Fished three very different spots yesterday morning searching for stripers with live bunker and chunks. Bluefish in all of them. The large size, where when you try to swing them in or just hold their heads out of the water during unhooking, your 80# mono leader parts, even if you can see the circle hook in the corner of their mouth. I guess they keep chomping during the fight and sometimes the line strays into those teeth during head shakes and direction changes?
I eventually went to wire, and even pulled two bass through the blues. They might not be as strong, but the bass fight is so much more pleasant and consistent. Plus, they are much more cooperative when you are trying to unhook them.
I know they can be a pain (and expensive) when you are targeting something else, but I hope they stick around all summer.
