Damn Good Bluefish Fishing Charters

Check real-time availability and compare rates on bluefish fishing trips. Confidently book your next day on the water.

Choose a Date
4.84/5 Average Rating

Damn Good Guides

Experts Available 24/7

100% Weather Guarantee

“Our Damn Good Guides go above and beyond, and we’ve handpicked every single one. We’re passionate about the outdoors and look forward to getting you out on the trip of a lifetime, every time.”

Jonathan and Attison   |   Co-founders   |   Austin, Texas

Bluefish Fishing Charters

Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Nearshore, Jetty Fishing Charter in Flagler Beach

Surf Fishing Guide

100% (1)
1 - 12 People From $175
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing Charter in Atlantic Beach

Offshore Trip

NEW
31 ft 1 - 6 People From $800
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Inshore, Nearshore Fishing Charter in Stone Harbor

Stone Harbor Inshore/Nearshore

100% (3)
22 ft 1 - 6 People From $700
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Inshore, Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing Charter in Hampton Bays

12 Hour Offshore Trip

NEW
27 ft 1 - 4 People From $2,200
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Inshore, Nearshore Fishing Charter in Hampton Bays

Hampton Bays Hour Inshore Trip

NEW
27 ft 1 - 8 People From $550
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Deep Sea, Nearshore Fishing Charter in Wrightsville Beach

Fishing Special - 26’ C-Hawk

100% (2)
26 ft 1 - 4 People From $450
See All Bluefish Trips

Everything to Know About Booking a bluefish fishing charter

What are the best bluefish fishing charters?

Why should I book a bluefish fishing charter with Captain Experiences?

Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 131 bluefish trips, and the most popular trips are Old-School Classic Trip guided by Greg, Bay Fishing Trips guided by David, and Peacock Bass: Fly or Spin guided by Justin.

Our guides are rated a 4.84 out of 5 based on 3716 verified reviews on Captain Experiences.

All guides on Captain Experiences are vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.

Looking for kid friendly bluefish guides / fishing lessons? Check out our beginner and family friendly bluefish guides.

What types of bluefish fishing charters are common?

Deep Sea fishing is the most popular type of fishing for bluefish as well as inshore fishing, nearshore fishing, and flats fishing.

The most common fishing techniques are light tackle fishing, live bait fishing, and trolling but bottom fishing and artificial lure fishing are popular as well.

How much do bluefish fishing charters cost?

Prices for bluefish can range anywhere from about $495 to $1,900, but the average price for a half day trip for bluefish is $857. The average price for a full day trip for bluefish is $1,446.

Is booking a fishing guide worth the money?

Hiring a guide provides a number of benefits and many choose to book a fishing guide for a combination of experience, local knowledge, convenience, and cost-effectiveness.

Working with experienced fishing guides who know the best local spots and techniques can dramatically increase your odds of a great day. Having someone who is on the water every day and knows the area like the back of their hand is going to give you the best chances of success.

Booking a guide is also more cost effective, especially if you only get out a handful of times per year. When you consider all of the costs you would incur on your own such as the price of a boat, maintenance, insurance, gas, high-quality gear and tackle, repairs, and more, you’ll find that DIY is sometimes not worth the expense.

Even if you’ve got a great setup already in your home waters, booking a guide also provides a great opportunity to experience new techniques, new locations, or even a chance at a new target species to knock off the bucket list.

What month is best for bluefish fishing?

The most popular season for bluefish fishing is summer, and most anglers book their trips 10 days in advance.

Do I need a fishing license for bluefish and what are the bag limits for bluefish?

See here for more information on bluefish fishing licenses, bluefish bag limits, and fishing season regulations for bluefish. When in doubt, your fishing guide will always know the right bluefish rules and regulations.

What is a Bluefish?

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are fierce killing machines that are often called marine piranhas. These aggressive brutes will swim in large schools attacking almost anything smaller than them in feeding frenzies called the “bluefish blitz.”

As the name suggests, they have a blue-green and grayish coloring that fades to white on their bellies. With a row of knife-like teeth and a broad forked tail, they are dangerous looking creatures that should be treated with caution to avoid injury.

How big do Bluefish get?

Bluefish reach reproductive age in two years, at which point they’ll range from 15 to 20 inches, which is the size that is most often caught. They can grow up to 31 pounds and 39 inches during their 12-year life span. There are rumors of the “Gator Blues” which are supposedly offshore sea monsters, reaching over 50 inches long, and up to 30 pounds.

What's the biggest Bluefish ever caught?

The stories of bluefish over 50 pounds caught on the West Coast of Africa can be found throughout history and even as recent as the 2000s. However, despite the consistent rumors, they never quite made it to the record books. The current world record is held by James M Hussey, who caught a 31 pound, 12 ounce bluefish off the beach at Hatteras, North Carolina on January 30th, 1972.

Where is the best place to catch Bluefish?

Bluefish can be found worldwide in tropical and subtropical pelagic waters. They tend to be found in schools above the continental shelf, near surf beaches, or rock headlands in eastern North America, Africa, the Mediterranean and Black Seas, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

When should I catch Bluefish?

They are migratory fish, so the best time to catch them also depends on location. On the East Coast of the United States, bluefish spend their winters in Florida but leave in April. They then head north and can be found near Massachusetts by June and will head south again in October. Similarly, in Europe, they spawn in the Black Sea in the spring and summer, then migrate south towards the Mediterranean coast of Turkey for the fall and winter months.

One of the only places they stay stagnant is the Gulf of Mexico, where they can be found throughout the year but tend to be smaller. In South Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia, bluefish are known to have a much shorter migration making them more accessible almost year round.

How do you catch Bluefish?

Bluefish will take a bite out of just about anything they can fit their teeth around. Natural bait tends to work best in calm waters. Larger pieces of bait, or even a whole small fish like mullet, mackerel, or anchovies will work. For rough seas, lures like spoons, plugs, jigs, poppers, flies, or feathers are a sure bet.

They can be caught by casting from the beach or pier, but if you’re on a boat chumming the water and then trolling or jigging is better. Be sure to use a tough wire leader to prevent them from cutting the line with their sharp teeth, and again, handle with care once landed.

Are Bluefish good to eat? What are the best Bluefish recipes?

Bluefish are good table fare especially the smaller ones or “snapper blues.” This is true only when fresh because they have high fat content that causes them to mush when frozen. The most common preparations are typically poached, baked, or fried.

One of the fan favorite recipes for fried snapper blues is with a beer batter. Once you’ve filleted your bluefish into serving sized pieces, you can cover them in a batter mixture of flour, eggs, beer, baking powder, salt, and lemon powder. After deep frying, leftover batter and oil can be used for oysters to serve with.

Recent Reviews

  • ★★★★★
    My son and I had a great time fishing with Captain Tim. He's a great guy to fish with and was a lot of fun to fish with. While we caught many fish, it would have been better if the bigger ones cooperated.

    Robert W. | November 17, 2024

    Trip: Inshore Trip - 23 parker custom

  • ★★★★★
    He was great. Food was great. Fishing was fun. I would go again for sure

    Marc A. | November 1, 2024

    Trip: Peacock Bass: Fly or Spin

  • ★★★★★
    We had a great time. The fish were not biting but our captain Muscles tried his hardest to put us on fish. The time of year was just not the best for fishing. We did catch a few nice size Rock fish. You can't beat a day on the water fishing with friends. The crew had good conversation and tried multiple spots to get the fish on hooks. We appreciated the effort and the atmosphere. Thank you Muscles, Scott and Wayne was with us in spirit.

    Solomon R. | October 21, 2024

    Trip: Chesapeake Bay Half-Day Rockfish Trip

  • ★★★★★
    Very Knowledgable, Very personable, absolutely recommend Captain David. We have had several bay fishing trips and deep sea trips, David was hands down one of the very best. We will absolutely use him again!

    Chris G. | October 13, 2024

    Trip: Bay Fishing Trips

  • ★★★★★
    Wonderful guide and day of fishing. David knew every place to catch a fish on the bay and we did some damage. :-)

    Rob L. | September 21, 2024

    Trip: Bay Fishing Trips

  • ★★★★★
    Patrick was awesome! We ran into some weather issues but he worked with us, and still squeezed us in while we were in town. We had an absolute blast and were on some trout! We will be coming back for sure!

    Anthony A. | September 17, 2024

    Trip: Epic Inshore Adventure

  • ★★★★★
    Captain Bob and his mate Rocko showed us the best day of fishing we could have asked for. They showed my son , niece and nephew how to bring in the stripers and that we did. Nice conversations, personable guys, highly recommend this trip. Jeff Brooke

    Jeffrey T. | September 16, 2024

    Trip: Cape Cod Striper Sniper Trip

  • ★★★★★
    Will and his deck hand were great. We did not catch anything but Will did all he could do.

    Douglas J. | September 14, 2024

    Trip: Half Day Trolling - 30' Albemarle

  • ★★★★★
    Had a blast with Steven would definitely go again!

    Trevor P. | September 9, 2024

    Trip: Inshore Saltwater Adventure

  • ★★★★★
    Captain Patrick was hands down on top of his game!! Put us where the fish were and caught some good sized fish. Will definitely be back the next time we come to Gulf Shores.

    John P. | September 8, 2024

    Trip: Epic Inshore Adventure

  • ★★★★★
    Chuck is an awesome guide, captain and fisherman! He is personable, friendly and patient. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon. We hope to be back next year!

    Rowena A. | September 1, 2024

    Trip: Nearshore Sportfish Roundup

  • ★★★★★
    Very professional Captain. Very helpful and knowledgeable at his profession.

    Michael A. | August 28, 2024

    Trip: Inshore Rod Bending Action

  • ★★★★★
    Five stars only, because there is no option for six. We had a great time fishing with Mark and his son Ryan. Caught bunch of bonitos and couple of striped bass. Weather was perfect and company even better . Thank you captain Mark!

    Sinisa B. | August 25, 2024

    Trip: Cape Cod Bay Bass and Bluefish

  • ★★★★★
    100% recommend this charter! Captain is very knowledgable and has just as much fun as you do. You get to take home your fillets and enjoy your hard earned catch. We will be returning in the future.

    Krystal P. | August 21, 2024

    Trip: Orange Beach Half-Day Hookup

  • ★★★★★
    Thank you Capt Neal for getting us in on short notice. Had a great time!

    Mark C. | August 7, 2024

    Trip: 2-Hour Oak Hill Quick Trip

  • ★★★★★
    We had a great time with Captain Tim. He is a seasoned guide that knows the area waters and knows where the fish are. He took the time to make sure my kids were casting properly and made sure they were never out of bait. We all enjoyed the trip and caught a lot of fish.

    Andrew H. | August 7, 2024

    Trip: Inshore Trip - 23 parker custom

  • ★★★★★
    Steven did a good job. Caught lots of fish including some large ones

    Jon A. | August 6, 2024

    Trip: Inshore Saltwater Adventure

  • ★★★★★
    Captain Mark and his 1st mate provided an awesome day of fishing for my family and me! Very rewarding experience and put us onto many striped bass! Great job and looking forward to doing this again through Mark!

    John H. | August 6, 2024

    Trip: Cape Cod Bay Bass and Bluefish

  • ★★★★★
    If you’re looking to have the BEST time fishing in Destin. Captain Dave is the ONLY choice. Best fishing experience I’ve ever had. It was tough fishing and very windy and he still managed to get us on fish and I caught my personal best redfish. Dave is a character and that made the trip so much better. Loved every second of it. Wish I had booked a longer trip! I’ll be back next year and I’m only booking with Dave again. Planning to go out multiple days next year with him. Couldn’t recommend his charter enough.

    Will B. | August 4, 2024

    Trip: Bay Fishing Trips

  • ★★★★★
    10/10 if we could put him up there , went out for a bachelor party and had a great time with Carlo. We had to cut the day short for some people and take them back to the dock but Carlo offer to take the rest of us back out for a couple more hours after. Definitely be using him every time we go out, not to mention we caught some of the biggest drum and sheep head inshore we’ve seen.

    Justin A. | August 4, 2024

    Trip: Besting Charleston's Beasts

What's biting?

View Bluefish Fishing Reports from our damn good guides.

Didn't Find What You Were Looking For?

Our guides are Damn Good Guides, which means they’re vetted by our team of outdoor experts who know them on a first-name basis. We hand pick each and every one of them, and our network spans all across the US and beyond.

The proof is in the pudding, and we’re incredibly proud of our 4.9 / 5 average review score. Hit the button below to see more trip options:

See All Bluefish Trips