Spring is an angler’s savior! Just when we’ve gotten to the point when we can’t stomach another cold snap or flake of snow, the sun begins to warm the inshore waters and the fish begin to move. So it is with bluefish. Every year, right around Mother’s Day, voracious choppers inundate the quickly-warming back bays of New Jersey in search of all the food they can eat!

   These spring “racers” are skinny from their winter months offshore and points further south, so much so that they actually appear misshapen, with giant heads and thin, lean bodies. But that is exactly why they have arrived; to feed voraciously on the plentitude of baitfish found in the estuarine systems. This feeding binge makes them perfect light tackle targets, and is a perfect opportunity for anglers to shake out the cobwebs of winter, and cash in on some red-hot action.

   When planning this episode, Bill and Darren chose to be on the Barnegat Bay two days before Mothers Day. They had very little intel to work with, but their experience told them that the fish would be there. They ran their 26’ North Coast down Barnegat Bay from its home-away-from-home berth in Lanoka Harbor, and within short order spotted a few solitary terns working over the “new” cut that dissects the expansive flat behind the inlet. Casting topwater lures and working them aggressively, they had fish on before the cameras were even rolling!

 

 

    On this day, conditions could not have been better. With a light Easterly wind, an afternoon incoming tide, and an expansive flat that dumped into a deep channel, all the factors needed for springtime success were present. These conditions are what May dreams are made of! The amount of spearing and rainfish being drained from the warmed shallow water was mind-numbing and the bluefish saw what our hosts saw, an opportunity!  Like cheetahs on the plains, the blues would slowly cruise the drop in small packs waiting for the chance to pounce. Once the bait was located, the fish would decimate them while the birds picked up the pieces. Perhaps surprisingly, there was no surface activity to speak of except for the little bird play which went unnoticed by other boats. The lack of surface action is probably why our hosts were alone in the area. 

   This scene sets up every spring. The warming sun heats the flats quickly and the tide streams that warmer water to waiting predators. It does not take many degrees to get this feeding frenzy started; a scant 2-degree warmup can get the bite going and going strong!

 

 

 There are very things about fishing that rival a ferocious topwater strike. No matter how many times one experiences it, the visual aspect never gets old. The strike quickens one’s pulse, and changes us back into kids again. On this day, Bill and Darren came armed with a selection of topwaters from Stillwater, Mirrolure, Matzuo, Creek Chub and Sebile, among others.

   All poppers have common elements. They are generally buoyant, and have some form of a cupped face that spits water in front of them and creates a gargling or “popping” sound when the lure is retrieved in an erratic fashion. Most anglers theorize that such a presentation mimics an injured baitfish, and this is likely true. But it is also likely that many surface strikes occur out of sheer annoyance. Something smaller and eatable is provoking that fish and he simply won’t stand for it! Even neutral fish can often be provoked into eating a popper when they won’t touch other, more realistic offerings. Many times, any especially up on the flats, a bluefish will strike a popper with such aggression that it’ll come clear the water with the popper in its mouth!

   When choosing poppers, select ones that cast well, meaning they do not tumble in the air but sail off tail-first. Long casts cover more water and result in more fish. Some poppers must be worked quickly and more aggressively in order to be productive, while others can be worked more slowly and methodically. Although faster retrieves are generally preferred when bluefish are in an aggressive mood, a slower retrieve in which the lure is alternately popped and swam is sometimes the ticket, especially when striped bass are the primary target. As with all fishing, experiment and see what works on any given day.

 Leaders are a bit of personal preference. Bill and Darren prefer to use heavy mono in the 60-pound range rather than wire or steel. Wire can deter some strikes, and while a few fish may bite through the mono, the number of additional strikes makes using it worthwhile.

 Tackle Busters

    On one of the last fish of the day, Bill encountered an especially aggressive fish. While at the side of the boat, the fish thrashed its head, took off for the bottom, and broke Bill’s favorite light action plugging rod into three pieces. All Darren could do was laugh, and all Bill could do was honor the bluefish. They truly are yellow-eyed demons!