17 Oct October update
Well, fishing has been good, really good actually… It’s been awhile since the last good write up and we have done a lot since then. Mite as well start off where we left it, needing a good offshore fix.
So, after a couple bust trips we finally made it happen in the deep. September 17th we ran off. Weather models had had been coming together for 3 days showing a totally flat forecast for that Thursday, love fishing weekdays. Was planning on a trolling trip for dolphin and white marlin, there had been a few around. Wednesday evening got the intel we needed, tuna chunk bite on fire in the canyon. Full switch for Thursday now, loaded up the butter fish, sardines and peanut bunker, tied 30lb flouro on the spinning rods with circle hooks, we were going chunking. Broke the inlet at daybreak, flat seas, 58 miles to go. Had a bag of chunked up False Albacore, basically Mahi crack, so decided to stop by a few pots on the west wall to start. First pot was loaded. Mahi cannot resist a chunk of red fish meat, albacore, jack etc it all works. Backed up to the ball, tossed a few pieces over and they were crawling over each other to eat. Small class of fish with a few gaffers deeper than the peanuts. Started catching, guys on board started figuring it out and fish were coming over the rail steady. Check out the video and the loads of filefish hanging out, this was the start of our day.
While fishing our fourth lobster pot ball about 11am with the vhf on scan, one of the guys on the commercial channel broke the silence “had to drop to 30, got 2 on and they are under the boat eating.” Whelp, lets do this. Working the balls we had made it almost to the notch of the east wall. It has earned its name “The bigeye hole” over the past two years. Today it was the Yellowfin hole. Small fleet of about 6 boats drift chunking, we eased on in and started doing our thing. Same spinning rods we were using dolphin bailing, let’s go for it. Had an array of 50’s in the rocket launcher, we left em’ there. It sucks using the big stuff chunking, you have to fight the damn rod as much as the fish, especially on the light leaders we had on.
Boats chunking in the Canyon
Cut more butterfish, more chunks out. Then it happens, the open bail on a spinner starts dumpin’ line. Flip the bail, pop, shit, busted the first one off before we even had a chance. More chunks. Reset the rods, 3 mins later here we go again. This time we come tight and the braid is ripping off making the most wonderful sound in the world. First man on the rod had never caught a tuna, but thank god our guys know how to use a spinning rod. The years I spent charter fishing it always amazed me that half the guys that chartered had no damn idea how to use a rod. I could see if you are not too familiar with an 80, but damn, we would take them dolphin bailing and they would be the upside down spinner type, this isn’t a Zebco 202, wtf, still amazes me… NO! damnit do not stop cranking!! Said that line too many times over the years.
Yellowfin
Anyhow back to our crew, they were on it. First fish showed color at 15 mins, now were talking; heat is on, he’s pumpin’ the rod, fish doing death circles, yea, life is good. Sunk the gaff at 22mins into it. Our man has his first tuna, on a lightweight setup, he’s wore out but pumped. MORE CHUNKS, more chunks… It happens again, line peels off, the reel, a Quantum Cabo 80, makes it amazing noise of death, another fish tight. Second guys is up, another tuna virgin, but he gets it done too. The little Mahi bailing practice in the morning was helping; they are masters of the spinners now. Three minutes into this one our second spinner takes off, got a double on now, if life was good, now it’s better. Couple death circles and a headshot with the gaff, another fat Yellowfin slides over, then another. More chunks, keep throwing chunks…
Pair of Yellowfin
Sun peeks out of the cloudy day, bites quit, drop to 20lb test, pop, pop, 2 fish gone. Damn 20lb sucks on 60lb fish, this is not gonna work. Sun slides on back behind a cloud, back to 30, zing, back on. Running low on chunks now, and space to keep fish. We have 2 shoved in the stern box somehow, 2 in the bullshit Grady fishbox with tails hanging out and one in the baby Icey-tek cooler I decided to put on in the morning, not sure why, thing could barely hold a 30 pack, much less 2 full size Tuna. Well, I guess we did have 20 some Mahi stacked in there as well. Shew the boat was a mess, perfect… Ran home in flat seas and in before dark, not too many days go just right… 44 full gallon bags of tuna were cutup before dark, lot of people ate good that weekend.
Yellowfin
Here is the tuna video, check it out.
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