divers for tuna???

Fishmstr · 07-24-2003, 10:55 AM

Hey, what were those divers called that folks were fishing for tuna and how do you fish them. Reading about tuna and how they are deep water predators...it seems like getting your lure down a few feet maybe a good idea at times (especially on sunny days).
Also, do you guys fish rapalas or marauders much for tuna?
thanks,
steve

Miss B Haven · 07-24-2003, 10:59 AM

Yozuri Planers, Englunds has them and some other places. You don't run them on ROds, just hand lines. Guys have been trying z-wings too, same thing.
No rod's going to hold a diver/planer at 6-7 knots. Well no rod I own anyway! :shocked:
Do a search here and you find some recent posting about plugs and planars.

Miss B Haven · 07-24-2003, 12:02 PM

My boat gets REAL small with 2 or 3 tuna on lemmee tell ya! :shocked: :grin:

Thanks- I figured a longer line over the top but had to ask. Still a chance on tanlging isn't there since the lines run so dang flat. Won't realy matter- you'ld just have 400 lb test then right? Now- if you got a double on the two stacked lines and tangled that could get REALLY interesting. The TUna jsut might win that tug-o-war!

Pilar · 07-24-2003, 12:52 PM

Mel, the 40' diver runs about 15 feet deep. The corner handlines are 100'. The center, when I use it runs 60', forming a Vee.

My crew has voiced displeasure at running the two on one cleat. It is a chore to run gear that way. The long line is brought in first and then the diver. When you let them out you let the diver out and get it down and then the handline.

I think you have to really want it to put up with the whole setting them in sequence and the tangles when the school sweeps every line on the boat at once.

But this technique is very effective.

corrirod · 07-24-2003, 01:14 PM

Anybody try out a high speed diver yet, with bait? Just wondering. I didn't bother rigging mine up the last time out but will try to remember it the next time.

Pilar · 07-24-2003, 01:36 PM

Rod we tried to drag sardines last weekend. They came apart pretty quick, skipping on the surface. We will have to slow down alot. And some tougher bait than sardines will be needed as well. Would they work on Divers?

Maybe some brined Mackeral or small tuna.

tailchaser · 07-24-2003, 02:17 PM

We use Yozuri plugs and do very very well with them on rods for albacore. We'll run them at the same speeds as everyone else does and hasn't caused a problem yet. Make sure to tune them though to what side of the boat they'll be fished from. We've also ran Rapala's but they don't have the nice finish the Yozur's have for some extra flash. I also nailed a couple of fish on the last trip on a swimming bait made by storm (pick one up at wal-mart) that has the holographic look to them and I was using an 8oz bannana lead in front of it to get it down 10-15' below the surface. The fish absolutely gulped the lure down in it's belly.

So there's definitely more than one way to nail tunies out there than just the jigs.

tc

Sea Jypzee · 07-24-2003, 04:32 PM

I run my divers much shorter than Pilar. I have only about 15' from boat to diver, then about 12' of leader after the diver to the jig. They work very effective for me this way. Then I also run long lines out the back corners, much like Pilar off the same cleat. (though mine aren't on exactly same spot). And run a short (about 20') surface line up the middle of the transom. This is my standard hand-line spread most of the time. (I do run one or two additional lines that run long, and high up off the flying bridge rails often times.)

fishwhenican · 07-24-2003, 04:46 PM

We have done well on Rapalas when the TUNA! are working the top and jumping, slowing down to about 5 kts helps to keep the plugs in the water and running straight.

I tried the Z-wings in Baja, but used a downrigger release on them. It was too much work for the Skipjack we caught. My Scotty downrigger brake won't hold the z-wing over 5.5 kts. I haven't tried them off a handline yet.

corrirod · 07-24-2003, 06:11 PM

Pilar, I wonder if you could salt brine the mackerel to make them a little harder? I want to run them off my Pro-Troll diver using a rigger release. I haven't had a chance to try it yet so I'm not sure if my rigger will hold it at speed or not. If not I've got some old rigger line I could probably make a "handline" out of and give that a try tied to the cleat.

Fishwhenican, what riggers do you have? The brake wouldn't hold huh? Darn, I was really hoping to use the rigger to drop/pull the diver. "Bill" is just waiting for me to tie a nice hunk of bait to it and send it down! :grin:

Pilar · 07-24-2003, 11:11 PM

K9.0 is the size I use. On a 40 foot handline with a bungee. It is hard to fish at first but very effective.

You can run two lines off the same cleat. Drop the diver in first and once it is down and set, lay out the surface handline.

The diver is a bite detector too. It pops up in the wake when it is fish on.

Miss B Haven · 07-24-2003, 11:18 PM

John- 40 foot on the diver length, how about the stacked hand line over the top. What length on the surface, same, shorter or longer? :whazzup:

That's a great idea by the way! [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

tady · 07-24-2003, 11:22 PM

Rapalas work well on Yellowfin and Blufin. I never caught an Albacore on one. I will troll one on Friday and tell you what happens.

Tady

Beer Waggin · 07-24-2003, 11:54 PM

Longer Mel! We didn't try shorter ones over the top, but if you did, I would think you'd end up with some tangling. The diver literally pops to the surface when the fish is hooked. As it was, when we got doubles off the two divers it was a chore to keep the fish seperated. Of course it'll probably be easier for you, since your boat is a mile wide.

07-25-2003, 05:30 AM

Two weeks ago I ran a 7" Yozuri Hydro Mag 50' behind and below the propwash of "Rotsa Ruck".
Waterdog asked me if this plug would catch fish. I told him I didn't know. Just then it got hit and and broke off :depressed:
I just picked up 2 5" and 3 5-5/8" ones for $32.00 and will try them this weekend.

From reading, bait should be rigged so the mouth doesn't come open and trolled slower.

[ 07-25-2003, 06:35 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

fishwhenican · 07-25-2003, 04:36 PM

Corrirod.... I have the Strongarm/longarm?? manual downriggers, I haven't looked that hard at them to see if I could tighten down the drags.

Keta...I found that the live bait didn't seem to stay alive as long if you pinned the jaw with the hook, bottom to top. A hook sideways thru the nostril seemed to keep them alive longer. At slower speeds 2.5-4 kts the live bait seemed to stay livlely longer, plus you could see them thrash/flash in the water. I even trolled a small Skipjack tuna for a while, it seemed to like less than 4 kts.?? All that from my infinite experience of 1 week in Baja fishing live bait.
:grin: OR Ah don no nutting and can prove it.

Uglygreen · 07-25-2003, 05:20 PM

No problem running 'live' bait off the z-wings at speed. Bag the downrigger and just run 40 feet of parachute cord off of a cleat directly to the diver. Use a release clip and a rod and reel. You wont bag a larger bluefin off a handline for sure. Bait must be rigged with a 'harness' that keeps the hook up front and the mouth shut.

UG