Tuna gear outfitting suggestions

[CATCH AND EAT]

Okay ya tuna freaks and geeks. This winter time I will begin to outfit Cindy Lou for next years tuna outings. I need suggestions on some gear must haves to put into my collection. Here's your chance to chime in to outfit my boat with the proper lures and equipment.

Here's what I have to work with right now:

23' Trophy walk around with 3/4 cabin and a V-berth with side bunk. 4.3L mercruiser so there is a center hump on the fish deck. Three fish boxes in the floor which I believe will hold 5 to six tuna a piece depending on size. I can put a cooler in the side bunk for additional storage and a cooler on the swim deck so It looks like fish storage is not a problem.

Have a couple of ugly sticks with Penn 321 reels and plan on buying a couple more. Hey christmas presents!!!!!! [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

Lures. Zero at this time. :depressed:

How many hand lines do you think I could run off the back of this boat? I figure 4 hand lines and 4 rods would be plenty if not to many.

So give me your favorite lure colors/code names and I'll begin my debt counsiling after my first purchase. Thanks in advance for your imput.

Bernie

I have found that an odd number of handlines works better for me. The shortest in the center.
If you have a green or "less energetic" crew fish 3. If yu have a crew that is bouncing off thr gunnels five might work. A low end set of outrigers or a pair of heavy rods (like Miss B uses) used as outrigers will help spread your geer too.

Cedar plugs
Clones
Zuker Broom Tails
A few diving plugs (Rapalas or Yozuri Hydro Mags)
Crimpers
Ice storage
Ice storage
Ice storage
This is only the start

:grin: And one last thing, a Keta :grin:

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

[Miss B Haven]

Bernie- 4 and 4 would be a worst case slow day set up. When it's zingin' out there and the Tuners won't stay off I'm down to 2 and 2. I actually only ran more than 2 handlines twice this year (and that was 3). You just can't keep up with the fish managment (time in the chill tank)otherwise (and like Keta said- the crew gets very ).

For the gear- just take me shoppin. Better yet, give me a card number and I'll shop the internet for ya. :grin:

Next time your down come by Miss B and I'll take you through all my gear and show you my favorites (and they aren't the most expensive ones either). You can look for free but if you want to fondle them there's a small fee. :grin:

[ 09-30-2003, 09:34 AM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[blubeast]

C&E... come to the TA meetings... that's part of the reason for the meetings... to show how to make handlines, different lure types, and swap techinques, and especially evaluate BOE's latest lure creations

Next neeting is 10/3...see other post for more info.

[Smily]

Hi Catch and Eat,
For starters you need a quality and competent crew. Gilligan Smily standing at attention and waiting to carry out "barked out" orders. I promise I won't bark back.

First let me tell you my creditionals. I have none. I have also been known to cracker off the fish with the best of them.I have a lot of ambission and I am eager to learn. I love eating tuna. Raw or cooked it doesn't matter. It's still yummy. :grin:

Let me know if I can be of service as I would Love to learn "tuna carking". Actually I do have quality experience as I have bought whole tuna and taken it home to be carked.

But I really do want to learn to catch Tuna and yes I am a Tuna virgin.


:smile: Smily :smile:

[CATCH AND EAT]

I am aware of the meetings. Just gotta figure out how to get to one without messing up the wifes scrapbooking night. Both events fall on those particular nights. So I will need to be creative to be able to attend.

Right now I am looking for color suggestions, patterns and so forth. Mel, I will stop by when I am down there again. I have been paying attention BTW when fishing with you and Tom. :grin: Have some pretty good ideas on how I will set up Cindy Lou. Don't know if I would ever buy some of the kinky stuff Keta has though. :shocked: They kinda scare me a little. BTW Lee, you will be invited of course when you are not servicing Minaki or Miss B Haven. I think with everyone you know you should have the tuna infection of the freezer pretty bad by now. :grin: I've got one freezer shelf dedicated to longfins.

BTW BBQ'ed some fresh tuna last night. WOW! Gotta love the Italian dressing simplicity. Tuna sandwiches today baby. :grin:

[Phil Layer]

Please don't let this turn into a thread about people paying Mel to fondle his zukers! :shocked:

[kamloops]

Bernie, I have the answer to your dilema.
You know how the Minaki fishes Tuna, 10 handlines and two to three stand up rods.
Don't do that!!!
Do what MEL does!!!

I still think in "normal" Tuna years of smaller fish concentrated in a smaller area 60-100 miles offshore, my way will pay-off.
But unfortunatly well need to wait 10 months to find out.
I also think this Live Bait thing in Oregon is going to take off like a rocket. I got tired of watching the Ilwaco and Westport boats fishing this way.
It may be Bernie your going to need a bigger boat so you can install your live bait tank and still have room for crew and fish storage.

[Miss B Haven]

We don't need no stinking "normal" years. I like this year just fine. 20-30 lb fish and boat fulls by noon or so will be fine with me. :smile:

If we gotta go 60-100 miles out for peanuts I'm takin' the Marlin gear and using 'em for bait! :grin:

[CATCH AND EAT]

Tom, Cindy Lou has a live bait well :grin: but it may not be big enough. :shocked: Also one dock removed from the live bait seen there in Ilwaco.

I do need to buy some bigger coolers though. My little 100qt cooler will not suffice at all. Need to find the best price out there on those big boys. Where did you guys find yours? Are they 150 or 200's?

Phil, as far as Mel fondling any of my stuff well lets just say we'll keep him from getting out of line.

And yes Andy we will have a make up trip for ya. Unfor-TUNA-tly we have to wait until next mid to late June for a run at them from Depoe or Newport. By mid-July I be hitting the ocean off the Columbia for salmon and tuna when they show up.

Dang Tom, 10 months??

hey Mel, was'nt that a marlin you had on Saturday?? :shocked:

[ 09-30-2003, 10:27 AM: Message edited by: CATCH AND EAT ]

[Smily]

It's a long long time but I can wait.

:smile: Smily :smile:

[Miss B Haven]

Bernie- you can get 150 qt coolers at Costco for $50 but you gotta get em in the spring/early summer. I got one at Joes- same price.
150 qts are minimum. They still aren't long enough to layer the fish without getting a hump in the middle (at least not the fish we caught this year). 6, maybe 7 of those 20 lbrs is about it. If you have cube ice cut that back a couple. My 165 qt Coleman is longer and it will hold a couple more fish than the igloo 150 (same size fish).
The problem is the length of the coolers, they need to be 6-12 inches longer and you could fit lots more fish in. The bellies overlap and give you the hump. You end up with a lot of ice around the heads/tails and very little on the bellies where you need it.
My deck well is narrower, about the same depth as a 150, but it is longer (about the same volume). I can fit 10-12 in that (again depending on size).
If I can afford it (I think Mr. Fisherman paid $280), I'm going to get an insulated 1/2 tote to replace my 150 in the corner. They have the length (48") to flatten out those fish stacks. That height makes for a great work surface too.

[skein]

I'll second the 1/2 tote idea. After I saw Mr Fisherman's I went straight to Englund's and picked one up ($250). I think they're the answer if you've got room in your boat.

Sort of a moveable doghouse.





Skein

[ 09-30-2003, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: skein ]

[CATCH AND EAT]

Mel I gotta be able to spread the weight around on my little cork. Totes won't work for me but correctly placed coolers will. I'll keep an eye open for those coolers. Hey SKspawner (Sunny), do you have some left at your store out there?

I also have to decide on sacrificial gear removal to reduce a little on the weight. (no smart remarks here please). Since I am a one motor boat do I leave the kicker home or do I take it along. I remember a thread Pilar posted but I do not remember his conclusions.

Keta, I think outriggers made form heavy sturgeon gear will work great. I'll be looking for those on sale. A big set of blanks would be best. BOE, do you have access to these?

[Miss B Haven]

Bernie- I'd look for some Garage sale rods for outriggers before I bought new blanks. You want the eyes to attach the stay lines to and of course the clip lines. On my set up I need the butt to fit the rod holder to.
2 piece 12 footers would be perfect. One piece are just to hard to stow. A nice sturdy (and cheap) all fiberglass rod is what ya want.

I saw new, complete outrigers go for less than $150 on Ebay.

[CATCH AND EAT]

You're right Mel. Guides on the rod are necessary. I will probably set up with tag line instead of clips. Gotta price this stuff out. Tuna gear purchase virgin and all that.

Lee, that sounded like a good deal. I'll keep my eyes out for those too.

This is going to be much more fun than choosing electronics was. :grin:

[puffins crew]

Thanks for the pics, Skein. Wow, look at all the free deck space around that half tote. Plenty of room!!

The full tote on the Puffin is a bunch to handle, but sure is the way to go on ice conservation and fish storage.

Peace, Tom

[8knots]

I ran into the same problem this year with the fat fish bellies bunching up in the middle of the cooler. The half tote looks nice. How many of this year's tuna do you think it would hold?

[WP]

I have a half tote in the front of the WP and it held 15 +/- of this years fish. I pack a lot of ice around them and I suspect I could have put 18-20 in it if I really tried hard. They are great!!! I am thinking of getting another or two custom fish boxes of approx. 200-250 qts, at 4-5 feet long. Ice and fish storage are the biggest problems in set-up...right after fuel capacity! The totes are awesome!
Dave

The best advice on colors is don't get was working last time out.

Black & Purple, Mex Flag, White, Orange & Yellow
many other combinations have all been the hot color for the day.

[8knots]

WP,Half tote, 15+ of the 2003 model year tuna. That does it for me. I am getting one. Thanks for the details.

[Sea Jypzee]

what are the dimensions for the half tote? I use a 150qt cooler on the swim platform now. It fits well with the live-well also. If a half-tote would fit in there it might be worth using that instead of the cooler.

[SKSPAWNER]

Bernie: We're done with coolers for the year, but as soon as I get notice they are coming in (usually February), I'll e mail you guys. I've noticed a lot of tuna tackle lately on Ebay under saltwater lures and big game lures. Check it out. Bought a bunch of squids, skirts and Zukers. I gettin ready now since there are only 10 MONTHS LEFT!

Sunny K

[skein]

SeaJypzee,

The 1/2 tote is 24" wide x 44" long x 23" high.

It's solid enough to stand on, sit on, or attach things to. I may fit it with stainless hinges so I can control the top, but if I do I will make sure I can unpin them to use it as it was designed. I may even attach a cushion or two to the top, like some of the 150qt coolers.

I'm also going to construct some sort of spike/bleed tray on the back like Popeye has on his boat. Sure makes managing those bullets a lot easier.

I still need a quench tank though. I have a heavy-duty rectangle-shaped garbage can, but I'm not sure it's up to the task.

Skein

[Miss B Haven]

Skein- the 150 qt coolers do work great for quench tanks. I use a small rectangular (30 gallon?) garbage can (plastic with a hole cut in the bottom/side) for a bleed tank strapped on the swim step. They'll stay upside down in it which is the preferred bleed position. It's also just big enough so that the first couple in stay at the back, the next two stay angled on top so you can tell which ones to grab for the quench next.
I dont think a garbage can would be the best for a quench tank. The 150 qt I use for that is also on the swim step. You gotta have something you can drain and refresh a couple times a day. You gotta get rid of the bloody fresh water (from the ice melt) after a while and put new ice and saltwater.
The 150- 1/2 full of slush (2/3 ice- 1/3 salt water) will hold 4 tuners submerged real easy, 6 if ya have to but it's full to the brim.
Alternate your fish (two on the bottom head one way, two on the top head the other) so you can tell which ones have been in the longest. If your hand doesn't completely cramp up when you grab the second fish, it ain't cold enough. Don't ask me how I know that. :grin:

OH- and I'm sold on Keata's gut and gill method. That salt slush gets right into their bellies and I'll bet the chill time is less than 1/2 of a whole fish.

[ 10-01-2003, 10:26 AM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[skein]

Mel,

I have a couple of 150's, and figured on using them to store ice so I can layer the ice/fish in the tote.

Do you put any ice in your bleed tank? How long do you leave them there to bleed?

BTW, I have a pair of Kershaw game shears that work on everything, including tuna. I'll bet they would be the ticket for gutting and gilling without having a knife flashing around during a fire drill (or rough seas).

Did Keta post his technique and I missed it, or will I have to take him out to learn first hand? :grin:

Skein

[CATCH AND EAT]

Keta has this giant cork screw deal that works pretty well for the gut pile. [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] Nawh, it's a work of art to watch him work his magic.

[Miss B Haven]

No ice in the bleed bucket. I try for no longer than 10 minutes in the bucket but sometimes it's hard to do when the fish are hitting and you're busy.

Keta's technique won't work with shears I don't think (not sure). You cut up the vent about an 1 1/2", reach in and pull out and break the hmmmmm.. I guess that's a ****** (not what Tom calls it) with your finger. edit- I guess r_e_c_t_u_m is a filtered word, how about colon?
Cut all the way around the gills thru the membraine that fastens them the the jaw (same stuff you would hook them through to hang em on a scale). Cut the gills off where they come together at the front of the lower jaw then cut them off where they come together at the backbone/top of the head.
Pull the gills out and the guts come with them. Reach in on each side and clean the kidneys out, pull the heart out in the front of the lower body cavity (if it didn't come with the guts). The head and jaws and gill plates should all be together and one piece if ya do it right.
Eat the heart, rinse the fish and put in the slush tank. Slush at least a 1/2 hour. I leave em in until I have to transfer new fish into it from the bleed bucket. You can't slush em too long.
It took me a couple to get it figured out and get the guts/gill in one piece. Oh- and you'll look just like Keta when you get done! :shocked:


[ 10-01-2003, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

The top of a tote makes an excelent work/fish prossesing surface that saves your lower back.

How to gut a tuna:
After the tuna has blead out, make a 1-1/2"-2" cut from just ahead (1/4") of the anus and just through the belly. Too deep and you release juices that can taint your fish.
Insert your index finger and hook the lower intestine, pull it out of the body cavity and break it off at lower end.
Next cut gills loose at top and bottom and then the membrane behind the gills, into the body cavity. Grab the gills twist and pull, all of the guts will be in your hand (the heart might be still be beating at the bottom of the gill arch, pop it into mouth and chew, this step is optional). Toss entire contents of body cavity over the side.
On each side of the gill arch are the kidneys, run your thumb from the backbone to the belly and then wash out body cavity.
Finally rinse off the outside of the tuna and place into chill tank.

[ 10-01-2003, 11:00 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[skein]

Oh- and you'll look just like Keta when you get done!

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Purrrffecccttt!

LOL!

Skein