Spring choppers are ripping up the Eastern Seaboard shores as we speak, with action on bluefish coming from North Carolina up to New Jersey.

The bluefish bomb usually hits Jersey in May and its prime time to target the gators in the surf using bunker chunks as hungry blue dogs are keyed in on the bunker schools. Obtain the freshest bunker possible at your local tackle shop or by cast netting your own, but if you can only get frozen bait, grab a quart of bunker oil and marinate the chunks in the slurry before you cast the chunk bait out so it acts as a virtual chum slick dispersing scent in the water to attract the voracious choppers from all around the area.

As the spring gators have been fat and aggressive in the past few years, you need beefy rods and reels to tackle 12 to 20-pound blues from the sands. I employ a 12 foot Shimano Tiralejo matched with a Shimano 14000 Ultegra reel as the combo is feather light and can handle the bruising blues put on tackle. Spool up with 50-pound Spiderwire, then a basic chunking rig consisting of a #4 Three-Way Swivel with sinker clip with a 3 to 5-ounce Pyramid sinker, then a 24-inch section of 50 to 60-pound Triplefish mono leader, (no need to waste fluorocarbon here) and a size 10/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook snelled on the tag end.

Simply cut a chunk of bunker off the whole fish, slicing a 1-1/2 to 2-inch wide piece and hooking it through the fat of the back, making sure the bend gets around the bunker back and the point is clear out the other side for a surefire hookset.

When setting chunks out, always have your drag set a pull above medium drag. If the drag is too tight that blue will absolutely claim the rod for its own into the ocean. As well, invest in the heavy duty Sea Striker metal foot push sand spikes as they root deep into the sand and hold tight whereas regular PVC sand spikes always seems to pull out with the wrecking ball force hit of a big blue. Blues will hit during all times of day and night and through all tides, but as always general rule is to fish around the high tide mark. Good luck and watch those rods!