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Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Sight-casting to tailing and waking bluefish in the shallows of Long Island

In late spring, most years, bluefish move onto shallow flats around Long Island during flood tides to feed on small baitfish. Lots of anglers keep their focus on stripers, but to overlook the bluefish option is to miss one of the Northeast’s most exciting inshore fisheries.

New York fly-fishing and light-tackle guide John McMurray had suggested we check out the flats on the evening of our first fishing day to see if the blues were around.

I’d flown into the Big Apple the day before, meeting up with Damon Olsen at the Allegria Hotel in Long Beach. Olsen, who runs Australia’s renowned Nomad Sport Fishing and has recently developed a line of lures, Nomad Design Tackle. One of his goals was test out some of those lures, proven Down Under, on New York stripers and blues.

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The sun was falling below the horizon when McMurray cut the outboards on his 33 Contender center console. In short order, we began seeing the flat surface disrupted by splashes, tails and wakes. And until dark, we had a real ball with blues to more than 15 pounds following, assaulting and latching onto Nomad poppers and walking lures.

The next day when we discovered that the stripers were pretty small (and a run of big fish off northern Jersey never materialized for us), so we found ourselves unable to resist the chance to tangle with bluefish again on flats.

Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Tough Customer

A big bluefish, held by Capt. John McMurray, slammed the Nomad Dartwing lure thrown by Damon Olsen, the lure’s creator. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Socked In

Thick fog made for cautious running until it eventually lifted. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Big Blues on Patrol

A drone’s-eye view reveals one of dozens of packs of blues — in this case, big ones — circling as they look for baitfish. Nick Jones / Nomad Design Tackle
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Under Attack

A swing and a miss as a hungry bluefish tries to eat a Nomad Dartwing skipping over the calm water. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Doing the Dance

A bluefish takes to the air with a large Dartwing barely in its jaw. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Relentless Predator

Damon Olsen pauses for a quick photo before releasing yet another blue that grabbed a Dartwing. Olsen had pinched down the hooks’ barbs on these lures to facilitate easier release. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Nearing the End Game

Nomad videographer Nick Jones takes some time to enjoy the action, here working to keep a determined bluefish away from the Yamahas’ lower units. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Walking-Lure Works

Olsen found some trophy-sized bluefish eager to climb all over his surface-walking lure, Riptide. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Blast Off

McMurray throttles up his Contender for the short run to the bluefish flats on a misty early-June morning. Nick Jones / Nomad Design Tackle
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Small Blues, Bent Rods

On a sunnier day, we make one quick drift among other boats that had located good numbers of feisty little chopper blues in deeper water. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Doubled Up

Olsen launched his new popper, the Chug Norris, and came up with a double on blues. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Bluefish at the Boat

While targeting stripers, Olsen still finds bluefish, here near the JFK International runway (big commercial jet visible at far left). Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Schoolie Striper

The slender, walking-popping Dartwing was responsible for many stripers during these days, also. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Bass With a Tag

John McMurray about to release a small striper sporting a tag. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Hey, Baby! Nice Pecs!

Apparently stripers and blues weren’t the only predators to find the surface walking action of the Riptide tempting, as this fat sea robin showed. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Bluefish Gone Wild

A small blue hanging onto a pink Chug Norris popper shows its aerial dexterity. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Swing and a Miss

In their haste to clobber Nomad’s walking Riptide lures, bluefish seemed to miss more often than they connected. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Hooked!

This blue obviously caught up with Olsen’s Riptide and stayed connected (even with barbs pinched for easy release). Doug Olander / Sport Fishing
Popping for Bluefish on New York Flats

Same Lures, Different Targets

About three weeks after we fished with McMurray, the bluefin had moved in offshore in good numbers. The captain, who took this shot of a happy angler, now cites the Nomad Riptide as his new fave for tuna. John McMurray
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