Temporary regulations imposing new bag limits on recreational bluefishing were announced this week.

Last weekend, dozens of surfcasters at Wasque Point could hardly believe their luck. The water churned with bluefish as fishermen reeled in catch after catch. “Some of the best fishing days I’ve ever had,” said Wayne Smith, an avid surfcaster.

The commercial season for bluefish ended on Wednesday. The closure came when fisheries experts determined that the 2012 annual commercial Massachusetts quota of 692,986 pounds was taken.

The best fishing trip I ever had took place about 10 years ago (my, I am getting old) in a canoe launched off of Lucy Vincent Beach.

Pound for pound, there is not a more ferocious, hard-pulling fish than the bluefish — which makes it a perfect target for young anglers learning how to catch a fish. To the inexperienced youth holding a rod and reel, hooking a small, four-pound snapper bluefish can feel like hooking a whale. They tug and tug and tug (keep your fingers away from its sharp teeth).

The first bluefish of the season was caught by an Oak Bluffs angler at Wasque on Tuesday.

George Moran, 66, was fishing for striped bass with another Oak Bluffs angler, Vincent Frye, in the afternoon, overcast with a hollering wind.

Mr. Moran said they were hoping to get striped bass — and he did get one.

But shortly after 2 p.m., Mr. Moran said: “I made a cast, and suddenly I got a hit. It didn’t feel like a bass.”

Bluefish are not commonly caught in these waters until about Memorial Day.

Today is bluefish Saturday. Participating fishermen have an opportunity to win $500 if they catch the biggest fish today in a boat, and there is another $500 for the angler who catches
the biggest bluefish from the shore.

The Island fishing season arrives in June. There are enthusiasts who will go out in April or May and catch some nice fish, but they are only preparing for what happens in June.

The bluefish are in. For at least one fisherman, the arrival was
like an old-fashioned Wasque bluefish blitz.

On Monday, Ed Amaral drove to Chappaquiddick to get his line wet and
perhaps catch the first bluefish of the season. While he didn't
get the first one, he certainly got more than he expected.

In these waters there is not a more celebrated fish than the coastal
striped bass. Beginning Sunday, anglers in the Martha's Vineyard
Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby will begin their pursuit of bass,
bluefish, Atlantic bonito and false albacore. They will fish along the
Island's shoreline and in a variety of boats offshore.