Holden Beach Pier at Holden Beach, Kure Beach Pier at Kure Beach, Johnnie Mercer's Pier at Wrightsville Beach, Oceanana Pier and Triple S Pier at Atlantic Beach and Cape Hatteras Pier at Frisco are some top piers. This prevents treble hooks from possibly snagging a fellow angler or bystander. These lures are easy to cast by standing on the pier deck or bottom rail, dropping the rod tip under the deck and making an underhand cast. When casting from piers, anglers use heavy metal casting spoons and metal tube lures for catching bluefish. Any largemouth bass fishing rod can be used for catching bluefish from a pier. Pier angling provides an opportunity for anyone to catch bluefish without having to use a boat, dune buggy or specialized surf-fishing tackle. Anglers have only to park and walk to the bank for easy fishing.īluefish anglers should not overlook the many commercial fishing piers as among the best places to catch bluefish. At Snow's Cut, there is easy access to the Intracoastal Waterway from the New Hanover County Recreation area and Carolina Beach State Park. Driving is allowed on the beach and lots of bluefish are caught from the area. Located at the southern tip of Pleasure Island is the Fort Fisher Recreation Area. It should still be open for driving access this fall and is a top spot for catching bluefish. However, the prime spots for the biggest bluefish have always been the beaches of Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras national seashores.Īt Carolina Beach, the northern tip of the beach or 'North End,' has been subject to increasing regulation. Surf-anglers have good luck all along the beach strands. Jigs and cut baits are popular for catching bluefish at the jetties. The rock jetties at Wrightsville Beach, Fort Fisher and Fort Macon are some top spots for fall bluefish. Jetties are great places to catch bluefish. Topwater poppers are top choices under bridge lights. As baitfish and squid are attracted to the lights, bluefish follow the easy feast. Bridges, or anywhere else there are lights at night, concentrate bluefish in incredible numbers. On the northern interior, bridges across Alligator River, Oregon Inlet and at Mann's Harbor attract bluefish. The Bald Head Island Shoals area is another good bet. Rocky islands and points in the Cape Fear are good places to try for bluefish. Newly completed dredging operations have moved the salinity line farther upriver and bluefish can be caught as far up the river as Wilmington. The Cape Fear River always holds bluefish. Generally, the nearer the high-salinity water of the ocean, the more likely a boat dock is to attract bluefish. Docks located along the Intracoastal Waterway in Morehead City, Topsail Beach and Wrightsville Beach are often guarded by a complement of snapper bluefish. While normally, bluefish are free-swimming, young-of-year fish swarm at inlets, rivers and bays. There are many other places that attract bluefish. Because of their durability, metal spoons and lures are prime bluefish ammunition.

This is a large and loud sign that bluefish are around, and it doesn't require Sherlock Holmes' powers of observation to deduce the location of feeding bluefish.įortunately for anglers who appreciate them, bluefish strike many baits and lures. The birds will be squawking and diving (at risk of losing webbed feet to an indiscriminant bluefish) into the water for their share of wounded forage. Birds will be circling above an unfortunate school of baitfish. They avoid concentrations of big blues and willingly tell bluefish anglers where they are located over their radios.Įvidence of feeding is prominent. To king mackerel anglers, blue fish are nuisances, devouring live bait supplies and gnashing wire leaders into uselessness. Another may be the availability and accessibility of higher profile game fish. One reason may be the absence of the big 'choppers' that mysteriously disappeared from nearshore waters. Division of Marine Fisheries creel census-takers they targeted bluefish, the toothy and toothsome fighters have moved far down the list of preferences. Still, while most saltwater anglers once told N.C. Grilling or frying bluefish provides a culinary feast. While some anglers may argue, fresh bluefish provide fine eating.

Best lures for bluefish