Cocktail
Explosions: Topwater Plugs for River Blues
In the Mako skiff, we headed down
Manasquan River to a combination of two types of flats. My brother, Rick, and
my nephew, Kyle, had been catching upwards of 100 cocktail blues in two-and-a-half-hour
outings. The water reflected sun like a mirror, just right for topwaters in the
three to 10 foot depths with tide in motion. We located the spot upriver, the
water much warmer than the ocean in early June whether tide comes in or goes
out, and Rick cut the engine to let the boat drift. Into the blues from our
first casts, between the four of us we caught well over a hundred in little
over two hours, missing four or five times as many hits. The cocktails
typically knock the plugs into the air rather than get hooked. It’s all a blast
of fun.
Blues from one to four pounds
invade the inlets up and down the New Jersey coast early in May and stay well
into June. It may be tricky to find a specific area these fish inhabit year
after year, but once you know where to go, chances are you can rely on them
later. In the Manasquan River, Rick fishes flats that range from three to 10
feet deep holding a great presence of cider worms. Blues fill their gullets
eating these two-inch worms that seem to be the key to attracting schools of
cocktails with some four-pound fish occasionally showing. But the combination
of very shallow flats of three to five feet with deeper water of eight to 10
feet seems important.
Cider worms seem to flourish
especially in these shallower areas and some get swept into the depths with
other forage by tidal currents. The deeper waters serve as more suitable
holding areas for the hundreds of blues, but these fish will raid the shallow flats
on a moving tide. Another consideration involves a shallow flat as a different
environment than a deeper flat, so one in combination with the other nearby
implies a relationship. Whatever it is about the two together, besides cider
worms, bluefish may be abundant.
Avoid fishing the bottom or the top
of the tide. When currents slack, so does the action. When tide flows, try the
shallows and also fish right on top of 10-foot depths. If you get interest from
fish, stick with it until the action dies. If not, motor off a hundred yards or
so and try another stretch. The blues move in packs as if a dozen or more schools
inhabit an area of a quarter square mile or so.
Early in May, the water remains on
the chilly side and blues hit metals and soft plastic/jig combinations. They
begin to hit on the surface towards the end of the month. Year after year, Rick
has terrific action on some outings with strikes coming on virtually every cast
in the same range of river he’s fished over the years, but on occasion the fun
is in persisting for fewer fish.
Heavy chop on the water disrupts
topwater plugs’ effectiveness; isolated commotion on calm surface by a plug
provokes interest from any blue nearby and sometimes two or more will compete
to get it first. Blues hit erratically and usually fail to get hooked, although
a single blue will take as many as half a dozen passes and chomps at a plug
before getting hooked or losing interest. With chop on the water, they tend to
miss the plug even more. A light chop may not hinder action much, but don’t
bother in a real blow.
Rather than make a mess with treble
hooks, Rick insists we all use his plugs with trebles removed and a single 3/0
or 4/0 long shank Mustad steel hook at the rear replacing them. He removes the
barb to allow for easy release and this reduces the chance of injuring fish.
Rather than bringing blues that tend to bleed easily over the gunnel with the
likelihood of making a mess of the boat, we unhook the fish swiftly at
boatside.
Rick prefers Atoms but claims that
any topwater will work. Atoms, however, are meant to be retrieved quickly. They
actually sink. A high-floating plug more likely gets knocked out of the water
skyward by a bliuefish. In any event, this is not slow, cadenced teasing of
strikes the way you can wax poetic when fishing largemouth bass. Just pop the
surface by steady retrieves and when a blue strikes, don’t pull the plug away
from the fish. Give pause before setting the hook. You will miss most, but the
fun includes trying to beat some of the odds against missed fish.
Light spinning or light baitcasting
gear is not the only way. Rick has used his fly rod and says that Deceivers
bring the best action. During the week when boat traffic is at a minimum, the
morning sun is warming, and the surface is still, what better way than fly
casting from the bow?
These blues are tasty. Perfect size
for the table. When I fish with Rick I insist on taking some home and on
cleaning his fish hold back at the marina.
