The bluefish, a trophy species hotly pursued by anglers due to it's reputation as a champion battler and voracious predator, is native to both the American and European-African coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. Along the western Atlantic it is abundant from Argentina to Cape Cod, and it occasionally occurs as far north as Nova Scotia.

Bluefish rarely exceed 20 lbs. and 40 inches in length. The North American record bluefish, caught in North Carolina, weighed 31 lbs 12 ounces. The Massachusetts record fish, landed at Graves Light in 1982, weighed 27 pounds 4 ounces. The larger fish caught during a given year generally run between 10-15 pounds.

Bluefish inhabit both inshore and offshore areas of coastal regions, with young of the year fish (those in the first year of life), called "snappers", often frequenting estuaries and river mouths.

This species normally travels in large schools, which may contain up to several thousand individuals. One unusually large school sighted in Narragansett Bay in 1901 was estimated to be spread over a 4-5 mile distance.

Bluefish display an annual migration pattern that is keyed to the seasonal warming and cooling of coastal waters. They begin arriving along the southern New England coast during April and May. The earliest catches in southern Massachusetts waters occur in mid-May, but substantial numbers of fish typically do not arrive before Memorial Day. Two to 4 pound fish generally arrive first in Massachusetts waters, moving into harbors and estuaries in great numbers. Larger fish arrive somewhat later in the spring, initially inhabiting deeper waters but moving progressively shoreward into shallow areas as the summer progresses. Adult bluefish largely disappear from coastal waters of southern New England during October as water temperatures cool to 60 degrees F. Adults may occasionally stray far southward during the winter; one bluefish tagged off the coast of New York was recaptured in January three years later off the coast of Cuba. Although many adult fish migrate southward in the fall, their major migratory movement appears to be offshore toward the warmer, deep waters of the continental shelf.

Snappers eat a variety of small-bodied animals such as copepods, shrimp, small lobsters and crabs, larval fish and larval mollusks. Adult bluefish are opportunistic feeders, commonly focusing upon schooling species such as menhaden, squid, sand eels, herring, mackerel, and alewives, as well as scup, butterfish, and cunners.

Bluefish generally feed in schools, actively pursuing prey in tidal rips or inshore shallows where food is easier to catch. The feeding behavior of this species is legendary. Bluefish are reputed to dash wildly about within schools of prey species, biting crippling, and killing numerous small fish that do not get eaten. They frequently drive schools of prey species into the shallow inshore areas where it becomes easier to cripple or catch fish that are trying to escape. Occasionally, during particularly frenzied feeding activity, schooling fish such as menhaden will literally be driven to shore, leaving a number of fish beached along the wave line. Although this occurs relatively infrequently, an occasional beach littered with dead fish has given rise to the bluefish's exaggerated reputation as a vicious predator.

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Atlantic Bonito are identified by their color, the conspicuously wavy lateral line, 16 to 22 gill rakers on the first arch, and the three lateral keels on the caudal peduncle. The species has a steel-blue back and upper sides punctuated by 5 to 11 dark, slightly oblique stripes that run forward and downward. The lower sides are silver. The skipjack tuna, Euthynnus pelamis, is also striped, but the markings are along the lower sides and belly.

As soon as the young bonito are able to feed, they waste no time in searching for prey. The species has been described as an insatiable predator that feeds throughout the day, but probably most frequently at dawn and dusk. Larvae feed on other fish larvae, but prefer copepods; juveniles also consume larvae. Adults eat larger fish such as mackerels, anchovies, alewives, menhaden, and silversides as well as squids and shrimps.

Bonito are commonly caught by trolling anglers who are looking for a bigger catch. In that scenario (heavy tackle) they do not put up much of a fight. However they are a favorite target fish among light and medium-tackle anglers. Anyone targeting Atlantic bonito should try trolling feather lures pulled close to the boat. Bonito prefer a lively bait, so consider trolling a little faster for this species.

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The tunny's coloration is metallic overall, being steel-bluish above and silver below. Wavy stripes along the posterior portion of the back, several scattered dark spots below the pectoral fin, and small finlets behind the second dorsal and anal fins are identifying characteristics. Even with these features, the little tunny is one of the fish most frequently misidentified by marine recreational fishermen.

The little tunny, as well as bluefish and king and spanish mackerels, is a schooling species that migrates northward through coastal waters in the spring and southward in fall and winter. Large, elliptical schools cover up to 2 miles on the long axis. It is often found in in inshore waters as well.

Little tunny feed almost exclusively on small crustaceans, round herring, spanish sardine, round scad and squids.

The presence of flocks of diving birds over coastal waters often indicates schools of little tunny feeding nearby. Fishermen in charter boats and smaller outboards respond to seasonal visitations by trolling baits, casting lures and drift fishing with live bait such as bluefish, pinfish or spot. For trolling, fishermen usually select small lures with mullet or ballyhoo, or use colored feathers that are lures until fish are located. They will stop to cast in the school with light spinning tackle and 6- to 10-pound test monofilament line. In these situations, Hopkins lures or jigs are presented with a fast, jerky retrieval. Some anglers have taken to fly fishing for these fish as well.

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