How do I get through those pesky blues???

 I start getting frustrated when I get to a hot spot for rockfish and I can't even get my bait to the bottom without hooking a little blue.  Drop down, hook a blue before your bait hits the bottom, reel him up, unkoook him, repeat.  This gets old when you know there are big reds and lings on the bottom that don't even get a chance at your bait.  I know the blues make great ling bait, but I prefer to fish with a bait that I can catch large rockfish or lings on.  What do I use that the little blues won't bother?  Should I just upsize my bait?  Even the 7" swimbait I was using this weekend was getting pummeled by blues.

big 9/0 hook?

how heavy of a leadhead are you using on the 7" swimbaits?  Maybe try a heavier leadhead to get down faster. Are you using some type of teaser with the swimbait or iron?

drop a heavy Iron instead ....even a heavy swimbait will fall slower because of the plastic. Or, instead of dropping down, cast it out and let the lure swing down to the bottom without having the blues that are suspending below your yak get to it.

Well, even when I am fishing a 6 1/2 oz megabait with a 7/0 hook I hook them.  I caught one the other day that was about 4 or 5 inches long and had the whole 7/0 hook in his mouth.  I want to use something they the little blues won't even touch on the bottom.  When I am reeling up small blues all day I feel like I am waisting time that I can be working the bottom for those reds and lings.  I don't use any kind of teaser meat.  I was using a 4oz leadhead on the swimbaits.

When they are that thick that even a 7" swimbait is getting pummeled, it starts getting difficult.  I don't like the irons in this situation because I find the little guys will attack the trailing hook.  So big swimbaits or rubbers on a large leadhead are what I woudl do, because they'll short strike it and hopefully not get hooked up.  But it sounds like you were doing that.

Try putting a small hookless shrimp fly or hootchie about 3 feet above your main lure.  It's a diversion.  The little guys attack the teaser and hopefully ignore the bigger bait.  They'll go for the "easy meal" first.  And hopefully all that action will bring in momma ling to check out what going on.  And hopefully she'll take the larger lure.

-Allen

When they are that thick that even a 7" swimbait is getting pummeled, it starts getting difficult.  I don't like the irons in this situation because I find the little guys will attack the trailing hook.  So big swimbaits or rubbers on a large leadhead are what I woudl do, because they'll short strike it and hopefully not get hooked up.  But it sounds like you were doing that.

Try putting a small hookless shrimp fly or hootchie about 3 feet above your main lure.  It's a diversion.  The little guys attack the teaser and hopefully ignore the bigger bait.  They'll go for the "easy meal" first.  And hopefully all that action will bring in momma ling to check out what going on.  And hopefully she'll take the larger lure.

-Allen

I like that idea.

I would used the heavy iron-  free spool untilll it hits the bottom.  Diamond jigs will work, but I do not like tha action.  Try a Braid Slammer. They got 16oz, 10.5 oz,7 oz, 5oz.  may have to order online (tackle shops) to get the bigger sizes.  Used braid 30 test.

Ken kickfish

I too like Allen's diversion idea.

You can also look for lead-heads with really big hooks like this 6 oz. - it makes it a bit harder for them to bite onto anyway...

I just refuse to let the blues come up until they bring a friend along (i.e. hitchhiker).   

Heavier weights and larger single hooks are about all you can do, there's no cure all other than sending one down as bait.  If they're in the chomping mood they'll find a way to get that hook in their mouth, I've even had them take sand dabs with no hesitation.

I th ink I am just gunna order up soime 9" swimbaits and some 12 and 8 oz leadheads.  Too bad no one had these locally.  I have looked everywhere and all I could find is smaller swimbaits up to abot 5" and the swimbait style lead heads up to 4oz..

if you are ever in san jose, Ly's and Fishery has plenty of heavy leadheads. Ly's has a good selection of swimbaits. Even some crazy lookin Storm ones that are like 12".
I also like the idea of a hookless teaser. Cast into the drift is also a good idea...

the cabelas 8oz leadhead comes with a needlepoint gamakatsu.

it's big, like 10/0.  you can put a 7" big hammer on it, but one of those
kalin's big 'un grubs, the 10" ones looks great on it.

no blue is getting that hook in his mouth. if it does, he's a keeper!

J

My solution- and it usually works fine- is move 30 feet or more quickly away and drop down again.   Once the school is there are worked up- they will just keep hitting it.  Also the faster the drop, the fewer blues.  DOwn in SLO they are almost always in the top 1/3 of the H20 Column. 

Its also all the way you look at it- having to fight off smaller fish so that you can catch bigger ones is "good propblem to have" all in all, don't you think?