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Bluefish

Bluefish

Bluefish are highly migratory coastal pelagic predators found throughout Virginia's saltwater and estuarine environments. These aggressive schooling fish are renowned for their voracious feeding behavior and razor-sharp teeth.

These visual feeders are known for their pack hunting behavior, often creating feeding frenzies at the surface.

Scientific Name: Pomatomus saltatrix

Physical Characteristics:
  • Smaller bluefish (1-5 pounds) are common in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal areas, while larger specimens (8-16 pounds) frequent offshore and coastal waters.
  • Virginia holds the state record at 25 pounds, 4 ounces, caught at Bluefish Rock in Chesapeake Bay.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Found throughout Virginia's saltwater and estuarine environments, including the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean coastal waters, and barrier island surf zones.
  • Bluefish prefer open water environments and are frequently found around structure, in rips, and following baitfish schools.

Key Locations

  • Prime Virginia locations include the Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore barrier island surf, Rudee Inlet, and various coastal ocean waters.
  • Target areas include offshore and coastal waters, Chesapeake Bay main stem, and Eastern Shore barrier island surf.

Specific Spots

  • Fish structure like wrecks, reefs, and rips.
  • Look for diving birds indicating feeding activity.

Bluefish FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

What are the best lures and bait for Bluefish in Virginia?

Target them using artificial lures including spoons, tube eels, metal squids, surface plugs, feather lures, and bucktails. Use fresh cut baits like menhaden, mullet, herring, or spot when bait fishing.

What flies work for Bluefish in Virginia?

Fly anglers should use Clouser patterns and D.T. Special variations in white, along with simple baitfish patterns and poppers for surface feeding.

When is the best time to fish for Bluefish in Virginia?

Peak bluefish fishing in Virginia occurs during two distinct seasons: mid-April through July and October through December for larger fish, with smaller bluefish available May through October in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal areas.

How do you catch Bluefish in Virginia?

Effective techniques include trolling spoons and artificial lures to schools of fish, casting to breaking fish on the surface, surfcasting with cut bait or lures, and chumming with cut bait.

What do Bluefish eat?

Bluefish are primarily piscivorous, feeding aggressively on small pelagic and littoral schooling fish. In Virginia's lower Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters, age-0 bluefish primarily consume bay anchovies (33.5% of diet), striped anchovies (23.3%), and Atlantic silversides (17.9%), with seasonal dietary shifts from...

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