No really. If you've got a houseful of guests arriving for the Memorial Day weekend, bluefish may be the way to go. Consider these reasons: this time of year (as opposed to later in the summer) bluefish can be caught from beaches; if you hook up with one, there's likely to be plenty more nearby; and won't your guests be pleased to be eating fish fresh-caught from Cape Cod waters.
Remember, you'll want to bleed your bluefish as soon as you land them - that's critical for good flavor. Bluefish are great on the grill, or pan fried (try marinating the filets in soy sauce with diced garlic and ginger). Leftover bluefish also makes a delicious fish salad - chunked, with a little mayo, lemon juice, seasoning... serve on toast.
LATE MAY A RICH TIME FOR FISHING THE CAPE AND ISLANDS
Right now the water is abundant with options - we have just about all our species, except tuna. The striped bass fishing continues to pick up. Fluke season opens this week. Black sea bass is doing well. Scup are delicious and fun for the kids to pull up. And on Cape Cod Bay mackerel is biting.
BLUEFISH FACTS:
- Bluefish have no season in Massachusetts, but they are migratory and typically show up in May. There's no minimum size, but the state possession limit is ten fish.
- There are bluefish in all the world's oceans.
- Bluefish primarily travel in groups of like-sized fish.
- Be careful of the teeth - bluefish have powerful jaws lined with extremely sharp triangular teeth.
- The scientific name for bluefish is pomatomus saltatrix. Saltatrix translates out of Latin as "dancing girl" and is derived from the word "saltare," meaning to dance or jump. If you've ever had a bluefish at the end of your line, you know why the name fits.
Audio of The Fishing News is posted here.
