Bluefish Bashing

[captbogan]

Recently, I was standing, net at-the-ready, next to a guy who was fighting what he thought was a big striper. The fish was peeling drag, dogging down, running out, running in.... Finally it smashed out of the water, head thrashing in an attempt to throw the lure that was stuck in its serrated jaws. Then, the guy starts cursing. I ask him, "What's the matter?" And he says, "I don't want that piece of #&%$!"

I don't get how a fisherman can get so po'd about fighting one of the toughest, meanest game fish in the ocean. Yes, we'd rather catch bass and yes, they do put a hurting on the tackle inventory. But I think we should have a little respect for these kickass choppers. And blues are good eating too: They get a bad rap because they are often mishandled and over cooked. Keep em in a cooler with ice and salt water, bleed them before they die and cook them till they are just cooked through and they taste great.

My hat is off to you, O yellow eyed, razor toothed, tackle buster