I used to fish for bluefish a lot on the Atlantic coast, and see them listed as one of the species caught on the Texas Gulf coast. However, I've never caught or even seen one in the Gulf.

I assumed that if they were around the smaller ones would be mixed in with Spanish mackerel in the fall, but that hasn't been the case. Has anyone caught them consistently on the TX Gulf coast, and if so what time of year have you encountered them?

Consistently? No.

On occasion, Yes.

I've caught a few in Upper Galveston Bay on spring flood tides. Nothing over about 5 pounds.

Max I have caught them between October and the end of April in the surf. They tend to be small, my biggest may have pushed 2 pounds. I have eaten them and they were very good. Had to cut out a lot of red meat. You probably know that.

When the surf clears up at Surfside, they sometimes move in. Nothing big like I used to catch in Massachusetts. 2 pounds might be the biggest I�ve caught here. Seems like I get them earlier in the wade the surf for trout time. April, May, June. Something shiny works. Clousers and baitfish flies work. Sometimes they run with Spanish mackerel, sometimes ladyfish, sometimes trout.

My daughter loves to eat bluefish fried in bread crumbs. They little blues here work great for that.

Certain rigs tend to have them all the time.

I'm always happy to catch these guys around the Packery Channel Jetties. I've never really been able to pattern or target them though. I know that I usually catch them when the water is warm and clear. When I do happen to catch one I perk up, pay attention, and try to figure them out. I've had some good boxes of them on small flukes like the 3" Zoom or Fin'S on a light jig head. I've also caught them while throwing spoons for mackerel. Like others have already said they are small here (usually between 10" and 12") and taste really good if you ice them right away and eat them fresh. My biggest was probably 16" and pushing 2 lbs. Some people look sideways at me when I'm happily boxing them. Their loss!

shoreboundangler

Thanks to all for your replies - the bottom line seems to be that bluefish are accidental "bycatch" on the Gulf coast rather than something to consistently target. I'm kind of surprised that people are catching them here Spring through Fall, I would have thought that they would be along our Gulf coast in the winter. Being migratory, I used to catch them off the coasts of Connecticut and New Jersey in the summer and fall, whereas friends of mine in Florida and South Carolina would get them in the winter.

What they said ^^^^^^. They are no where near the size as we caught just offshore and in the surf near Swansboro,N.C. Not a fish you'd want to eat either. Most of the people that I knew would only eat the small ones, broiled. Filled with blood, they would make good shark bait.Just cut them behind the head and they will bleed all over the place!! They have a good set of teeth and they will lunge at ya.

From a little north of Texas. ( Old Saybrook Ct )

MO

They are hit and miss on TX coast but I have seen them really thick on nearshore rigs.

I used to fish for blues and stripers off Niantic CT, right up the road from Old Saybrook. When I moved to TX, I found that king mackerel more or less fill the same niche as the big "chopper" bluefish in the northeast (i.e. large, fast, toothy, and oily schooling predator).

I used to fish for blues and stripers around Chatham, MA. The little ones like we have here were called snapper blues. Seems like most of the ones we caught were 4-8 pounds. Some years the fish would run bigger. They would at times destroy bait in a frenzy at the surface. Throw over a topwater or something shiny, fish on.

I like eating them, but only fresh never frozen. If you are like many folks that only like mild, non-oily, subtly flavored fish like flounder, bluefish is not for you. I like fresh king mackerel and lots of people don�t like that either.

Bluefish might be in the surf here fairly regularly in the winter. I hardly ever fish the surf between December and April. They would be in water in the high fifties degrees Fahrenheit for sure in Massachusetts so I could see them being here nearby all winter. Sometimes, our surf seems devoid of baitfish in the winter and maybe that�s what would keep the bluefish away.