whistlefish Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 So I'm working an ocean beach today --one where I've seen spanish jump recently but not today. I'm throwing 1 oz. tins --20 lb braid to 20 lb 24 inch flouro leader fastened with a seven turn surgeon's knot. I land 2 small 3 lb blues no issues .Then I make a cast and as the lure settles I feel a couple of sharp twitches --I start to reel up feel the lure for a second then ...slack ---I reel up a cut end of braid ---that is the braid itself was cut . I'm thinking I was cut off by a mackerel . Is it a thing for them to slash the a line even a couple of feet from the lure ? "Better check them numbers, cap" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasA Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 Could’ve been, but if anything it was likely a blue as you were catching blues on the prior casts were you tying braid to a swivel to your leader? I’ve seen blues keyed in on small bait seemingly intentionally hit the swivel to my leader on a couple occasions sbcbmx112 and Heavy Hooksetter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeferRob Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 I've lost a few lures fishing for Blues. ALWAYS grab the lure and pull as well as inspect the line close to the lure. "The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: We are all in the same boat." Jacques Cousteau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HYB_Living Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 7 hours ago, EliasA said: Could’ve been, but if anything it was likely a blue as you were catching blues on the prior casts were you tying braid to a swivel to your leader? I’ve seen blues keyed in on small bait seemingly intentionally hit the swivel to my leader on a couple occasions Spanish Macks are also known for doing this as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wire For Fire Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 Prob just flossing the teeth of blues .. could be Mack’s too but if ya catching blues then …. It happens they will even hit your knot when they on small bait .. just part of the game .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf bomber Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 Blues will hit knots, snaps , swivels and almost anything else you throw in front them … Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carangua Posted September 20 Report Share Posted September 20 13 hours ago, whistlefish said: So I'm working an ocean beach today --one where I've seen spanish jump recently but not today. I'm throwing 1 oz. tins --20 lb braid to 20 lb 24 inch flouro leader fastened with a seven turn surgeon's knot. I land 2 small 3 lb blues no issues .Then I make a cast and as the lure settles I feel a couple of sharp twitches --I start to reel up feel the lure for a second then ...slack ---I reel up a cut end of braid ---that is the braid itself was cut . I'm thinking I was cut off by a mackerel . Is it a thing for them to slash the a line even a couple of feet from the lure ? Yes, could very well be cut by a mack if not a bluefish. Surgeon's knot is a very good knot and three wraps are good enough, no need to go to the extent of seven wraps. Seven wraps is bulkier and may look like an interesting fishing fly to bite on. Both Spanish Mack and blues have razor sharp teeth that can cut clean any line if not wire. And Macks are also known to target the rig ahead especially if using a shiny swivel. Go for a tight FG with as discreet as possible appearance in length and especially protruding loose tag ends. What happened to you means you were fishing in the right place with the right casting distance, being cut off is part of the game and that's why its always good to have enough spare rigs to cover the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whistlefish Posted September 21 Author Report Share Posted September 21 Thanks for the replies I lost a favorite jig ---but turns out it's still in production. "Better check them numbers, cap" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridenfish Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 I stopped using a swivel when I started targeting them. When they are on micro bait they will hit anything small thats moving fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brushfly Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 On 9/20/2023 at 7:55 AM, Surf bomber said: Blues will hit knots, snaps , swivels and almost anything else you throw in front them … It's funny you say that because the other day after taking some big blues on pencil poppers I switched over to my fly rod with a popper tied on. Casted into a shallow area I thought they'd be laying. Nothing on or near the popper but I could swear standing up higher on my bow, I could see the blues taking more interest in the fly line itself or the fly line to flouro connection. Saw four or five of them coming after the line as it was being stripped. Perhaps I spooked them and they were leaving this tight corner to a jetty but they weren't swimming away quickly. Just leisurely following the fly line. Odd, never seen it in my thirty years of fly fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstlite Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 cocktail blues love shinny swivels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBHarvey Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 as was mentioned, that's a pretty bulky knot, and when it's moving through the water it's going to create a bubble trail that bluefish or other mackerel will key-in on. I would switch to a more streamlined knot like an alberto knot or fg knot, and increase the length of that leader so the knot is farther away from the fish you're reeling in - it will draw less attention that way. I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 I can't count the number of times I've had a blue on a ava jig & another one hit the "top" of the jig & cut me off. The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridenfish Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 10 mins ago, Joe said: I can't count the number of times I've had a blue on a ava jig & another one hit the "top" of the jig & cut me off. Happened to me twice yesterday. In two casts lol. 20 bucks in epoxy jigs in about 2 minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albacized Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 I lost a rapala x rap the other day. I saw the strike and it took about one second for the bite off to occur. While it happened in a flash, I think it was a Spanish Mac (they really like xrap plugs). The odd thing is he took it and immediately turned down. When I retrieved the line, there was a second serious nick about 3-4” above the cut off end of the leader. It made me wonder whether a second fish that I didn’t see came around and hit the plug while in the first fish’s mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to register here in order to participate.
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now