Tuna Trip !!!

[Pilar]

What a flat ocean Sunday! Thanks Jon Arndorfer and 'Puffin'. It was looking like permanent dry dock for me but what are friends for?

Friends take you fishing when you need it the most.

Tuna report Sunday Aug 26, 2001. New boat record and personal best, 39 fish for 250# of filets. We ran out of ice and beer and quit in the late afternoon. New chinese fire drill record, 5 on at once and all 5 landed. We also caught a blue shark on a trolled tuna jig when we slowed down to deal with a reel smoker tuna. The hot colors were chartruese and green and of course red and white.

We departed Depoe Bay at first light and went due West on a flat Ocean. The water was up to 61 degrees only 12 miles out. The gear went in at 22 miles and the first fish at 25 miles. We did 3 right away and then had a long dry spell. Two hours later and 40 miles out we hit them again. After that it was pretty steady right up to the end. By 3 pm we had made it to Tuna Town (N45 W125) and all hell broke loose. The water was 62 degrees and we hit double, triple and even 5 on at a time. This of course happened about the time we ran out of places to stack dead fish.

About 7pm a boat full of tired fishers rolled into Depoe Bay for a filet party. By 11 pm we were totally sick of cleaning tuna and happy to see the last one. BTW, tradewinds charters offered to clean them for $3 each.

What a day, I'll be smoking and canning for a week.

[Drifty]

Good Job! and Thanks for the report. That gives me alot of hope for the 21st images/icons/grin.gif

[sturgn]

Woohoo Weather permitting I am out on Wed this week! Hope we can find em! water temps look good! What temp do you start fishing for them??? After the great Halibuut trip I cant wait to get the Red Headed Hook'r back out there! Pilar, any chance for some GPS spots around 25 miles?? Thanks!

[Pilar]

You bet sturgn. I just have to sneak on board 'Puffin' and scribble furiously while big Jon is distracted. Seriously though the only trick is to find the 'Crater Lake Blue' water. This happened for us on a heading of 270 degrees magnetic out of Depoe Bay at about 25 miles. We have many waypoints at 30 to 40 miles and one set where we hit the first 3 fish at 25 miles. I'll try to post that later today when I pick up my coolers of filet at Jon's.

We use birds for fishfinders. Albatross, the dark brown gulls and terns are best. They will worry the water where they see action. Diving terns are a dead giveaway. We also spotted Tuna on several occasions. They boil on the surface and usually this is accompanied by panicked bait fish exploding into the air. The other fishfinder I use is the commercial fleet off the coast. You can see them from 10 miles off. They tend to group up on fish and they are tight lipped on the radio. When you see these guys circling a spot, the game is afoot. Get in there and bag some fish.

Any temp above 61 is working for the last 3 trips now. Any structure like a tide rip, oil slick or weed line is a great place to try. My favorite thing is a place where two colors of water meet. That is a very fishy place and deserves as much attention as you can give it. Bring a camera and pay attention, the Ocean will show you things you won't believe.

Good luck and happy hunting.

[Hookset]

Another fantastic trip Pilar, sounds like a great day on Ol' blue. Sounds like your hand lining those fish. How many lines can you run off the back? Are you using any teasers? How much gas do you estimate running on a long trip like that? What size boat were you on and motor size?

I'm just trying to estimate the potential here. My boat is to small for long trips like that and doesn't sound like the fish are going to show in the green water. I still remember like 5 year ago when they did show within 5 miles. There is still time and I'll wait and see what happens.

Thanks for the memories,

Gregg

[sturgn]

That warm water looks very clost to shore up by Tillimook, any of you ever do any good up that way? http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/data/washngtn.c.gif Thanks for the info Pilar, I will try what you say! I am geting very excited! After fridays salmon slaughter in Astoria, 13 Salmon in 1 pass! Weeeee cant wait! Will let you know how we do! I am planning on just running towards the Chicken Ranch and looking for the right water! I know there was a bunch of Sharks there when we went for the Halibut and some tuna where taken around there figure its as good a start as any!

Thanks Again!

[ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: sturgn ]

[Pilar]

Sturgn, study the sea surface temp map. You must be north of W124 45' x N44 50' to get the warm water close in. I would launch at Depoe and go due west. If you go southwest (240 degrees) towards the Chicken Ranch you will have to go a long ways to find the blue water. Don't waste your fuel and time going south. The correct color and temp. water comes to within 12 miles of the coast at Depoe and north to N 45 20' or about Pacific City. I'll give exact coord's as soon as I get them tonight.

Gregg, we went out in Jon's 'Puffin'. This is an Ed Wing Ocean. An aluminum boat that defies description. It looks like an aluminum Arima with a high (6ft) canopy and a tall windshield. The motor is on a sea drive platform. There are 4 closed welded tanks or compartments in the belly for (1 is the gas tank) flotation. It is self bailing and has a wide fishing deck. Its 21 ft and powered by a 130hp Honda 4 stroke outboard. Fuel capacity is 63 gallons. Tuna capacity is about 600 lbs or more with better icing equipment. We took 3 guys and drove 150 miles all told. We burned 45 gallons of gas.

The rig is 2 handlines and 3 standup rods with a minimum of 400yds of line fished further back. All the rigs hit fish and took turns. The handlines are 100' behind the boat, the standup gear is 150 to 200 ' back. Running the gear at unequal distances allows sharp turns when you hook up. The usual deal is to drive on if a handline goes off. When a standup rod goes turn towards it and slow to 5 mph. Then the guy has a chance anyway. Don't stop! We got all of our multiple hookups by driving on in a big circle.

[Threemuch]

Sturgn I have some tips, hard won over time in CA albacore fishing that haven't been mentioned.

Pilar is right about water color. It's more important than temperature. When the water is so blue it almost looks purple, you are in good water color.

Off temps can hold fish. The fish cruise the depths and come up to feed, so they spend most of their time in much colder water than the 59-61 degree water most people say hold fish. This is especially true after some windy days. I have caught plenty of fish in 57 degree BLUE water. Green cold water won't hold fish.

Look for signs of life. Pilar mentioned birds working, but sitting birds often have fish under them as well. Troll around the birds, working or not, rather than through. If you run feeding fish over, they will sound, and you may get one or two. Running around them on the outskirts, you may be able to pick up many before they are done. Albatross and gulls will also tell you if your spread looks good as they will follow your boat. If they don't follow, as often as not, you have some kind of a tangle or fouled lure.

Good luck! I have a slew of feathers and plugs you can borrow if you don't have a bunch, and keep me in mind if you ever need crew. Drop me an email. Otherwise, I will be out there next year when I get my boat.

A good online resource for more info is http://www.batsford.net/tuna/
Check out the albacore guide for private boaters.

[SlabQuest]

For my first post I would like to say what great, high quality info is available on this string. I guess you can be a little more specific when you are talking 40 miles out then when you are talking about your favorite honey hole. I have been trying to get in on a tuna trip while my buddy has his boat in Westport the week of Sept 10. I have been on his "standby" list, but he has told me if I could find a free color temperature map on the net that shows the WA coast, I would be in! I have searched extensively without results. Thanks, Strgen! images/icons/grin.gif