nov 8, 2005)

Up here we use a lure called a Ranger.It casts like a bullet.Throw it out as far as you can,and then reel it in as fast as you can.As it skips along the top of the water 4 or 5 blues will sometimes miss it before one grabs it.It has a single Siwash hook,so unhooking the fish is easier than a treble.Red and White is the best color followed by orange and then chrome.Three oz is a good size,cost is about 6-7 bucks.


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## Pho Real? (May 3, 2008)

well ive never tried any other ways but
the scaled and cut spot works okay


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## rgking03 (Mar 20, 2005)

1 - sink
1 - hook
Toss and Retrieve and that is how you catch blues... Never knew someone would be asking how to catch blues. Most ask how to stay away!!


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## greendave (Mar 13, 2006)

*leader for gotchas?*

do you guys use a leader for the gotchas?
I would assume the teeth could do damage...if so what kind of leader and how long?

I'll be down on Oak Island wknd of June6-7 and hope to scare up a spanish, seems the blues will be impossible to miss.

Thanks,

-Dave


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

I normally tie on 12-18" of 30# Mono leader for Spanish but will go to 40# if the blues are extremely vicious that day...


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Don't use wire for Spanish, they're leader and swivel shy. Start with 30 lb. mono, if you have a problem getting bit off, up it to 40 or 50.


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## jimmy z (Nov 5, 2006)

My friend, blues will hit just about anything. There is no right or wrong way, when the toothy critters are about. Just cast, retrieve, and hang on!


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## Charlie2 (May 2, 2007)

*Blues*

I make my own Gotcha type lure from used BIC pens. I suppose that you could use new ones, but get ink all over the place. Wire with a couple of treble hooks with a swivel. You can color it, if desired, with a Magic Marker.

The Gotcha resembles a lure that we used to call the 'Jerk-Jigger' which implies how it's to be used. Jerk it, reel up the slack while the lure is falling, then jerk it again.

I'm still working on a post about UL Surf Jigging. Stay tuned. C2


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