With the bluefish hitting fast and furious last weekend aboard the Captain Bob V out of Mattituck (captbobfishingfleet.com,) there were plenty of fishing tips to go around. A few of my favorites:
Captain Bob Ceglowski: "Diamond jigging for bluefish is a team effort. When a party boat passes through a school of choppers, all the jigs in the water appear to be a large school of baitfish. The harder everyone works to keep thier jigs active, the better the fish stay with the boat. When we get a good, hard-working group at the rail, the fish actually follow the boat as we drift. Even if you don't have a fish on, keep working hard. It's all the flashing in the water that gets the blues fired-up. Think team first and you'll get plenty of hook-ups. Four-ounce AVA daimond jigs are the standard lure here at this point in the season."
Mate Dave Meyers: "I like to use hammered spoons and jigs for blues instead of jigs with a smooth finish. The scattered reflections from these lures look more natural in the water, close to the flash of real baitfish. The stripers really seem to notice the difference."
Chris Palermo: "I have my own boat but I still like to come out on open boats. It lets you try new areas, fish for species you might not usually catch from your home port, plus you meet a lot of fun people on these trips. I go as much for the atmosphere as for the action. I love the Captain Bob fleet but also fish out of Captree on the Laura Lee, out of Montauk on the Viking, and on a few other boats as well."
Bill Addesso: "I do pretty well with stripers on these bluefish trips. One key is to work your jig a little slower than you might if you wanted to excite the blues. I like to let my jig settle to the bottom and then leave it there for a minute or two so I get a little scope in the line. That way, the lure stays near the bottom and in the striper's strike zone for a few extra feet on the retrieve. I usually try this after I've caught my share of blues."
Captain Bob Ceglowski: "If you think we might try for porgies or sea bass in addition to blues and stripers, like we do on our wreck trips, bring along two rods. Rig one up for jigging blues and bass, the other for bottom fishing."