Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Inshore anglers on Alabama's Gulf Coast have a multitude of species to choose from once spring water temperatures have risen into the mid-60s, flounder, speckled trout and redfish being the most-targeted.

But for a change of pace, bluefish and tripletails are on the fishing menu as well. And if you opt to go after these two species, you're likely to face less competition.

BLUEFISH
While the solitude of wade-fishing can be most relaxing, the quiet along our coast at this time of year is often interrupted by the savage strikes of marauding bluefish charging the beaches in search of food. They may not be glamorous -- but they'll put up a fight!

Bluefish roaming the beaches will hit a variety of artificial lures. Since the blues are primarily after small finfish, any lure in a minnow pattern gets their attention. Silver is the best color to start out with, as that color mimics the scales on the sides of most finfish.

Not all bluefish are running close to the beach. With this in mind, you should have some heavier, more aerodynamic lures in your tackle box, too. Metal spoons can be cast a good way out from the beach, and will cut through a stiff sea breeze, and so fit the bill admirably in this situation.

Spoon weights of 3/4 to 1 ounce are helpful for gaining distance on the cast. All of these lures can be tweaked a little with the addition of a small plastic trailer. Often the addition of a color like, chartreuse, pink or yellow can stimulate more bites from blues.

Besides being a ravenous feeder, the bluefish possesses an awesome set of choppers. Its tiny, razor-sharp teeth will shred plastic baits, so have plenty of trailers on hand. Those teeth also can cut through most small-diameter monofilament lines.

To keep from losing all your baits to the bluefish's bite, you'll have to employ one of two tactics. The first involves using steel leaders of at least 20-pound-test at least 6 inches in length. This approach will provide protection for your lure supply.

Another option to help in your battle with the toothy blues is the use of braided line, which is very abrasion-resistant. Despite that, however, you'll have to cut and retie your line after three or four bluefish.

Structure-Oriented Blues
Shallow areas and beaches aren't the only places in which to zero in on the tenacious bluefish; they'll be found wherever a sufficient supply of baitfish is present. For instance, any barnacle-covered structure in Mobile Bay may be a haven for the small baitfish that draw in bluefish.

One of the blues' favorite feeding tactics is to stage just off the side of any structure when the current's flowing to exploit small baitfish that are swept into the structure and bang into it; disoriented by the collision, they become easy snacks for blues. To take advantage of blues feeding in this way, anchor your boat close enough to cast the bait and have it sweep by the edge of the structure. The bluefish will be waiting behind the structure, ready to pounce on anything passing.

A lot of these structure-fishing situations involve fish waiting in the shadows. Using a very brightly colored lure gets the attention of these ambushing bluefish.