Live Bait for Tuna

will_e_fish · 08-28-2002, 12:02 PM

Where to get live bait for tuna ?

As Pilar and Hamachi said when they aren't bitting but there, throw bait at them.

Ok Westport is a long way to drive. Like to but not soon.

Catch yer own? I'll try that a liittle see how it works.

Newport or Depoe Bay is closer to where I might be headed.

Got any suggestions ?

OceanBlue · 08-28-2002, 12:10 PM

We chum with chopped up herring. Once you're catching, sometimes they'll spit up what they've been eating... Back in July, it was candlefish. Scoop that up and throw it back in the water. The "Puffin" was having good luck with that.

After you bleed them, wash down the decks and run the bilge pump. Sometimes that's effective, too.

Happy hunting!

will_e_fish · 08-28-2002, 03:43 PM

Ahhh ha alrighty I was starting to worry that live bait was the ticket and it would be hard to find. Herring and candlefish it is. So about how much and how far back?

Thanks for the information!

Miss B Haven · 08-28-2002, 03:48 PM

OK for the Chum, then do you hook up dead Herring and toss it after you chum them up. This sounds like a lot more fun than dragging one in at 10 knots. I'm used to live bait fishing for Dorado and I've never had so much fun in my life. :grin:

Mark Mc · 08-28-2002, 04:22 PM

Repeat: One does not need live bait to catch tuna while drifting or slow trolling. One can do just as well using plastic swimbaits. Our preferred brand is the "Fishtrap," with a 1 to 3 ounce jighead. In fact, last Friday I hooked one casting to a jumper with 25# line. They work particularly well trolled way back, when the fish are breaking on slow-moving baitfish (i.e., the tuna are not swimming fast while chasing feed).

Hamachi · 08-28-2002, 07:34 PM

Yes, you're right, you can hook a tuna many different ways.

But grabbing just the right hook bait, carefully pinning it on, tossing it out where it swims away frantically because it senses the impending danger only to get picked up by a tuna where the line starts ripping off your reel, while your heart starts pounding as you flip your reel in gear waiting for the line to come tight as you rear back and set the hook afterwhich you know you're on and the tuna makes it's first incredible run while you're hooting and hollering..... well, that's as good as it gets and what blue water game fishing is all about!

Just for the record that's the longest run-on sentence I have posted in the public domain.

This whole game just isn't about putting the largest number of fish on your boat as possible, as some previous posts have suggested.

I used to have that mindset when I commercialed off my skiff in So. Cal. Glad I'm back to straight sport.

And Mark Mc, the last comments have nothing to do with what you posted. But I will comment on your post that while true, I have seen MANY times that live bait was the only way to get bit. And it is one of the most exciting and satisfying ways to saltwater game fish.

Good fishing to all.

Mark Mc · 08-28-2002, 07:57 PM

Yes, Mr Hamachi, your description of the excitement & "purity" of fishing live bait, especially fly-lining it, completely resonates with me. I spent many years in the charter boat business & dumped my fair share of bait in the water to keep a bite going. That being said, until we get a live bait source in the Newport area, we'll make do with the next best thing, and that to me is a swim bait. Sure the plastic will never smell as good as real anchovy slime. However I did have anchovy pizza today for lunch!

BTW I like your handle; I live for raw tuna.

All the best to ya, Mark Mc

Hamachi · 08-28-2002, 08:55 PM

I never thought of myself as a "purist". Never flyfished, never will. I just like the feeling of a tuna/dorado/WSB/yellowtail picking up my bait and taking off with it. It's what I lived for down south. I'm obviously lucky that I can purchase live bait in the only ocean harbor that I would use to fish tuna now. Too bad it's not available to you. :depressed:

As I'm sure you remember, chrome iron can work very effectively also, but I've yet to see any So. Cal style iron sold up here for rockfish or pelagics.

If you get a chance, email me. I have a quick private comment for you.

Uglygreen · 08-28-2002, 09:24 PM

H.

I went out of Hammond and ran up off Westport a a little over a week ago, I would be interested in doing a dual run out of Westport itself, never been there, and I am curious about the Harbor Facilities / Bar difficulty, etc... Possibly do a dual run on a day you are avalible?? Also, I would want to try the live bait technique you describe so well.

UG.

[ 08-28-2002, 10:26 PM: Message edited by: Uglygreen ]

Miss B Haven · 08-28-2002, 09:42 PM

Ok - here they come, you just tossed out a piece of chunk bait 10 feet behind the boat. There's 4 or 5 Dorado racing to see who get's lunch. You're watching all this when the water explodes. One of them got there first. He leaps 3 or 4 feet out of the water and spits the bait.
Guess what - history repeats itself. You see 4 or 5 more Dorado racing to the bait which is just floating on the top of the water, 10 feet further out than you threw it. Another one grabs it and comes flying out of the water. He spits it another ten feet.
The bait you could only toss ten feet behind the boat is now 30 feet back, and you can still see the race to the finish line. The winner grabs the bait and this time he gets the hook.
Rocket ON ! Yeeehaaaa !!!

This was Cabo, is Oregon possible ??

Crashin' Bait · 08-28-2002, 10:43 PM

Gotta love it when they take a hot greenback and run. BTW, isn't hamachi another name for yellowtail?

[ 08-28-2002, 11:54 PM: Message edited by: Crashin' Bait ]

Hamachi · 08-29-2002, 03:11 AM

Yes, Japanese for yellowtail. Thought it would be a cool name for a boat while I was eating sushi at California Beach Sushi in Hermosa Beach, Ca., in 1989 or 90.

will_e_fish · 08-29-2002, 03:29 AM

Good info and more options for bait chumming.
I cant wait to try out these new bait techs !
Hamachi do you like Wasabe? I think that is a cool name but dont think I would name my boat after it.

Marty · 08-29-2002, 07:31 AM

I grew up fishin live bait in San Diego and have had more times than I can remember when all the bait in the tank rolls over and dies or the bait pump quits or its too rough for them to survive. NO problem...albies will hit dead bait just fine, same as yellowfin tuna and the chunking they do on the long range boats. A dead anchovie after a jig stop thrown into the prop wash and fly lined (live bait hook only, no weight or a small rubbercore if the seagulls are a problem) back will almost always get bit. On a jig stop and after flylining a dead chovie, I usually put the clicker on and hand pull 30 to 40 of line on top of the water. This serves two purposes; one you can put it in the rod holder and pull in your jig fish But the MOST important part is you are getting a dead drift (bait not being pulled thru the water) on your chovie. You want it to appear that tuna have attacked a school of bait and the dead or cut in half fish are slowly sinking. Plus you can drift your dead bait down 30 or 40 feet where you are more in the zone where the tuna patrol. The slack line on top of the water will allow for the boat to drift without movement on the bait. Sardines are another favorite bait for tuna. I have not tried frozen bait, but if it is in excellent condition, I think it will work great. On really shy tuna you may have to go down to 15 lb. test, but 20 is a good place to start. A small circle hook works really well in these circumstances.

The next best thing is fish traps. The advantage here is that you can cast the traps to breaking fish 30 yards away and not have to wait for the fish to come to you. Last year we had one day where we caught 22 fish with the engine turned off and drifting within range of breaking fish. Its not live bait fishing, but its the next best thing.

Lets all hope Church will be in session this week-end.

Marty

Popeye · 08-29-2002, 08:55 AM

Well..... I guess after a short time thinking about how nice it would be to have live bait, I just did the most logical thing.... I ordered a bait trap, and will be building a live well for my boat :grin:

will_e_fish · 08-29-2002, 10:11 AM

Will Smelt work I am thinking where am I going to get bait.... Hmmmm big fishes eat little fishes herring,anchovies,candlefish ....
Smelt! What about smelt? I got some in the freezer Sturgeon can wait I want Tuna!

corrirod · 08-29-2002, 12:01 PM

Are there any legal stipulations regarding using a casting net to catch baitfish in Oregon? I've seen alot of baitfish at the docks at night that I would have to believe you could catch in a net. I've also seen the headlights that float on the water to attract baitfish at night, would this work?

I've got a small livewell in my boat so I'm very interested to try it out.

Deepslayer · 08-29-2002, 01:24 PM

Corrirod, the rules state that you can fish for anchovies, herring, sardines etc. using dip net, casting net, herring jigs and angling 24hours a day in the ocean and bays. Go for it!
,Ed

Hamachi · 08-29-2002, 01:59 PM

will_e_fish, yes I like wasabi.

The name of my first skiff, a 15' bayrunner with a 30hp manual, was Firecracker. A firecracker was what So. Cal's called a small, fiesty Calif. Yellowtail. I thought it was an apt name. I regularly took that skiff offshore to fish tuna or to Santa Barbra Island, 45nm off of Marina del Rey, Ca., to fish yellowtail, white seabass, and rockfish. (I was quite stupid in the late 80's, although I did carry a handheld loran)

When I purchased my current skiff, I wanted to continue with the same name vein. Yellowtail was the name of the DFG patrol boat so I went with Hamachi.

Wasabi wouldn't be a good choice for your boat's name. It's too hot and bold with a strong flavor and character. Might I suggest, "Kaopectate". :grin:

avid · 08-29-2002, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hamachi:
Wasabi wouldn't be a good choice for your boat's name. It's too hot and bold with a strong flavor and character.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">But like anything from boats to what have you, as Eric Clapton said in a song,

Quote:

"It's In The Way That You Use It."

Hamachi · 08-29-2002, 03:52 PM

I'm not even touching that one! :shocked:

will_e_fish · 08-29-2002, 06:31 PM

Hamachi- Nah "Kaopectate" that would be like drinking lite beer with ice. I like Wasabi and all other strong flavors, but I think the translation means crying tears which would not be a good name for a boat. However "Slowhand" might be more appealing since I really like Clapton and all he does.

So I am going to use some of that smelt I have in the freezer for chumming bait . Any opinions on that?

Hamachi · 08-30-2002, 03:12 AM

If you come across the right spot of fish that really want to go off, yes, dead will work. So will cigarette butts. I've seen it done off San Diego. And I've caught tuna on bare chrome hooks.

But for the average fish, you need live to get them going. Last monday off Westport was a perfect example. I really had the fish going off the corner. I would throw some live and they were on it instantly. There were a few baits that had rolled that I was scooping up with the live that I also threw out. I was watching several fish cleaning up the live when one came right up to a dead. It stopped for 1/2 a second, looked at it, saw no movement and kept on going. And these fish were on the chew!

avid · 08-30-2002, 03:46 PM

Saltwater Sportsman has an article in the September issue entitled "How to Fool Finicky Albacore, When California albacore turn up their noses at trolled jigs, turn them on with these tactics." They haven't put the September issue up on their website but they will soon and it may be available there. Live bait is one of the subjects covered

http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/sa...12935,,00.html

Booja 1 · 08-30-2002, 11:41 PM

Boy Hamachi..you took the time to watch the albie reaction to both live and dead..hope you were in the water with your 40 lb getting ready to throw it in gear one more time..Didn't seem like an anchovy lasted 10 seconds the way you had em in the corner....

Thx for the comeback on my email to you.......

Hope you get a chance to get out again out of Westport............