Fly fishing for bluefish on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Including: the Cape Cod Canal, Nantucket Sound, Cape Cod Bay, and the Atlantic; from Falmouth to Chatham to Provincetown, Bays and Beaches.
Like all fish, if you find the forage you find the blues. However, in the case of bluefish, if you find a lot of forage you find a feeding frenzy. Bluefishing is one of our most exciting fishing opportunities because of their ferocity and their strength. A bonus is that blues hang around the Cape chasing bait all summer and eventually migrate south onlly in late October and early November. Blues are thought of as surface feeders because of their impressive feeding "blitzes" but blues are more often feeding below the surface. This means that the same intermediate sinking line used for stripers works well for bluefishing too. Your 8/9 wgt rod is also suitable gear but here the similarity between stripers and blues ends. Some sort of shock leader or steel is a must for blues. If you don't mind loosing too many fish and flies you can ignore this advice and put your hopes in 3x long hook shanks. However, it is just as often the second fish trying to steal the bait from the mouth of the first that cuts you off. Long hooks are no proof against this. Six inches of light steel, heavy mono or the heavy fused braids do the trick. They may interfere with presentation but presentation counts for nought with blues. Speed is everything and color just a bit more. Be prepared to do a lot of two handed retrieving. If the truth be known, a lot of flyrod blues are first hooked while trolling since this allows for more presentation time and even more distance to the fish. Blues can be caught when there is no feeding frenzy to cast to or rips to troll. Simply find concentrations of forage and cast to high probability water hwere fish have been seen before. Sometimes just fishing for stripers will lead you to the blues. The fly you use needs to be big enough, flashy enough, a match for the forage for color (almost always sand eel green) and if you want to use it twice - durable. That means using a #1 or 1/0, 3x hook, tied with flash or tinsel, a white body and a green wing unless they are actively feeding on alewives or bunker and then white/white; tied with hair not feathers and epoxied. Surf candy is just about right but epoxied sand eels and snakes or poppers do just well also. This is one species that requires a barb to keep them on. They may only jump occasionally but they are powerful head shakers and will toss a hook if you aren't careful and even when you are. If the blues are feeding on the surface just toss out your fly and two hand retrieve as fast as you can until hookup. This is a strike triggering retrieve and more speed only provokes more action. When bluefish activity isn't nearly so evident from a jetty or boat; then cast, let your fly sink half way to the bottom and then make a vigorous one handed retrieve that incorporates the natural pause while you drop and regrasp the line for the next stroke. Whichever you do, when they hit, hit them back. A bluefish can grasp the body of your fly on the take with so much jaw strength that you can't set the hook. Then, later when he tires of the struggle he opens his jaws and the fly pops out! Keep up constant heavy pressure to prevent mysterious losses in the middle of a good fight. When it does come time to land or release your bluefish, be careful. A twelve pound blue can cut a 12" pollock in half with one bite. Your thumb is much thinner. Use long handle pliers to remove a hook while the fish is in the water, if you are releasing. If you plan to keep him you can bring him aboard by tailing and avoid the gaff or net (blues eat nets for fun). If you are tailing, try twice. The first time usually removes enough slime to allow a good purchase with your bare hand on the second try. Blues taste best fresh. Head home when you have what you need for lunch right now and don't wait to eat soft fish two hours later.
Don't know where to start looking for bluefish on the Cape? Well, one of the best beachs' is Oregon in Cotuit. there are jetties to the south of the parking area and the bottom is a very gradual sloping shelf that allows a long wade out at low tide. Try Oregon Beach in May. Later on you should try: the Cape Cod Canal, most south shore jetties, and the breakwaters from Harwich to P'town offer consistent bluefish action. On the Cape Cod Bay side try: Barnstable Harbor/Sandy Neck, Corporation Beach, "the Path" (you'll have to ask in Wellfleet), the Wellfleet harbor jetty, and the breakwater in P'town.
Check the fishing reports for up to the minute info and ask at the local tackle shops.
Hiring a Charter Captain to find blues is always a cinch. This year you might even find a record.
Email Capt. Michael Eichenseer, webmaster.
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