Blue Runner
June 21, 2007 by Captain Jeff
Filed under Bait, Salt Water Fishing
Blue runner, hard tail jack, yellow jack, yellow mackerel and runner are all Caranx crysos. Whatever name you attach, they’re great bait for larger fish. They are very hardy in the bait-well and can swim surprisingly fast for long distances on the hook.
They commonly grow to 12-14 inches but are said to reach 20 inches. The only way to catch them is with hook and line. The most common rig used to catch them is the multiple gold hook set-up offered by several manufacturers that are attached to your line with a weight at the bottom. Slowly jig these around a wreck, on the edge of hard bottom, or around marker buoys. They commonly will hit just about anything.
Blue runners are also frequently found over sand bottom and in the surf line along the Gulf beaches. For the best results, use the rigs in a #8 to a #6 size(these are the larger hooks, and sometimes hard to find). The smaller #10s and #12s will work, but I find them easier to land using the larger sizes.
For trolling, hook the blue runner through the cartilage in the nose. If you’re using a larger ‘runner, add a “stinger” rig back towards the tail just pinned under the skin. These are very fast swimming fish, so be sure and watch your lines carefully. If you are trolling too slowly, you may find them crossing each other. If you are drifting or fishing from an anchored position, you will have to be working on them constantly to keep them from tangling each other. However you fish the blue runner, hang on tight, because they are great “big fish” bait.