Al's Angling Adventures

Fishing By Boat

Anglers fishing from boats often reap the best fishing. Outside the surf, most of the action is down 20 to 50 feet. Diving birds and big slicks are the primary indicators of bluefish on a deep feed.

One December day last year, Capt. Sarah Gardner and I were fishing a slick with big Clousers and Deceivers. We had been hooking 15-pound bluefish near the bottom on almost every cast, but we began to notice the water changing color. It was growing thicker with the scales and slime of slaughtered bait as the carnage raged on beneath us.

But the show wasn't over yet. As quickly as the water changed color, the bottom seemed to rise up to the surface. As we looked closer, we saw thousands of gray trout and croakers rising up from the abyss, packed together tighter than a tin of sardines. Every fish was trying to climb out of the water to escape the snapping jaws of big bluefish. Even with the bait pushed up to the surface, quick-sinking lines delivered the eight-inch flies down through the baitfish and into the strike zone.

Not all bluefish are found in deep water. Last year Sarah Gardner and I were looking for stripers and albies right along the outside bar, when a friend called us on the VHF radio and said there were tons of bluefish cruising up top and chasing anything in sight. He told us he was in 50 feet of water, about a quarter mile off the beach. We cruised our Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman over to his location, but didn't see any fish up top. A closer look at our depth finder, however, showed plenty of fish 10 to 15 feet down. So we started to drift and cast.

There was no apparent bait in the area, so we broke out the "attractor patterns: "Lefty's Deceivers and Half & Halfs tied on 3/0 and 4/0 hooks. It wasn't long before we were into some great action with these mixed-sized blues, running from five to sixteen pounds.

As the morning bite slowed and the wind began to build, we headed the eight miles back down the beach to Oregon Inlet. About half way back Sarah eyed a gold spot on the water—a tightly-packed school of fish glowing gold through the ultra-clear water. It proved to be a school of two-pound croakers being herded by big bluefish, and every few seconds a bluefish would swim up to the back of the school and take a bite out of some unlucky croaker. What could not be swallowed in a single bite floated up and was quickly devoured by another blue.

After retrieving a hapless, half-eaten croaker, we found it was still trying to croak! Life is tough in this watery jungle. Doubly so when bluefish are looking for a meal.

Fly Tackle For The Beach

Like many saltwater fly fishermen I got my start chasing big bluefish in the surf. When surf action gets hot, the blues are usually eating big bait. It's not unusual to see 15-inch speckled trout bitten in half. The unlucky prey will often consist of gray trout, menhaden, speckled trout or even puppy drum (small redfish). Most of these fish are between eight and 15 inches, and you need a big fly to get the blues' attention. Big Lefty's Deceivers, Clouser Deep Minnows, and Half-&-Halfs (half Clouser/half Deceiver) are three simple flies to tie and fish . . . and they work. If you have all of these flies, tied in white, green and white, and blue and white, each four to ten inches long and very bulky, you will have come prepared.

Fly tackle for the beach should be kept simple. Sand and surf will get into everything, and there's nothing worse than the sound of sand grinding an expensive reel's cork drag to dust. I like to use a Lamson No. 4 or 5. You can drag them through the sand and they still work. A 10-weight rod is the best bet. It's powerful enough to cast big flies and heavy lines, and deal with the relentless action of the surf.

Sinking lines are best for getting these big flies into the strike zone. 325 to 425 grain sinking lines, like the Cortland QD and the Rio Deep-Sea, get the job done. Leaders need to be four to six feet long, with a wire bite tippet attached to the business end.

Snapping Teeth Of Jumbo Bluefish

With their snapping teeth and take-no-prisoner attitudes, bluefish have delighted fly anglers from Maine to Florida for many years. These chum grinders with tails have given more than one angler his first taste of saltwater fly fishing . . . myself included.

Living on the Outer Banks for the last 25 years, I've met countless blitzing, jumbo bluefish. Back in the '70s and '80s, when the big bluefish showed up everything stopped on the island. Businessmen in suits rolled up their trouser legs, and carpenters dropped their tool bags in the sand, joining surf fisherman as they chased blues down the beach. Opportunities like these naturally led the adventurous to try the fly rod.

As the Atlantic waters cool, croakers, gray trout, menhaden and other fish move south for the winter. While on their journey south it is quite possible they'll be ambushed by the snapping teeth of jumbo bluefish. Whether it happens in the surf or in 50 feet of water, it's quite a show to behold: half eaten fish, screeching birds, and fish beaching themselves to get away from gnashing teeth. Tossing a fly into the middle of this melee is as close you're going to get to fly-fishing Nirvana.

Advice On Fly Fishing Knots

It is important not only to select the right knot for a particular job, but to tie it properly. Poorly tied knots will mean lost fish and aggravation

Here are a few basic steps to follow when tying all knots for fly fishing:

• Lubricate knots - Before you tighten a knot, lubricate it with saliva or by dipping it in the water. This will help the knot slide and seat properly. Lubrication also decreases excessive heat which dramatically weakens monofilament. Heat is generated by the friction created when knots are drawn up tight.
• Seat the knot - Tighten knots with a steady, continuous pull. Mike sure the knot is tight and secure. After it is tied, pull on the line and leader to make sure it holds. It is better to test it now than when a fish is on.
• Trim neatly - Use rippers to trim the material as close to the knot as possible without nicking or damaging the knot.