Bluefish Tourney Advice From Last Year’s Winner

Last year, Eric Huner won WICC’s Greatest Bluefishing Tournament on Earth, a contest where anglers head into the Long Island Sound all weekend to try to haul in the biggest bluefish and win a $25,000 grand prize.

While , he’s sure everyone is gunning for him and the big blue.

“I’m confident in my abilities but I’m not unrealistic,” he said. “No one in the history of this contest, no one, has won twice. The odds are against me.”

In order to up the odds, Huner says he’s been conditioning physically. He plans to stay up for most of the weekend fishing and he’s got his spots marked.

Fish do not live and feed everywhere in the Sound, only a small percentage of it. An angler has to go to the places that offer fish protection and food. Huner says that no matter how good a fisherman you are, you have to find new spots to fish. You have to be scientific about it. You have to read about fishing and do the work.

“The best way to find fish is to learn how to troll,” he said. “Try to troll in an area where there’s structure. A point, a hard bottom.”

He says that the fish aren’t always in the “classic points that are obvious.”

“Invest some time,” he said. “You start to find areas where they’re biting.”

Then he says to search the water for “miles and miles and miles.”

Also, fishing the tide is “extremely important.”

"Fish the moving tide three hours before the incoming and outgoing tide," he suggested.

Huner also likes to go out at first light and at sundown. Last year he said he fished early morning on Saturday when it was still dark out. The best hours to fish are an hour or an hour and a half before first light.

Another piece of advice is to chum because it “brings the fish to you.”

“Blues will find chum,” he said. “Then use bunker chunks on the bottom.”

This year, Huner says he plans to go out by himself so nobody gets in the way of his fishing.

“I’m a crazy fisherman on my boat,” he said. “I’m like a perfectionist with this. If it doesn’t work I want to be responsible for it.”

Even with all the planning and plotting spots to fish, Huner says that you still never know where the fish are. You need to help your odds by preparing beforehand.

“Change baits frequently,” he said. “Make sure your rigs are done before you go out.”

He also said that he trusts the owners of and suggests any angler looking for advice to go to them.

“Those are the people to go to,” he said.

If it sounds like a lot of work to catch a fish, it is but with over $40,000 in prizes in total to be won, it may be worth it.

“You have to care more about catching fish to catch fish,” Huner said.