striper1

I have been making bluefish chum for a few years there are a minimium of 12 bluefish in each 3 gal bucket. I have been unable to find it anywhere for purchase. Not to down play Lund but this "mix" is found by several to be much more than bunker or mack chum.
I was thinking of selling it for 30-35$ a bucket and wonder if there is a demand of it. This chum has notning but fillet and guts (some bunker oil & some activate) in it and is frozen into a block from hamburg consistancy.
Is there a law against it an d that is why I do not find it for sale?

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Feed'em Steel!
26' Striper Alaskan

Possum

Bluefish chum is quite effective and preferred by some. You may get stretched to get $30-35/3 Gal bucket, but for something fresh, you should give it a shot, at maybe $25-30/bucket. Just my thoughts, as I know we usually get 3 buckets per trip out.

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striper1

I agree with the effectivness and will not buy again. It is just junk and full of bones and stuff. Actually plugs up the m ilk crate. I could probeably be OK with $30 but can't do much less than that. I do not have a commerical process so it basically is what it is.

Wondering if anyone would be interested. I feel it is heads above the rest but can't speak for the tuna chum (too expensive to use).

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Feed'em Steel!
26' Striper Alaskan

Scup

Striper1,

Bluefish does make excellent chum and I have even used Bluefish for chunking for bass with excellent results. However, there are several things about your chum that needs clarification: Snappers right now are bluefish and 12 of them might go two pounds. When you say fillets and guts, well other than its head and rack, what else is left on a blue? Even though many consider a bluefish a nuisance fish when they chunk for bass or when a blue chops their $2.00 live eel to all hell, the bluefish still one of the noblest gamefish we have in our area. He fights his heart out, and pound for pound puts up more of a fight than any of the regularly caught gamefish in our area. Grinding up bluefish for chum is something that just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I know Menhaden has been the traditional chum; too bad our regulators have allow our stocks of these needed fish to be decimated at a wholesale level.

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"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go" by William Feather

striper1

I have only been using larger 8-12# blues for chum. I say I only use the fillets & guts because everything goes into other mixes, racks included.
I agree with you on all levels with the bluefish and their "fishability" and I am one that obeys all laws on the water and off. These fish are not thrown away and wasted they are used for other gains. Like chunking with bluefish only in a different way.
Mythoughts were just off its effectivness and if guys are buying mack or bunker chum for $24-28, then a couple extra is well worth spending on bluefish chum. As I stated prior after being forced to buy chum (not that I'm not paying for this stuff in a different way) because I didn't have any. I will not go out without it. Gas it too expensive to not be completely prepared for an off-shore/sharking trip.

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Feed'em Steel!
26' Striper Alaskan

Scup

There is no law I know of that prohibits one from doing whatever one wants with the fish he has legally acquired unless it comes to the selling it or making of a profit on it. You could grind them up, eat them, give them away, make fertilizer out of them, or mount them. When you make a profit, then most States want a cut of the action. Connecticut has licenses for just about everything. It would seem that with the exception of Striped Bass, one is always required to purchased a license for doing whatever you want to do. Are you breaking any laws? Who really knows, we have so many laws and regulations right now there is not too much of anything one can do without breaking something. They are fooling around with a law right now that would make it illegal to toss anything over the side, hence there are going to be a lot of lawbreakers around who like to chum. What ever happened to the proposed law that would prohibit lobster men from using racks of striped bass in their lobster pots. Things have really gotten out of hand which is why we have more people in jail per capita than any other country in the world. It would seem to me that it would be very picayune for anyone to bother you for what you intend to do, but unless you have a bait dealers license, I would not broadcast my intentions over the Web.

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"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go" by William Feather

fishcounterbob

I do not believe the ri dem or ct dep would have any response to rendered slurry. Ten fish per day by regulation can be stockpiled at home on a daily basis.
At my work one of the rec fishing interviews has a question of" what do you plan to do with the majority of the species?" and would be answered as disposition code of "used for bait/plan to use for bait.

CaptKev

Out of curiosity, what do you use to grind your chum? Do you grind frozen bluefish? I have tried to use a meat grinder with poor results, it does a good job with small pieces of skinned meat, however that is pretty work intensive for chum. In my opinion, bluefish chum is vastly superior to bunker, and I agree with the point that if you are going offshore, stack the odds in your favor as much as you can.

Get Reel

Bluefish chum is top shelf. Fairhaven Bait and Tackle (use to be Dockside) makes and sells 100% bluefish chum. I believe it is $40 per 4 gallon bucket. I would be interested in your bluefish chum, however, CT would be a show stopper for me coming from RI.

striper1

I have been using an oldtime electric grindie that a friend has. This works great but eel skin and tuna fillets (tendons plug the die) bind it up pretty quick. Frozen is no problem but is easier to cut thawed.


In regards to making money, i don't think so. Catching them is always fun and don't mind making the stuff up but I will need to buy buckets & lids shortly and everything else adds up. I think $30/ bucket is fair.

Anyone interested PM me please and we can make arrangements from there.

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Feed'em Steel!
26' Striper Alaskan