Bluefin & Bigeye Tactics... No Albies Here

[Mark Mc]

OK, so a few folks are somewhere between "curious" and "serious" about targeting & landing a big bluefin or bigeye (vs fishing for albies and accidentally hooking a bigun).

Start by reading this post, written by Fred Archer
(yes this is a link to another fishing website, but you won't find this information anywhere on i-fish):

Fred Archer Tutorial / Rant

[skein]

Mark,

I've gotta start somewhere with my boat, and heading out in the middle of the night to hunt for a bigger fish than I've ever even seen is just too big a step for me right now. Got some trinkets to buy before I'm prepped for that dance.

But I'll be reading and listening as this saga unfolds, and one of these days I'll probably be out there stalking the blues. The ones with fins, not a B.B. King version.

Skein

[fishwhenican]

So does that "blow away" the theory of trolling waaaay back to get bluefin (or bigeye) to smack your gear? After reading that, maybe I am under gunned with my "biggest" gear. Oh well if a big one got on and took all my line, I'd get over it, after I stopped crying.

[BUGLEMAN]

Doll house gear this guy cracked me up!!!

I think all of us would qualify as one of the girls with our reels smokin' on a 20+lb drag and the tranny still in gear. Holy Cow!!!

[Bluefinn]

I gotta get a bigger tote.

[Pilar]

Mark that site is kind of gnarly.

Anyway the sense I get is that we have alot to learn. Do Bigeye and Blufin look similar? That was alluded to in the thread.

The other thing I saw was the guy 'Sombra' was some celebrity and had not nice things to say about zipperlips, he calls them clansmen.

Does anyone else feel awed by these Bigeyes?

IMHO We are not worthy

[sturgn]

I definatly cant wait tio see a 200lb tuna cought here! What a thrill thats gunna be, almost as good as when I finally nail BILL this summer!

[Billfisher]

Yeah... Bill will come around with the next El Nino... Then we'll need bigger bait tanks. -D

[skein]

I can't really speak for Popeye, but I think he's gonna be all over this when he gets back. Right now he's got the two original Julie Roses (his wife and their first boat) over at Suttle Lake bobbing around in fresh water.

I can't wait to pour something smooth over the ice cubes and watch his eyes light up when he starts kicking around the idea of BIG fish. It's, shall we say, contagious. :grin:

Skein

[WP]

Worthy my ___!
I am in for this. I wanna hear the last yard of my 80# line snap off the spool hub as a bigeye cleans me out. I want the chance to fight a foe that is as big as me and stronger. I am going to upgrade a coupkle of rods to give me a chance. I am not clear on the set-up recommended but I will be! We be Tuna! fishers. Gotta get better at running at night though. Maybe an overnight flotilla...a mother ship and a fleet of small fishing craft. Several of us have talked about doing that...a bit hazardous getting between boats though.
Lets get some bigeye!!!!
Dave

[TillamookChinook]

WOW!!
Some of us shorebound guys live vicariously through the adventures of the albacore fishers on the Salty Dogs.

I think someone just raised the ante!

I truly enjoyed reading about the Swordboat Team last year. Keep us informed on all the Big Game fishing adventures this summer. This board will go nuts when a Salty Dog brings in a swordfish, blue fin or big eye.

I hope to get out to the blue water in August to meet some albacore.

TC

[tailchaser]

John, actually bigeye and yellowfin are nearly identical, not sure why he thinks bluefin are the same? If you landed a bigeye, basically you'd think it was a yellowfin unless you had them side by side. The bigeye are shaped more like an albacore being shorter and thicker, than the yellowtail. When they're side by side (only way I could tell in Mexico) was the bigeye actually had an eye twice the size of the yellowtail and was shorter and stubbier.

There could be a species referred to on the E.Coast that may be a closer resemblence to the bluefin though that he's talking about.

A good friend of mine that's an old salt told me about when they used to fish for bluefin off of Brookings when he was younger. They would run until they spotted fish and bait shark hooks with a beef roast and throw it overboard attached to a 55 gallon drum on a loop. They only hooked a handful of fish but I guess that drum would dissappear for up to 30 minutes sometimes. They would attach the loop onto a fishing rod and try to get the fish in. They never did land one however and he was thankful because he didn't know how to get it in the 24' boat they were fishing in since they were almost 8' long. This was back in the 70's and I had my eyes and ears wide open listening to him. Pretty cool listening to the old timers tell stories.

tc

[skein]

But....didn't Ugly Green catch a bluefin year before last? 'Bout 105 lbs?

I'm gonna see if I can catch up with him and get the story.

And, Dave, I don't know if I have the stones to drive out of the harbor at 0200 or not, but I sure don't have the gear. Wait 'til I mention to DipSea that I need a couple grand for a new TUNA! stick. I'll be livin' in Pilar's truck.

Skein

[Mark Mc]

WP, let's talk sometime about a convoy. Typical night running speed is 8 - 9 knots. If it's calm, I could even tow one guy along behind me. Even if it's a full moon, I wouldn't recommend going any faster than 11/12 knots. IMO, the guys who run 20 knots in the dark are just pushing their luck.

On the gear...Marty can elaborate more on this... one reason an all-roller rod is so desireable is that with these big fish, there is usually a lengthy tug of war, especially near the end of the fight, where you and the fish are exchanging the same 10 - 20 feet of line under tremendous tension. So imaging the same 10 ft of line see-sawing back & forth, at 70% of the breaking strength, on an ordinary ring guide. Heat....wear... and POW!!! Doesn't happen with a roller.

Another big advantage is the rollers can accomodate the knot / connection of a topshot or "wind-on" leader so much better than without. You want the 80 lb spectra for backing capacity, but you also want the monofilament topshot for the shock absorption and presentation / clarity.

On the 2 speed thing... most everyone will say it's mandatory... but remember they somehow managed without them for decades, until they were invented. The rod should be very short, whether 2 speed or not (but especially if not). 5 1/2 feet is pretty standard.... no more than 6.

Professor Marty, please take over.

[Bait O' Eggs]

We havent even landed the first albacore for the season and we are talking about multiple gaffs, VW sized fish, Eyes the size of Cyclops, Launching and cruising all night to be on the bite before sunrise, 55 gallon drums for bobbers, leaving the doll house gear in the boat.....

Somebody sounds like the quarterback talking smack about his date with the prom queen, before he ask her out

All of that said, I just took delivery on a set of roller guides and a very stout blank, I might have to cut a little off the blank to get down to the proper length for bigger fish. I will have the rod, I wonder if "Warn" can put a reel together for me.

My money is on Keta making a fortune selling his sheep for live bait. I can see it now, the live tanks will be taken out of the boat and replaced with live pens. I wonder if Mark can show us how to split tail rig a sheep with a cable hook.

[skein]

I wonder if Mark can show us how to split tail rig a sheep with a cable hook.

Now hear this! Now hear this! This is your mod speaking. Don't go there!



Skein

[Mark Mc]

1) Start with a 20 inch Forchner butcher knife.

2) Put the bait on a big table

3) (deleted my Mark's concience)


Truthfully, pelagics don't like sheep for bait as they can't stand coughing up furballs.

[sturgn]

Im in for an all nighter as long as its not to far offshore, under 35 miles should be ok....

[WP]

What makes the most sense, go really early...like midnight to 0200 or go late the night before...like leave at 1600 or so, fish the early evening feeding period...sleep or??? until 0400 and start over?
I think this could be done and would be fun. The evening depart gets us back in during the day to take care of the catch and in bed at a reasonable hour!
Dave

[Salty Walty]

The pics of those big boys will look much better in natural light too! Not to mention the commotion you will cause.

[Bait O' Eggs]

All this tuna talk has gotten me back into making a few more cedar type plugs. I have been making them from half black walnut and half white oak. Figured since I didnt have any of them in the tackle box it wouldnt hurt.

Today I read about big eye so I made a bigger plug tonight, see the one in the middle. I am gonna need a bigger than 10/0 hook for her though I wonder if the whole chicken, feathers and all, would troll well for big eye bait, the feathers are already attached

[fishwhenican]

MarkMc, I'm up for a convoy, I know Billfisher is up for it (he has radar). We talked about this a little back in January at Newport. I think there are a few others that are up for it as well. There do seem to be lots of seamounts south and west of the 61 spot. Does the warm water curl in there as well as it does a little further north? I had already planned an early am trip with good seas. Lets do it!

[Booja 1]

I've been fortunate to have a couple of shots at Bigeye down in San Diego. You'll be into 20 lb albies all day then you get a jig stop and the troll fish are smoking drag after the boat is stopped. Most of the Bigeye were caught down south seemed to be in late Aug into Sept when lots of time warmer water moves up. They bit the regular Albacore feathers during the day from my experience. We also had a double on Bigeye on the boat (hand) lines which are no more than 50 ft behind the boat and a little below the surface. like Mark says a two speed is not mandatory but it sure is alot easier on you during the fight. Also too do not forget a belt or harness of some kind or else you will have a hole in your gut as a souvenier..........

[Big TULE]

Anybody that wants to do this... I have lots of expierence at standing watch @ night... If you do decide to do this please let me know. i will take some vacation, i would love to be a deck hand when a few of the Dawgs try this...

[Mark Mc]

Well I'll do it either way (day before, or 2/3 am departure). Here's the idea I really like:

You sleep in one morning, have a really nice breakfast, and a leisurely drive to the harbor. You shove off at noon or 1 pm, and chug out to the tuna grounds. Have a nice lunch on the way out. Arrive at 3 or 4 pm, just in time for the late afternoon / evening alby bite. Throw a bunch of albies in the boat. Then at about an hour before sundown, switch over to the big gear & troll for VWs. Continue this until about an hour after dark. Shut down for the night, get up at 3:30 am, a little breakfast, and start trolling again for biguns. Continue this until about an hour after sunup, switch back to albies, put a few in, tack towards home, get home by noon. Like Dave said. And have your wife call the reporters to take pictures of the 200 lb'ers.

[BUGLEMAN]

Sounds like a good plan.

[WP]

Now that is a plan I can live with...just need a way to sleep on my little cork! I guess an extension on the cooler seats would work. Anything that is needed to get a good shot at these fish!
Let me know when the planning starts and I am there :smile:
Dave

[FASTWATER]

As a seasoned Veteran of many bluefin trips off the coast of Maine with my dad when I was a kid I know a few trade secrets!! #1 being it is mostly about water temperature, We would not go chasing blues untill we would see certain whales and dolphins show up in the area in the summer time this would tell my dad that the water was usually close enough to warrant a trip. Some summers we would run over 200 hundred miles offshore to find the water temperatures desired,70 to78 degree water which is why you really don't hear of that many bruser's caught on the west coast period the water temp does not warrant the travel lanes to support this species. Most of the blues you do hear of are just travelling with schools of albies and are Incidental. I have on a rare occasion caught a few in Hawaii in Sept. and October while fishing for the bigger yellow fin but I think it is the same thing personnelly they are just travelling with the schools of yellows as we may boat 50 or 60 yellows to one blue in a two week period. Anyway enough babbling, my dads dads method of madness which produced many 400 and 500 hundred # fish thru the years was always the same, chum,chum,andmore chum some times it would take at least7 or 8 hours of slicking the water before you would see an ocassional breaker if we did not see fish breaking within this time period we would usually move further offshore.#2 live bait once we did loacate fish live bait was the key!!! usually mackeral was what we used, we would runthree or four rods weighted with8 to 20 ounces of lead and set them at different depths,50 to 300 ft. down believe me blues are as finick as they come and dad was real particular about changing baits and we would go through probably 20 or 30 baits before hooking up but In my lifetime it is these memorys that bless me> What always did interest me was down south as in the Carolina's most of the blues were caught trolling big artificials in coller water but we always trolled the same gear out every year to where we were going and not once do I remember actually hooking a blue plenty of other fish but never a bluefin. Know in Hawaii that is a different story most of the bluefin incidentally caught were always on the troll with big skirts inblue,white black colars which more or less imitated the skipjack over there, so if I was too target them off the coast I think silver,blueand black would be my go to colors in big skirts anywaythanks for bringing back the memorys got to love Salty dogs!!!PEACE

[Metal Manipulator]

Sounds like fun though I would require some one with radar to lead the way. I hae two bunks on the Lady Irish and witha three person crew it would work out for the sleeping arrangments. Running at night seems a tad riskey even at 8 knots so a convoy would be manditory for me to go. But I will have to say if I get teased any more I will have to bite. The first thing I need to do is catch me some Albie's before I move on to Bluefin. I have all the gear now I need to get buisey and start assembling it together intime for the next serious date for offshore fishing with the Salty Dogs.

[Marty]

Mercy.......Mercy......this is going to be an interesting year.

Marty

[Uglygreen]

Just a thought... how bout a group trip on the Blitz to do some prospecting. Maybe we could convince Captain Mike to change the hours on one of his 12 or 18 hour trips to cover an early evening / all night / early morning shot???

UG

[sturgn]

UG thats a great idea, I think it would be nice to go out with a small group of the dog's and chase these guys around.

[Sensei-san]

I think some of you missed the point of his rant.

"MY tackle would be all bent butt eighties with eighty or one thirty and BIG leaders on them. NO little chicken shite rigs, no matter what kind of topshots and other foolishness those who don't have the faintest idea what they are doing will try to pollute the spread with. ("Pollution" meaning that Murphy's Law says that their puny little rig will get belted first and you and the clown fishing it will find out what a two hundred pound class eye or bluefin can do to pityful little gear in deep water. And that the rest of the bigeye pod goes away with the hooked sprinter. It ain't a purty sight!)"

As in the movie JAWS where the grizzled ol' Captain says: "I think we need a bigger boat.", your tackle has to match the quarry you are fishing for. Does everyone have a 80# class CALSTAR bent butt all roller rod with a Shimano TI50WLRS that has been spec'ed by Baxter's?

Don't even think of trying this manuvouer with albacore gear unless you are willing to catch the "puny sprinter" and be happy going home with one fish.

I learned this lesson years ago trolling for "vermin." We got into a hot "vermin" bite and one of the guys had a really nice salmon rod with a Penn 975. He slipped it out on the bite and got hooked up. It took twenty minutes to land each of his fish. The crew really got mad at him and made him sit down and watched him to make sure he didn't slip it out again or he and his rod were going fishing themselves.

[sturgn]

I didnt miss the point of this post at all, we are talking about exploritory fishing trips here, beleive me if I start hooking tuna I cant land with the gear I have, I will be getting bigger gear, we have no idea how many or if any of the 200 pounders are out there that we can reach. I will invest in the gear when I prove to myself that it is needed. Until then its 600yrds of 80lb tuffline on an Abu Garcia Morrum and a tiger rod. I hope like heck I lose all 600 yards of it and am crying all the way to the dock... :tongue:

[Uglygreen]

No, but no one is going to buy them either till we prove the fish are here and we can hook them up. I have 3 rigs that can and have handled 300 lb class Marlin. I assume that all togther we could outfit a boat for a prospecting trip.

And dont take everything this guy says as gospel. I have read two of Tred Barta's books on the subject of Bigeye tuna. And he uses lighter gear and stresses boat handeling skills over brute force rods and is regulerly one of the most sucessful at killing these fish. Having landed several 200-300+ yellowfin tuna in Mexico, I know that the bigger gear is worth having, but if we dont its not a matter of just giving up and not even trying.

Plus people were killing big tuna long before 80# class CALSTAR bent butt all roller rod's with a Shimano TI50WLRS's were even avalible.

UG

[fishwhenican]

Dennis Braid had a very good article in, I believe it was, Salt Water Sportsman about stand-up gear for different line class weights. A better fighting belt with snaps for the reel would go a long way toward shorting a fight with a large tuna.

UG, did you use anything "special" on your large catch a couple of years ago?

[Miss B Haven]

No bigeyes up here close in- they want what, 80 plus degree water? We have to settle for those puny Bluefins.

CR crowd....We gotta get an overnighter in this year!

[Mr. Fisherman]

- believe, do and you will start getting your string stretched by these other bad boys that are stacked up out there, just waiting for you to do it right so they can show you their stuff!

Them battlewagon guys should be the leaders in this, but I don't think that they will be. I think it'll be the hardcore, small private boat guys that will lead the way. And here's a prediction - they are going to have a problem figuring out where to put those big tanks when they start catching them! If it were me, I'd just get on the horn and ask one of those battlewagon guys if he would haul my eyes back for me.

Now wouldn't THAT be a kick?!

Hehehe.... I have always faced fishbox capacity issues... Now
I have a solution.

Mark,
I already have the trip planned and the crew selected. Sea Lion is in!
The alternate list for crew is long.

I have been in contact with someone who is good at this type of fishing and he says jigging during the predawn hours is the ticket. We will find out. If the big tuna are below the smaller Albies then I can see it working.

I know Bruce is up for this this year.
The weather needs to be perfect and the SST right.

I am thinking mid to late August.

Julie Rose III
Blitz
WP
Norriver Dave (need to name that boat buddy )
MarkMC

Who else is in?

I was planning on heading out at like 02:00 and coming back in late in the day...but... I like what I am reading.
I am in no hurry to get back for quiche on the hook

[SKSPAWNER]

Mel, WP: I'm up for an overnighter as the assigned chef, carker, tackle tech or whatever.

Sunny K

[backlash442]

Barta fishes on the East Coast where the water is relatively shallow. You can run 70 miles and still be in less than 200ft of water. That's why boat handling skills can make a difference. You can not chase a fish that is diving in 3000ft of water.

I had a quad on the BET once. Middle of the day trolling for YFT and or BET since we knew they were in the area. Of the 4 we landed 2 and those were rats. One about 40lbs and the other not even 20lbs. The one that was hooked up on the "right" rig came off after 10min. The other one I was fighting trolling a CD18. That one popped off under full tension straight up and down. When we got into Ensenada there was a small Bayrunner that had 2 or 3 that went about 100lbs each. They too had lost a couple of fish straight up and down (one on a CD18). The only other time I hooked a real screamer was during a tournament. I was using a Shimano Beastmaster Rod and TLD50 LRS with 80lb. The fish pulled so hard it bent my rod (on an outrodder) to the bait tank that was on the middle of my swimstep! Had to back the drag down almost to nothing before I could even get the rod out of the holder. Must have taken at least a third of the line off. Soon as I got the fish under tension (it had stopped) I could feel the weight. Couple of cranks up and the lure popped out of it's mouth. Couldn't believe it. Cedar Plug. Hated that lure after that. Left teeth marks that were no doubt from a tuna.

[Mark Mc]

Hey Backlash, thanks for the stories!!! One theme that comes up again and again in the stuff I've read, is replacing stock hooks on lures...with much larger, stronger, singles. Pretty much ANY treble hook is just not built with any meat. Yea they might look tough for measly 50 lb lingcod, but they don't stand a chance against the over-100 pelagics. Then the next problem is... to replace a hook usually means a split-ring, which is another weak point. This is a good reason to look at the lures already rigged with the big singles, on the eyelets that are built into the lure.

BTW... just so we're all on the same page..... if you had one chance at one of these, you wouldn't want it to get away because of cheap gear now would you?


[image] [/image]

p.s. To give credit where it may be due, I borrowed this photo from an Allcoast post. The poster refers to his "girlfriend" here..... gee lucky guy.

[Booja 1]

Wow Backlash,,,,like Mark said, great stories but can't you buy CD 18's with 2 single siwash kind of similar to the Braid Maurader lures?? That one on the Cedar plug sounds like it just came unbuttoned, wonder how that happens on a big single hook like that huh?

[WP]

I can get her with expensive gear??? I wonder if Joey will let me keep her if I do catch her!....oh, the tuna :depressed:
Well, I really have yet to find that cheap gear, everything I have seems to be pretty expensive. Not big enough but expensive!

[Puffin]

Sounds like fun to me.

[Beer Waggin]

Mr. F- You can count me in for one of these trips! I'll roll a bag out on the deck and sleep if I have to!

BTW-Boat name is almost here. Should be done by mid next week.

I can hear the radio now. "Nope, I'm heading back to port. I don't have any reels with line left on them."

I've only been spooled once (oversized sturgeon on salmon gear). I never cryed about it!

I have two new reels that could do it and I'm looking at a few rods to match them up to. This thread changed my thoughts on the size and types of rods to get. I went from 30's to 50's with rollers real quick.

Where's Tuna Tom at? He's got some first hand info on this stuff.

[backlash442]

Well you live and learn. I usually run large double hooks on the feathers and the CD18's now. Actually I've gone to the Yorzuri lures since you can't bend them. I found some lures on the East Coast when I was living there that can dive to about 40ft. Looking forward to trying them too.

A good friend of mine was lucky enough to get into a wfo bite on the BET on bait. Twice! One on a sport boat the other on a private. Both times the fish just stayed with the boat. One guy quit fishing because the first one just kicked his a$$. Man would I love to experience that! Personally BET is THE best eating tuna.

[Popeye]

Who said "Nobody's Got The Gear"????
Let me see.....Got them big black and purple jets I bought in Kauii
Got that full roller Penn International 120# rod with a Penn International 2 speed 50 VSW spooled with 80# Yozuri Hybrid Hi Vis Yellow.
220# Flouro Leader.
Got that 80R G Loomis Pelagic Rod with Penn International 2 Speed 30 VSW spooled with Yozuri 80# Hybrid.
Got them two Old Salty divers I bought last year to hang off of the cleats.
Got the BOAT.
Got the stones!
What am I missing here????

[skein]

...What am I missing here????

Yer crew. That's all your missing. Yer crew - and I know where they live. :grin:

Skein

[Metal Manipulator]

A Blue fin in the boat and you've got it all.

[Popeye]

The fog's just lifting. Throw off your bow line, throw off your stern. You head out the South Channel, past Rocky Neck, Ten Pound Island. Past Niles Pond, where I skated as a kid. Blow your airhorn and throw a wave to the lighthouse keeper's kid on Thatcher Island. The birds show up -- black backs, herring gulls, big dumb ducks. The sun hits ya, head North, open up to 12, steamin' now. The guys are busy, you're in charge. Ya know what? You're a goddam swordboat captain! Is there anything better in the world?

[Bait O' Eggs]

All the planets line up and you hook into a VW sized tuna, just as you are about to get spooled by a big fish like that, it would be tough to tie a second rod/reel off to the first rod/reel and toss the first rod/reel over the side of the boat so you didnt get spooled, all the while thinking you might not see that rod and reel again But I would do it in a heartbeat.

Go hard or go home

Miss B,
Range: Bigeye tuna occur worldwide in warmer seas. In the eastern Pacific these tuna range from Peru to <font color="red"> Iron Springs, Washington </font> . They are occasional visitors to California, entering our fishing grounds in June and remaining until November. These fish prefer temperate water in excess of 70° F, but significant catches have occurred in water as cool as <font color="red"> 65° F </font> .


I'm ready

[Pilar]

WP, bag limit on split tails is one in possession. Don't ask me how I know this .....

[Badger]

The fog's just lifting. Throw off your bow line, throw off your stern. You head out the South Channel, past Rocky Neck, Ten Pound Island. Past Niles Pond, where I skated as a kid. Blow your airhorn and throw a wave to the lighthouse keeper's kid on Thatcher Island. The birds show up -- black backs, herring gulls, big dumb ducks. The sun hits ya, head North, open up to 12, steamin' now. The guys are busy, you're in charge. Ya know what? You're a goddam swordboat captain! Is there anything better in the world?

Popeye,

Verbatim quote, yer sick dude! I'm dying to get my boat back to Newport and join the hunt as the Tuna slaughter is just around the corner. Will be ou there with you guys in two weeks or so.

If you ever need one more crew please let me know. I am good deck hand and follow orders like a dog. And can bring several Penn 50 combos too if desired.

Bryan

[Mr. Fisherman]

[quoteIf you ever need one more crew please let me know. I am good deck hand and follow orders like a dog. And can bring several Penn 50 combos too if desired.

Bryan

[/quote]

Go here and sign up

Pilar,
What's happens when you get caught with 2 or more? As far as I'm concerned I have enough trouble with 1 she scheduled a trip to see her parents in the middle of fishing and I will have to stay home to feed the livestock

[Miss B Haven]

The FEEESSSHHH, your missing the FEEESSSHHH! Not for long hopefully!

It looks like 2 weeks at the first of July and then I HAVE to be at the county fair the first week of August.

[Mr. Fisherman]

Lee, are you planning on fishing with me or what?

Yup! I have to figure out when I can get up but I WILL keep one of your seats warm and dry. I'll try to call your house this evening.