#BLUEFISH TASTE FULL#

Blues also hit almost anything shiny and plugs will work as well, but remember that their teeth will really do a number on those pricey plugs. Matching a white paddletail with a red jighead, for example, may increase your catch rate. Either way, contrast often pays dividends. Effective colors include Opening Night and Pearl/White, but you may find at times that reds and greens show up better in the often-discolored waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

A great line of tooth-proof soft plastics to use for bluefish are Z-Man plastics, particularly their Diezel Minnowz and Grass Kickerz. Many anglers clip a spoon to the end of the leader, since the blues will strike them readily and can’t chew through the metal. Gearing Up for Bluefish Fishingįor tackle, setups commonly include rods from six-six to seven-foot and usually medium to medium-heavy, with braided line tied to a wire leader of 40-pound test or so. If you want to find the really big fish, keep a close eye on fishing reports and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice – these schools might only be around a specific area for a couple of days. Though there were huge blues marauding the Chesapeake in the 80s and 90s, these days you’re more likely to encounter them in our region’s coastal waters. You might not even know the blues are there until you start getting some half-plastics or half-spot returned to the boat, or worse, a chewed leader. Often you’ll find bigger blues mixed in with summer striper schools, usually demolishing a school of bait. Schools in the Bay tend to contain fish from six to 20 inches, with the occasional larger fish mixed in. Typically, the bigger blues tend to stick with cooler water. Salinity is a key component to finding them, as bluefish are rarely found in the low salinities that species like striped bass can tolerate. Photo courtesy of Eric Packardīluefish are found throughout the saltier areas of the Chesapeake and in many of its tributaries. Little blues like this, called 'snappers,' are great table fare. But in truth, not only is this fish worth targeting it’s actually quite tasty in a variety of recipes. Treated properly, the bluefish is excellent eating, with mild, flaky meat, although larger specimens (those over 10 pounds) tend to have a stronger flavor than their smaller brethren.What if someone told you there’s a fish that can be found across the Mid-Atlantic and that you can often catch while Chesapeake Bay fishing that attacks like an apex predator, fights above its weight, and launches out of the water several times during the fight? You’d probably think they were musing about Tarpon, right? Although Tarpon are sometimes encountered in the Chesapeake Bay they are extremely rare, while the fish we’re referring to is the very common, often overlooked, and frequently disparaged bluefish. Unfrozen in the average refrigerator, three days is the limit. How long can blue fish stay in the fridge?īluefish that have received the best of care retain their quality for two or three weeks in a home freezer. There will be substantial centerline pin bones for the first 1/4 of the fish. Fillet gently, because the flesh is very tender and flakes apart easily when raw. But they are quite high in mercury levels, so eating bluefish in moderation is highly advised.įillet: Bluefish is fairly easy to fillet with a bone structure that is easy to follow. Is bluefish high in mercury?īluefish are fun to catch, will hit pretty much anything you drag through the water, and can really rip some line out on light tackle.

Try soaking the bluefish (or any fish) fillets in milk for 20 minutes prior to any kind of marinade to reduce that “gamey taste”. How do you get the fishy taste out of bluefish?

Stun the fish beforehand (you usually have to do that anyway to remove the lure safely from its sharp-toothed mouth) and its heart will pump out much of its blood. The shelf life of a bluefish can be extended by bleeding it immediately after capture, either by cutting off its tail or by severing its gills.

#BLUEFISH TASTE FULL#

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.īluefish has a rich, full flavor and coarse, moist meat with edible skin. Rinse the fish and pat dry, then place the fish into a glass baking dish and pour low-fat milk onto it to submerge it.

Bluefish taste