Bluefish Are Back, for Better and Worse

Well, the bluefish are back — and we’re all sick of them already, again.

After years of concern about the dearth of bluefish, the yellow-eyed devils have moved into East End waters in very large numbers, for better or worse.

Of course, the surge in bluefish numbers in the Peconics and off Montauk this year does not mean a rebound of the stock is in the making. It’s early yet, and just because there are a lot of fish here, right now, doesn’t mean there are many anywhere else. My friends in Rhode Island say there are none up there.

The decline of bluefish took years — decades, actually — and a recovery to their former numbers likely will take a while, also.

In the 1980s, bluefish blitzes roamed up and down the coastline almost every day, all summer long. In the 1990s, fishermen chasing the striped bass blitzes that were exploding in Montauk had to pick and choose between giant foaming schools, trying to discern which ones were mostly bluefish and which were bass.

It’s hard to pinpoint what really drove the declines. I’ve discussed it here before. It could just be cyclical, either a natural downswing in abundance, or maybe even just a wrinkle in the species’ habits that had them swimming elsewhere, possibly even far out at sea, that will simply cycle back to local abundance. It could have been overfishing, of course.

An upswing with chefs in the popularity of smoked bluefish drove more commercial effort. Years of lax recreational regulations, and the disdain for the species that many anglers had, meant lots of waste by some and overharvesting by others.

Whether this year’s abundance will be the first sign of a resurgence remains to be seen. If the bluefish are on the upswing again, it will certainly have effects that anglers will be both delighted with and frustrated by.

The use of soft plastics was just starting to catch on with Northeast striper fishermen. That will be over with in a hurry if toothed marauders start de-tailing $4 baits.

But there are plenty of seasoned migration watchers who think the reason the striped bass blitzes in Montauk have been so rare over the last decade or so is because of the absence of bluefish to corral the baitfish schools and drive them into the shallows.

Regardless of how irritating we anglers may find bluefish, it’s better to have them around. A well-balanced ecosystem with all species in healthy shape always will be the best circumstance for all involved and should be the goal of fishing regulations.

Striper fishing has been excellent, even in light of the bluefish onslaught. Big bass are moving east under the bunker schools and are stacked in the rips off Montauk. The night tides are giving up trophy fish for surfcasters in Moriches, Shinnecock and Montauk.

Fluke fishing has been off to a slow start. There’s fish to be had, and the party and charter boats are putting some fish on ice for their customers, with plenty of shorts in the mix.

Tuna fishing is pretty much in full swing when the weather allows boats to get over the horizon.

Weakfish and porgies are still abundant in the Peconics.

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Fourth of July celebration week next week.

Catch ’em up. See you out there.