whats the best luers to use for bluefish and snappers (baby bluefish)????????????

Question

i want to go fishing for bluefish in shore off the beach, i have a 10' surfcasting pole, what luers do you reccommend, what pound test should i use and what time of year should i go and what time of day? thanks for ur answers!

Answer 1

You'll be more than fine with a 15# line. Take up to 5oz of weight with you and use a shock leader with 50# line. You'll want to tie it w/ an albright knot to the backing (your 15# line).

I have pretty decent luck with a mullet rig and fish fresh finger mullet on it. A mullet rig is just a floater with wire going through it. You slide the wire through the mullets mouth and out of its' anus! It's gross but that's fishing. Then you snap a hook on the end of the wire. I also wire the fish to the lure so it doesn't get too damaged during the cast. This is great for larger blues. Your bait store will have it in stock and will happily give you a tutorial but it's kinda obvious how it works.

For snappers or taylor blues as they're known in points south, I like to use a fish finder. You can buy them in the bait store but they're really easy to make. Just pass some line through a small cork. Put the leader and hook on the side closest to the cork. Put a swivel or snap on the other end. Now, run the line from your rod through the eye on your weight, string a bead on the line and tie off to swivel or snap. I like to have at least a foot of line between the leader and the snap/swivel.

Remember to keep the hook small so the snappers can get on it. Bait with pretty much anything but fresh fish works best (mullet, bunker, mackeral). Remember, if you're throwing a lot of weight you have to have 10# of test for every ounce you throw. This is where your shock leader comes in Which should be long enough to touch your reel when you cast.

That's it. If you need anything clarified you can mail me.

Oh, and blues run best in the beginning and end of summer.

Later: I really liked what making cents said, braided line IS the best. And gulp scented minnows rock too. I usually use them w/ a cast and retrieve method but if he's had good experience w/ them on heavy weight...go for it. BTW, lots of folks have good luck with bloodworms, real and synthetic (fish bites).

Answer 2

El Chupalatte/Mac have some good advice.

Here's my 2 cents:

Try casting 1-2 OZ spoons in silver/green/gold. Use a fresh "bait-strip" of mullet or Menhaden/Pogey as a trailer.

Some spoons to use are:

1. 5/8 OZ "Nemire Red Ripper" Spoon

2. various 1-2 OZ "Clark" Spoons

3. 1 OZ "Gotcha Plugs" in various colors.

Although I agree with El Chupalatte/Mac on most everything, I would DIS-agree with 15 # mono line. Braided lines are EXCELLENT for any type of surf-casting or surf-fishing. They have no stretch and a much smaller diameter.

You can downsize your diameter to 10-12 LB and still have 20-30 LB strength! Smaller diameter means much LONGER casts TOO! And you WILL notice how well you feel the strikes! AND 50 LB leader is silly when you can purchase 15-20 LB LO-VIZ wire leaders, (you did say "baby" blues?). (Power Pro or Stren Superbraid works excellent!)

Topwater baits like "Heddon, Super Spook" , "Rapala, X-Rap Walk 13" & "Mirrolure Top Dog Jr" can be exciting to fish and sometimes be productive.

Also, 1-2 OZ jigs with Berkley "Gulp" Swimming Mullet grub-bodys work well too!

Low light levels are the best time to fish the surf. Morning/evening and overcast days can be excellent. Try to fish a jetty/inlet that pushes baitfish in and out with the tide.

If you go fishing at just "any 'ol beach" your odds of catching some decent fish reduce. Do your homework and you can catch some great fish in the surf!

For further info go to my "Starred Questions". There is some good beach-fishing info in there.

Answer 3

From the surf, any two-ounce tins - hopkins, kastmaster, crocodile, etc. I use 20-pound Ande fishing line, sometimes I'll go as low as 15lb, sometimes as high as 25lb. Right now the surf is slow. Wait until about mid-September, once the mullets swim out of the back bays, that's when bluefishing starts to heat up with striped bass mixed in. As far as snappers, use 1/2 oz lures. As far as bait, for bluefish use bunker, for snappers use spearing.