Midshore Mayhem: A Bluefin Blow Out - The Fisherman

Midshore Mayhem: A Bluefin Blow Out

2018 7 A Bluefin Blow Out Catch 2
July should offer up plenty of opportunities for midshore bluefin along the Jersey and Delaware coast, with a two-pronged approach of trolling and popping key to scoring.

Improved 2018 limits on bluefin are a good indication of a heathier stock of fish and better opportunities for the summer.

Nothing kick starts your heart like the subtle click of an outrigger snap, followed in a split second by the zinging drag on the 50 Wide going absolutely berserk while a 100-pound bluefin tuna smokes it.

Man, just typing that got my heart racing. For the past four years solid now, bluefin tuna have been crushing anglers’ lines in the 20- to 60-mile range off the Jersey Coast. General spots like the Glory Hole, Chicken Canyon and Triple Wrecks with water depths from 150 to 250 feet have held tuna in the 50- to 200-pound class around this time of year in seasons past.

As we head into the dog days of summer, July should offer up plenty of shots at midshore bluefin, but the key is a two-pronged approach of trolling and popping.

Trolling Options

2018 7 A Bluefin Blow Out Rod
Mold Craft squid daisy chains and Squid Nation spreader bars dragged at 5- to 7-knot pace will get the job done this month, as will Williamson Big Game or Tuna Catcher lures and the perennial favorites, Joe Shute’s.

While a chunk bite is preferred down south of Cape May, the central and northern bluefin seem to respond better to trolled and popped offerings. As you mark fish and/or find that right temperature break, start dropping back Mold Craft squid daisy chains and Squid Nation spreader bars. Drag them at a 5- to 7-knot pace. Other lures in the spread should include Williamson Big Game Catcher and Tuna Catcher lures in purple/pink, cucumber and mackerel color patterns. Also drop back some Joe Shute or Ilander skirts in blue/white covered over a whole medium to horse ballyhoo, dropped way, way, way back 600 feet, or attach them down on 32-ounce planer boards and set them 300 feet back.

Some anglers will rig long 10- to 12-inch Hogy soft baits in place of ballyhoo and troll them in the same fashion. The tried and true cedar plug put in the prop wash will always garner strikes from short biting tuna. When fish are marked below, start dropping jigs on their heads. For metals, Williamson Benthos 3-1/2- to 7-ounce jigs and Shimano Butterfly jigs work well, as do center-weighted “slow pitch” jigs. For soft baits on leadheads, utilize the Hogy Harness jig or RonZ 4x jigs.

When trolling, heavy duty set ups are mandatory as there’s always a chance at getting schooled by a 400-pound plus fish. Stand up 50- to 100-pound class rods like the PENN Tuna Stick (TS5010ARA56) or Shimano Tallus (TLCSTH2SSBLA) matched with PENN International 50VSW or Shimano Tiagra TI50WA 50 wide reels are proper guns to bring to the fight. Spool up with 80-pound Quattro or Hi-Seas line and implement a 300- to 500-pound Sampo Coastlock BX8CZ snap to lock on the trolled offerings.

Popping Up All Over

Last July as we were moving from one spot to another, in the distance we got a visual on what looked to be a disturbance in the water, swirling little eddies with a tiny bit of whitewater rip. It could’ve just been a current line, but we sped up to check it out; and it was no current line. As we approached, the waters absolutely blew up in front of us with 40- to 50-pound bluefin tuna crashing on sardine schools as the tuna bellyflopped and torpedoed through them.

2018 7 A Bluefin Blow Out Catch

In that frantic moment, you have to have a few spinning rods ready to toss into the fray. Heavy duty Shimano Terez rated for 50- to 80-pound with a moderate action and fixed with a Shimano 20000 class Sustain reel with a liquid smooth drag to manage the power of the ripping runs is needed.

2018 7 A Bluefin Blow Out Measure
Before hitting the bluefin grounds, don’t forget your Highly Migratory Species or HMS permit (online at hmspermits.noaa.gov). As of the start of the 2018 season, private anglers are allowed two school bluefin (27 to less than 47 inches) and one large/school medium bluefin (47 to less than 73 inches), though regulations are always subject to change.

Keep a visual lookout for signs of frigate birds, gannets and even terns dipping down into the water as tuna will chase a variety of baits including mackerel, sardines, herring, rainfish and anchovies. The dead giveaway is witnessing depth charge like explosions blowing up the water—the no brainer telltale sign of tuna crashing on bait schools. When bluefin are on a bombastic bite pushing bait schools to the surface to pin and trap them, break out those topwaters. You can run with regular push water poppers or opt to toss stickbaits that are utilized in a walk the dog style.

I have had much success with stickbaits and surface poppers such as the Williamson Surface Pro and the Yo-Zuri Big Game and Bull Popper, and various Halco brand poppers, but there are plenty of other hardcore offerings on the market. While you want to have a fleeing, frantic motion on the surface, don’t reel in too fast as tuna are usually hooked better with a slower retrieve so that they have time to pounce on it in one glory swipe.

A good game plan is to try and get ahead of where the quick moving school is headed, then take the motors out of gear and let the fish come to you. Pop it in gear and go chase them if they are headed the opposite direction of you, but do not run up right onto them as it will only push them down and away. Keep a respectable distance in order to just reach them with a popper on the far side of the school, casting around the outskirts of the fracas to draw them off in pursuit of what they perceive as a fleeing, lone baitfish.

Whether trolling or popping, be sure to hit the midshore grounds for bluefin in July. As this is being written in mid-June, the bite is already firing as Christian Palmisano and Christian Driscoll trolled up a sweet 173-pound bull bluefin and scores of other anglers are lighting up 30- to 80-pounders.

The pop bite should be in full swing as you read this; it’s time to get your bluefin on!

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