Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)

[Kamen Ivanov]

  Hello, guys! First of all congratulations for the nice forum!
As my first post here - my name is Kamen, I come from Varna, Bulgaria! Now I live and study in Malta and I'll stay here for a few years. Have experience with the spinning for bluefish in Bulgaria on Black Sea. What would you tell me about the bluefish in the Maltese waters? In Bulgaria the best season for them is from september till december. The best lures there are spoons Abu Garcia Toby №1,2 and 3.   I have written that in Greece fishermen use poppers successfully, but I've never tried. From my experience I can tell you that the single hooks are better than tripple ones for bluefish!

[Saupe]

Hey Kamen , Welcome to Malta . I am a spinner my self but I never had the chance to catch blue fish because it s a bit rare here in Malta . But I usually went to try my luck where I think I could find it and I  fish for it with Walking the Dog lures in the surface or as you have said small poppers you have a better chance with them more than the spoons for sure , those spoons of Abu Garcia are good for Dorado , Bonitos that you can still find some and Little tunny , the ones similar to them i use is the Halco twisty . What you can try at the moment is that you fish with long jerk lures to try your luck for Barracuda or even a bonito at the moments of sunrise and sunset .

Tight lines ! 

[Kamen Ivanov]

Thanks a lot fot the fast answer! Today I went fishing two times - about 2pm till 3 and from 6 till 8. I caught a sea bass first time and a barracuda second. I caught one really small bluefish while I was fishing for sawrell a week ago. Anyway, I will keep trying and may be by the way I would catch a big bluefish. What kind of lures do you use for bonito? Fast, or slow running? I ask, because in Bulgaria usually we catch it from a boat trolling hand made lures which are hooks with some flash and feathering on them.

[Ruzett]

Hi Kamen, welcome to Malta! I agree with Saupe that using poppers will be more productive than the spoons.   
Where do you fish from, here in Malta?

[Kamen Ivanov]

I live pretty close to the Msida Marina, so I fish around the area. I will try poppers, but is it possible to find Daiwa Saltiga Popper here? It's the best one for bluefish (my experience)!  

[Ruzett]

Personally, I never heard about this brand in Malta. However if you go to a proper fishing shop, you will find the exact tackle you need. I suggest Ta' Bormla (in Mosta.) He will help you for sure.

[Saupe]

Well done for the barracuda and the seabass Kamen , I have seen some of those poppers and I think they are a bit big for the fish in our waters . I usally use long jerks lures like Mommotti and Max rap for bonitos , If you want some pretty good tips and tackle contact this shop http://lurehunter.com/shop/ 

[Kamen Ivanov]

Thanks a lot, guys! Which is the best time for bonito fishing? And where could I find some?

[Saupe]

In my opinion I think this is the best time for them