Yellow Fin in Oregon?

[WildHawg]

Somebody posted about the possibility that it was Yellowfin Tuna that might be stripping some of you folks Albacore fishing.
Initially, I thought this was highly unlikely, as hey are primarily an Atlantic fish. However, after my research on Bluefin (which I also never would have expected to find), I was curious, so...
Here's a link: http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/E...7/05DecCA.html
Seems to report that the NMFS reported 6 Yellowfin Tuna Off Oregon in 1997. Wow, that's weird. Don't know the veracity of the source, but it is interesting anyhow.
Sure makes me excited to get out on the big blue/green Pacific this year!!
An aside: Most archaeologists suggest that the Indigenous Peoples of the Oregon coast were not a maritime people, yet we find Merluccius productus (Pacific Hake) in middens. Have any of you caught them, or Tom Cod in shallow water?
They are pelagic fish, and seldom are found in less than 50 meters of water, which to me indicates a deep water maritime adaptation for our coastal peoples. Would be curious.
Thanks,
Charles.

[corrirod]

Wildhawg, keep in mind that was an El Nino year and there are all kinds of exotic fish during those years.

[Miss B Haven]

wildhawg- there are lots of Yellowfin in the Pacific. Thick as thieves down south around Cabo in the Spring. A 50 is a big one there though. They take 200-300 lbrs on the long range charters out of Diego that travel down off Mexico to the offshore islands and banks. :smile:
I believe they just don't like the cooler water up here. :depressed:

[Hook-up]

We caught a 300lb yellowfin in Cabo (Pacific side)3 years ago. I say "we" as we took turns. Two hours total fight time. In a standup rig at first then finished in the fighting chair. Some day I will try again to follow Pete's tips on how to post pictures.
Bait and fish were jumping all around us when I first hooked up. The first 5-10 minutes of fighting my buddies were going nuts. They wanted to get their lines back in the water pronto. They kept telling me to not be such a wimp and to hurry and drag that thing to the boat. After a bit more ribbing I handed the fish off. Kind of a okay, now you hurry and reel it in. Then they (and the ships crew) began to say, hey this might be a big one... What a fish, what a day, what a fish, what a trip...

[jcarufo]

The big tuna off our coast that you hook but never see are either really big Albacore or probably Bluefin. But.......
In warm water years, as the Fall progresses and the Albacore move North, they are followed by large numbers of Yellowfin that are caught by the San Diego 1 day fleet and private boaters. I'm not sure just how far North they get, but if they were seen off the Southern to Central Oregon coast in 1997 they are probably there most years. Who knows, if the water gets into the mid 60's, a late Fall effort might provide both large Bluefin and Yellowfin right here at home. Boy, a bait barge in Newport harbor would be soooooooo cool.
By the way, in last years Western Outdoors News Tuna Tournament in Cabo there were 20+ fish taken larger than 200#. The winner was 250#. Often on the outer Gorda and Palmilla Banks off of San Jose del Cabo we see schools of Yellowfin over 100#. If you want to 'chunk' they are there to be taken. Speaking of chunking, that might be an interesting thing to try here. Go along until you meter fish on your finder, set up an albacore chunk line and wait for the 'big boys' to come calling. It takes patience, but the method is deadly.
Tight lines,
Jean

[Nofish]

I agree with Jean that those big tackle bust'n unseen and unknown fish are probably bluefin or maybe very large albacore. Has anyone ever encountered bigeye tuna off Oregon? Yellowfin are pretty picky about water temperatures and pretty darn rare north of Morro Bay (except in "strong" El Nino years). There were two yellowtail caught under some kelp 50 miles west of Eureka this past September. I think this past fall's El Nino was considered "moderate".
Nofish

[Popeye]

My youngest son, Skip, two years ago with 100# Yellowfin off of San Diego

Big Eye Tuna 60-80 degree

Yellowfin Tuna 63+ degree

Source: "TUNA" by Capt. Bill Smith

Big Eye tend to stay deeper, they look like Yellowfin and get as big or a bit bigger. The distrubution map for Yellowfin shows them as far north as about Cape Mendiceno, CA. They could make it to Oregon on exceptional years. Big Eye might be here most years.
I feel (guess) that "Bill" and the other breakoffs were Bluefin.

[ 04-30-2003, 07:22 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[Pilar]

Jcarufo, chumming will be legal next Jan if Chum King gets it through the rule setting process at ODFW. Also the # of lines per angler will be changed from the current 1 to many.

Hypothetically speaking, since this practice is currently not sanctioned ....

Chop herring into 3 or 4 chunks per fish and fill a 1/2 a 5 gallon bucket with them. When you are hunting, look for birds that are sitting in a slick area in small groups. These birds are larger than gulls with blunt tipped wings and stout bodies. They are a dark brown and grey color. These are the same birds you see cruising solo but in widespread groups, looking for baitfish. They will spread out hundreds of yards apart. If one bird finds the bait and starts to work he is soon joined by others.

Anyway if you find sitting birds, the party is over and they are fed. But the bait is directly below them and so are the TUNA! They will sit on the next meal and stay with the baitfish. Think of them as fish finders.

Pass the birds and maintain at least a hundred yards distance. Every 30 seconds to a minute throw a handful (5 to 6 pieces) of chunks into your wake. Once past the birds turn behind them so that your long standup lines drag over the school. When the first hit happens turn on the bilge pump and bilge out the blood from the last killing spree. Toss more chunks. Your wake should turn pink with blood. The first hit is usually the long line. Circle the boat left and hang on. The rest of the set goes off within 30 seconds as the school charges the boat.

As you carc your fish, wash the blood down into the bilge with buckets of seawater and set up for the next pass.

I am having trouble remembering but I think that is what we were doing when we lost our yellow po to bill last summer.

More about the birds ... when you see them beelining in the same direction ... follow them. Somehow they know when one of the scouts has found the baitball and they all head that way. When hunting they will all go in the same direction but down close to wavetops. When on the march they get up 50 or a hundred feet and fly hard.

Another trick is to put a hook in some of the chunks with a egg sinker on the line and drop it over the side with the chum. Try to get your bait to sink at the same rate as your chum and hang on

Pilar,
Did you get my email?

[ 04-30-2003, 09:03 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[DriftR]

Check out my post in "Could you imagine". Now that guy has guts and what a tuna that is.