Bluefish MONSTERS

Last summer, towns along the swank shores of the Hamptons, New York, closed down their beaches dues to schools of sea monsters. A few surfers got caught in a feeding frenzy and received deep lacerations from bites that required stitches. These “monsters” were the lowly bluefish, and it was not the first time they’ve caused carnage—every few years you hear rumors of someone on the coast losing a toe.

Pound for pound, bluefish might be the hardest fighting gamefish in the ocean, and without a doubt one of the most dangerous. The reason? Behind its fat lips the bluefish hides a full set of jagged, razor sharp teeth. Bluefish also hunt in packs, trapping bait then swimming through it and biting it in half before turning around to finish the job. They are also known cannibals; schools of larger fish will trap and eat schools of smaller blues. A sea creature this merciless cannot be trusted around toes and fingers.

Bluefish are dangerous to handle at the end of a fight because they throw some unbelievably strong head shakes and tend to clamp down hard on anything in their vicinity. Be extra cautious while handling a bluefish when removing hooks or taking one out of a net. Even when supposedly under control on a lip-gripping device, I’ve seen them thrash and clamp down on anything nearby, like the unfortunate tip of a fly rod. Whether your blue is in a net or on a Boga, avoid taking out the hook from its mouth by hand. A long handled metal hook remover is the way to go. Unless, that is, you want a new nickname… like Stumpy.


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An Earth Sports Monster Fish Week Article