SST service for tuna?

bait boy · 05-25-2002, 09:31 AM

Does anyone want to get a subscription on the Terrafin server for daily SST's with much better and tighter areas of coverage with lat and long overlay's check out the samples here terrafin just checking to find interest. I think tuna are a month away but it doesn't hurt to be prepared

check out this sample of central Oregon central oregon

[ 05-25-2002, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: bait boy ]

Marty · 05-25-2002, 10:29 AM

I have been a subscriber to terrafin for a couple years now and it has made an incredible difference in my fishing success. It will easily pay for itself in a couple of trips in fuel savings, as that is the biggest expense of a tuna trip. The ocean is SO big and the conditions change so much that if you don't take advantage of a service like this, you may be buying your tuna, instead of more pint jars for canning.

Can't wait for the tuna to get here. San Diego fish are there now and in a month they should be here in limited numbers, but fishable. Don't really need them, but I put a pair of outriggers on the boat this year.

See ya on the Big Blue

Marty

bait boy · 05-26-2002, 01:23 AM

Do you need crew?

Sensei-san · 05-26-2002, 07:55 AM

Marty, Why do you say you don't need outriggers? I thought that any self respecting tuna boat had them. That way they can run the famous V or W patterns. Besides they look cool even sitting still.

Actually terrafin is a great service. They have almost all coast service. From Maine to Washington. Like baitboy says the detail on the coastal charts are so good that you can pinpoint where to go.

Marty · 05-26-2002, 10:44 AM

Sensea-san

I agree with the looks of the outriggers and they do produce about 30 to 40 percent more fish than straight flat lines. But for the last 3 years with the weather cooperating and we have made it out to the temp breaks we have always caught enought tuna to say no more. The outriggers will just get the job done that much faster as tuna sometimes really prefer their lures running in smooth water vs in the wake. I think the outriggers would have also helped when we ran into the bluefin out there 2 years ago. So that is another reason too. We hooked more than half our fish on traps last year with the yozuri K-90 diver producing the next 25% and the normal jukers, jet heads, cedar plugs and rapalas finishing up the catch. Early in the season and late in the season when the tuna are feeding on sauries, we would slip up near the feeding (sipping) tuna with the boat and cast fish traps to them with our salmon/steelhead gear. Only got spooled once......but what a blast. Generally the fish that are hanging on the temp breaks are bigger fish than the open water schoolies. Our biggest was 42lbs. on my calcutta and lamiglass Willamette Special. I think we caught 700 lbs that day and had no where left to stick any fish and so we had to drive home with them still goin off big time. We had to give almost all the fish away, because I would still be there cleaning and filleting.

You know its kinda funny that folks get so worked up over halibut (I love them also), knowing that in running to the halibut grounds in May you usually will have bleeding kidneys and bruises over most of your body, not to mention the wear and tear on boat and passengers. AND THEN you have to drag that 55 gallon drum up from 750' with your 5 lbs. chunk of lead .....AND THEN....only get to keep one fish. Where as with tuna the weather is generally always nicer (you can pick and choose days), no hassles at the loading dock, can catch as many fish as your boat will handle and have unbelievable fun doing so on light tackle. PLUS....they are SOOOOOO good to eat AND the canned tuna stays with you the rest of the year. Not to mention the delight of raw tuna.

Now some folks are saying.........but you have to go out so far for tuna. Last year we caught a lot of fish at 12 miles straight out of Depoe, but usually no more than 30 miles should get you into the fish, again depending on the temp breaks. It is the last great fishery out there. Once you do it nothing is the same again.

Break out the taquila some night and I will tell you about our bluefin adventure.

Long live the tuna

Marty

Pilar · 05-26-2002, 08:24 PM

Well said, Marty. Tuna is a whole lot of fish in a medium size.

A good friend of mine went on a trip with me a couple of years ago, his first. We were driving around waiting for our gear to go off. He asked ...

'So .. what does it look like when you get a bite?'

I looked over my shoulder at the exact instant of a hard strike and said ...

"like that dude! .. Fish On!!!!"

The reel started singing out line faster and faster. The rod was pinned down in the holder and bowed down to the water. By the time Mike got the rod in his hands the 4/0 senator was halfway through the 400 yds of line.

The look on his face was priceless .. somewhere between joy and terror, complete with dinner plate size eyes.

Wish I could bottle that scenario .. forget about that whoop-ass energy drink .. try some of dis.

Yeah Tuna soon .. can't wait to wak em and stack em.

Sensei-san · 05-26-2002, 09:31 PM

And I thought a pilar was nice sensible computer geekie kinda guy... not some wild eyed fanatic tuna killer. Oh well he definately has been touched by tuna fever. A totally incurable disease. I bet he that he doesn't bother to washdown his decks until the bite stops. And he forces rookies to eat the beating hearts ripped out of the landed albies like the Tuna Club guys do.

It's always fun to tease died in the wool steelheaders and salmon fishermen when they catch their first tuna. They have a hard time admitting that a 10# tuna kicks any 10# salmonids a$$.

Mr. Fisherman · 05-27-2002, 10:48 AM

What's a Tuna?

:grin:

seasquid · 05-28-2002, 09:09 AM

Great post Marty.

I often have the same thought about halibut. "You know this isn't bad and the results are pretty good with the tasty fillets, but...if someone gets on the radio and tells me there is a school of tuna 10 miles farther out -- to heck with this halibut stuff!"

I took a couple of rookies out last year -- lifelong Oregonians who had never fished for tuna. What a kick -- Pilar is right, the look on their eyes, first when they saw "jumpers" and second when the rods doubled over. All I said was "I told you guys so."

ss

BUGLEMAN · 05-28-2002, 10:27 AM

Marty can you expound on the delight of raw tuna.

Sensei-san · 05-28-2002, 10:29 AM

What's a halibut????? :whazzup: :whazzup: :whazzup: :whazzup:

Sensei-san · 05-28-2002, 10:31 AM

Marty can you expound on the delight of raw tuna.

It is seventh heaven. A little wasabi and shoyu. Melts in your mouth... Nothing finer.

Marty · 05-28-2002, 01:09 PM

Bugleman

There are no yellowfin tuna off the Oregon Coast. Albacore tuna is 99% of the tuna caught, (chicken of the sea). I have heard that on El Nino years of a few big eye tuna being caught by the commercial boys. They are a close cousin of yellowfin, but can tolerate the colder NW water better than the warm water yellowfin. Bluefin are a very rare siteing, but are in our waters almost every year, usually in the fall. With the near record catches of sardines and herring by the big offshore seiners the last couple of years there is no reason for them not to be here again.
I will post a copy of my story about bluefin when the season gets a little closer.

We have had recent water temps as high as 57 degrees offshore and as soon as it gets to about 60, there should be tuna available. Last year the earliest sport caught fish that I was aware of was July 7. I think this year will be earlier. August and September are the times when they are in closest to shore and October is when the bigger fish are around and is the best month for a shot at bluefin. Bluefin are a lot more common in Northern Calif. and they catch quite a few down there, but they also have live bait to entice them. They have caught bluefin over 200lbs. and have lost fish significantly bigger.

So..........make sure your boats and rides are in good shape for the coming months as it will only get better. The more people that fish tuna and share the where and how, the better it is for everybody to know where to go. I am sure there will be a lot more info as the season gets closer.

Marty

Threemuch · 05-28-2002, 01:45 PM

I will be ready, trim tab is on it's way, weather permitting, I will have it on and shake the boat down for tuna on the way to the halibut grounds out of Newport on the 8th.

Sensei-san, you appear confused about your fish species. White Sea Bass is the big croaker, yellowtail (hamachi) is a jack. To my pallete, the best tasting fish that swims.

I will take albacore over yellowfin if I am cooking, other way around raw. Bluefin is the best sashimi.

BUGLEMAN · 05-28-2002, 04:47 PM

A few years ago we went to our archery elk hunting spot in Saddle Mt. only to find it closed. So to make the best of it we stopped by Astoria on the way home a bought some Tuna. They threw in a Yellow Fin and said it was the only one they caught. I was freaked out about eating uncooked meat (not now) back then and didn't realize what a nice thing it was that they had done. I didn't ask approx where it was caught and just assumed it was off Oregon.

Threemuch · 05-28-2002, 11:19 PM

You guys are getting me pretty fired up about the coming albacore binge. It's only a little over a month away...

Mr. Fisherman · 05-28-2002, 11:21 PM

Willing and able crew,

Will swab fer ride :grin:

BUGLEMAN · 05-28-2002, 11:26 PM

Aren't we talking Yellow Fin not Albacore. From what I understand the Yellow Fin are few and far between. I do enjoy the Yellow Fin on a pad of rice.

Sensei-san · 05-28-2002, 11:44 PM

If you mean hamachi that is a yellowtail. It is like a croaker on steriods. Also good to eat raw. Albacore is called shiro-maguro. Or White tuna. Bluefin is maguro. The fatter cuts are called toro. Albacore is one of my favorites. Been know to eat a whole loin of albacore in one sitting.

KURTIS ..... Better get that trim tab fixed. Can't catch much tuna listing to one side going at seven knots. Kind hard to gaff tuna if the boat tips over. But then the decks might get cleaned better with all the blood running off on one side.

Sensei-san · 05-29-2002, 12:15 AM

If they threw in a yellowfin tuna they probably were fishing in the Midway Island fishery. Yellowfin tuna, Ahi, are caught near Hawaii or Mexico.

Sorry I said yellowtail was a croaker. Croaker, jacks, pargo, drum all those tropical reef fish are all the same on the end of a speargun. I can't understand the extremes that scuba divers go to spear perfectly good rod and reel fish. I guess it is the underwater equivalent of hunting. Personally I prefer abalone for underwater hunting. Especially in California where tanks are prohibited.

Threemuch · 05-29-2002, 07:32 AM

Don't worry too much Sensei-san, you can't get anywhere near yellowtail, tuna,white sea bass, or dorado with scuba. The noisy bubbles spook em. Guys who spearfish for those bad boys freedive, because on a tank you would never even see one.

If you think freediving spearfishing is in any way easy, give it a try some time. "hunting" for abalone is like hunting for kelp. They can't run away. If I go out and kill a limit of sea bass rod and reel, that's easy. If I kill a limit with my speargun, that's impressive.

It's good fun, believe me.
KB

Capt. Rich · 05-29-2002, 09:46 AM

I think what cured me of spearfishing was I singlehandedly wiped out a family of china rockcod at my favorite abalone hole. I have dived at Salt Point Park in Sonoma County for fourty years. When I was younger I used to love freedive spearfishing after getting a limit of abs. Got a lot of cabezons and black rockfish. But there was this one rock with a cave under it that I would always check. One year I saw a group of china rockcod. So I made several dives and speared them all. All being about three or four. I was the hero at the dinner table that night but to this day twenty-five years later I have never seen a china rockcod in that hole.

I guess that is why the plight of the rockfish bothers me so much.