Where did all the big blues go?

A most unusual aspect of the Fisherman magazine Dream Boat Challenge was the lack of bluefish entries. That was primarily due to the 15-pound minimum which was imposed after several years when big blues arrived early and filled up on adult bunkers to such an extent that 15-pounders weren’t uncommon. However, that early run seems to have faded away — leaving anglers with the very high minimum which resulted in only two 2025 entries.

Amir Rajpaul entered a 16.5-pounder on 10/07, and Norman Bouchard had a 16.1-pounder on 9/25. There used to be many blues that size in late summer and early fall in NY/NJ Bight as well as in Long Island and Block Island Sounds as well as other areas. Though blues seem to be in a general decline which has resulted in tight limits, they are far from the historic lows I experienced when growing up on the south shore of Long Island around 1950. At that time the catch of even a single adult bluefish or weakfish was newsworthy. Yet I caught lots of juvenile weaks and snapper blues with my cane pole from local docks. It was accepted at that time that blues were a cyclical species. Hal Lyman was an expert on that species and speculated that they had a seven- year cycle. They started to return to the Bight around 1955 and soon returned to abundance in most areas while attaining record sizes in some areas. Overfishing came to the fore in short order before conservation measures were finally put in place. Though the fishery has been up and down, there has been no sign of a cyclical disappearance. Yet, the almost complete lack of larger spawners is disturbing.

Hopefully, the Fisherman will adjust the minimum size in the contest which is open only to subscribers — except for captains, mates and outdoor writers. A good time to subscribe is coming up at the winter sportsman’s shows when the Fisherman will offer a fishing item as an incentive].

A gale warning is up through Thursday afternoon in the Bight. The forecast tomorrow is for northwest winds at 20-25 lnots plus gusts to 35 along with snow showers.

Have a fishy New Year!