Bluefish (Potatomus salatrix) is a tenacious saltwater fish that provides some of the best angling thrills on light tackle. They are mainly thought of as an Eastern United States fish, although they are found in most temperate waters throughout the world, except in the cooler waters of the northern Pacific.

Bluefish are schooling fish built for speed and power. They are a blue green shade along the top of the body near the dorsal fins, and have silvery sides and a whitish / silver underbelly. They have relatively large heads that feature powerful jaws and rows of very sharp teeth. Their tapered bodies end in deeply forked tails that allow them to be powerful swimmers and fighters.

The average fish weighs between 4 and 10 pounds, with any fish over 20 pounds being considered a real quality fish. The recognized IGFA record is 31 pounds, 12 ounce fish caught off the coast of North Carolina in 1972. Unconfirmed monster fish have reportedly been caught in the 40-pound range.

This past winter I attended a number of Sportsman Shows throughout the northeast where I performed numerous waterdog retrieving demonstrations, showing the versatility of the English springer spaniel and Labrador Retriever. What amazed me while speaking to the average outdoorsmen was not the fact that they were unaware of a spaniel or the Labrador Retrievers’ versatility, but rather that they were unaware that there was a difference between show and field gundogs.

During the show I was absolutely amazed at the number of avid outdoorsmen who had little, if any, understanding of the qualities that go into breeding world-class gundogs. Throughout the course of these sportsmen shows and meeting tens of thousands of avid outdoorsmen, I would venture to guess that better than 70% of the folks I met were unaware that such a difference existed. Ask those same individuals what gauge or shot size they would use to hunt a species of upland game or waterfowl and they could easily rattle off the pros and cons of each.

So, why do these individuals have such a keen understanding on selecting the appropriate guns and loads but do not demonstrate an understanding in selecting a suitable hunting companion? The answer is a lack of education on the difference between show and field bred gundogs. Manufacturers spend countless dollars each year educating outdoorsmen on why one particular model or brand of shotgun is better than another when hunting their favorite quarry. However, when speaking to breeders about selecting a suitable hunting companion, many will claim their dogs are “bred to hunt”. That simply may not be true! And I am reminded of phrase that echoes in my head from business school, “caveat emptor”, literally translated “Beware Buyer”.

For better than a half-century, the sporting dog breeds have gone in two separate directions when it comes to qualities sought after by professional breeders. With most sporting breeds, the “dual champion”, a dog that has attained the champion title in both the show and the field, is harder and harder to come by. In fact, the last Labrador Retriever to achieve a dual champion title was in 1984, Ch-FC/AFC Highwood Shadow, sired by FC/AFC Highwood Piper. According to 2001 AKC reports only 26 show champion Labrador Retrievers have achieved the Master Hunter title. The first lab to do so was Ch. Topform Edward, MH, owned by Larry Reider of Independence, Missouri and trained by Bobby George of Blackwater Retrievers in Warrensburg, Missouri.