Hooks get a lot of punishment in the surf, and their points are regularly banged into rocks and other hard objects. I also check my hooks every now and then while I’m fishing, to make sure they’re still sharp. You can do this at home, but it’s also good to have that option when you’re on the water. I usually use a sharpening stone or file on every hook before I put it in the water. So no matter what rig you use for blues, make sure the hooks are always sharp. Always use sharp hooks for your bluefish rigsīluefish are caught on sharp hooks. The fisherman’s line goes straight to the bait, so a bluefish can take it without feeling the weight. Instead, it’s a rig that lets the sinker, which is attached to a small plastic sleeve, move freely along the line.įish finder rigs work best when bluefish are hesitant to eat or when the surf is rough enough to require too much weight, which could scare a fish away when it picks up bait on the bottom.
Some coastal anglers prefer a fish finder rig with a sliding sinker for blues.īut keep in mind that this isn’t a magic device that finds a school of fish for you. A small float rides right in front of the hook, drawing attention to it. This setup catches bluefish by surprise when they try to bite the tail off a small, whole finger mullet. A double-barbed hook is attached to the wire near the bait’s tail. The mullet rig is made up of a single strand of bluefish-proof wire that goes all the way through the baitfish. Mullet rigĪ mullet rig is a variation on the fireball theme that is mostly used when finger mullet are swimming near the shore. On one eye of a triple swivel rig, the leader is crimped, and another eye has a sinker clip. They have big 7/0 hooks, a big float, and a nylon-coated steel cable leader. When baited with pieces of fresh shrimp, this fishing rig is also great for pompano and whiting.īig fireball rigs are for jumbo blues, which are big brutes that can weigh up to 15 pounds. A company in North Carolina called Sea Striker makes a mini fireball rig with gold hooks that I like to use for small blues. Sizes of hooks can be anywhere from 2 to 2/0. They are set up in a high/low way, with a snap for the sinker at the bottom of the rig. Two-hook fireballs are mostly used to catch small blues, and they work well for fish from 1/2 to 4 pounds. If you ask a dozen fishermen, you might get twelve different answers, but the best bluefish rigs all have in common that they come with bright colors and movement.Įven if dead bait is on the bottom of a rig, a small cork or plastic foam float that rides right in front of the hook will do the trick.ĭifferent names for these rigs include “doodlebugs,” “bait bugs,” and “fireballs.” Fireball rig What are the best rigs for catching big bluefish in the surf near the beach, inlets, and rock jetties? In fact, big blues sometimes turn down almost everything, and it can take a long time to catch them.Īnd even though that doesn’t happen very often, there are a few rigs and baits that coastal veterans use who always catch fish when others don’t. In the past 10 years, bluefish numbers have been going down, but they recently had a few good years along the Outer Banks, which gives me hope for the future.Īfter fishing along the Atlantic Coast for decades, I’ve been lucky enough to experience a few of these wild blitzes, but I know that it’s not always catch-’em-on-every-cast blitz fishing. Coastal fishermen call a bluefish feeding frenzy a “blitz.”ĭuring a blitz, bluefish often eat any unlucky baitfish they come across, and if an angler is in the right place at the right time, any fishing lure or bait that is thrown into the chaos will be eaten right away. Rigging For Bluefish (3 Rigs You Need To Know)īig bluefish are like eating machines that slash, crash, swim, and eat.
0 kommentar(er)
