Brookings/Crescent City Tuna

Tuna Chaser · 07-15-2003, 08:37 PM

Left out of Crescent City Sunday morning at 0700 hour and headed out on a 275* heading. Fog was thick. 15 knots for the most of the way. At 25 miles, I ran into the most bait (Sorries) I have ever seen in 35 years fishing blue water. Put the lines out in 56.6-degree water and believe it or not, hooked a 13-pound King Salmon on a Cedar Plug. I would like to know if anyone has ever done that before. That was a first for me. Hit 59-degree water at the 125 line (About 43 miles out) and started putting out the lines along a big weed line. Before I got number 3 out, number 2 went down. 15 pounder in the boat 30 seconds into the day. By the time I landed it, the water jumped up to 61.7 degrees. Got the lines back out, water jumped to 62.9 in three minutes, and the fog burned off for good. Hooked about ten more landing 3 all in the 22 to 25 pound class. Headed in at noon. The water went to 57 about 39 miles out, then jumped back up to 62.1 at 35 miles all the way into about 30 miles. Put the lines back out and 2 more 25 pounders and lost 2 of what I am sure were very large Bluefin. Fought them both for about 40 minutes each on 80-pound class stand-up tackle and didn't stand a chance. That�s what I get for going out alone. Reminded me of Cabo San Lucas. The water was perfect with no wind and about a 4-foot swell at 8 seconds. More bait, birds and Sharks than I have ever seen up here. Doesn't get much better than that. The bigger numbers of fish came from 43 to 47 miles out, but the larger fish came from the 58.8 to 60.0 degree water closer in. Scores ran from 2 fish a boat to 30 fish per boat and more. Here are some of the numbers.
41* 56� 52.2-125* 01� 56.7
41*57� 53.4-125*05�23.1
41* 59� 07.3-124* 53� 42.1
There were more numbers, but I didn't have time to write them down. The wind Gods are supposed to get ugly this week so we�ll have to wait and see what happens.

Mike

Mark Mc · 07-15-2003, 08:46 PM

Hey Mike, thanks much for the post! Good to know we have another of our tuna bretheren down there. Funny, we didn't see ANY feed today. Hopefully some of that big bluefin action will show up here. So what port do you fish out of most? Thanks & keep us posted.... Mark Mc

reelmeister · 07-15-2003, 09:00 PM

Hey Mike, great report! I work in Brookings during the school year, maybe we have some mutual friends! Shoot me an email if you get the chance.

Al

Nofish · 07-16-2003, 06:48 AM

Mike,
I asked you on Bat's site...so I may as well repeat my request here. Details on the bluefin please...what were you using? how far back? any other info?

Thanks for the great post, good to see cool stuff happening closer to home. Cheers...Bob

Tuna Chaser · 07-16-2003, 04:31 PM

Bob,
Sorry it took so long to answer. I have been canning Tuna for the last three nights and shipping some Bagley crank baits I sold on Ebay this weekend for a ridicules amount of money. As far as the Bluefin I talked about in my post. That was an educated guess on my part. I am reasonably sure that�s what they were based on the fight and the tackle I was using at the time. I have caught Yellowfin well over 200 pounds and Bluefin over 150 pounds and there is nothing that fights like a large Tuna. The first one hit a Black and Purple 7-Strand Tuna Clone (6-inch model) and the second one hit a 6-inch chrome hex-head in Sablefish (Orange and yellow with black stripes). Small baits for that size fish considering the bait I was seeing was well over 10 inches. The Albacore I cleaned at the dock were full of 10 to 12 Mackerel and Sardines. Both fish hit the 80-pound class rod and I was using 150-pound Fluorocarbon leader and single 8/0 7691 Mustad hooks. I was trolling them about 80 feet back just out of the prop wash in the clean water. As it turned out, the two I hooked fought just like most of the other larger Tuna I have caught, 150-yard run straight out the back, then straight down and played I�ll give you 3 feet, then take 6 feet back. It was very hot that day and I was alone. Would have had a much better chance I think with someone to help clear lines and back the boat down so I could stay on the bow. I looked like a one man chinese fire drill there for a while. I am going to try again this Saturday if I get a window in the wind. I was thinking of launching in Gold Beach and running out to the warm water, then trolling back down to Crescent City just to see what happens. Heard a report of fish 10 miles out of Brookings yesterday. Stay in tough and go get some.

Mike

Nofish · 07-16-2003, 04:50 PM

Mike,
Thanks for the great reply. If the winds diminish later this weekend, a couple of us will trailer over from Yreka with the idea of fishing Monday/Tuesday...hopefully either Brookings, Gold Beach or Crescent City. I don't mind making another run to Depoe if that's where the water is best. Again, thanks for the great report. Bob

Booja 1 · 07-16-2003, 07:40 PM

Thx Tunachaser for the Bluefin moment....Did you break em off or just come unbutton?? Them single Mustads don't let go too easy...Were you able to get strapped in or do you have a hole in your gut?? If you did get the fish along side the boat and all by yourself,,,,,man o man then what?? Grab the "bang stick" I guess..Hey you've caught em before and your right 'ain't nothing fights like a big tuna,,,like hooking up to a car......Thx for sharing your story......

Miss B Haven · 07-17-2003, 12:03 PM

Great report of a great day!

You didn't REALLY want those blufin anyway, you'd be canning for another week instead of fishing! :grin:

bllelk · 07-17-2003, 11:50 PM

Mike:
Great report.
If you ever need a hand, contact my kid, Mark DiLenge. He's been at the Coast Guard Station down there about seven years now and is an experienced boat operator as well as fisherman. He just called me and is pretty anxious to get after the tuna. He's up at the Rogue SAR detachment today.