TOONA SHOOTOUT!! - Bamfield September 22,23,24

Osama Bin Hopper

Osama Bin Hopper

Active Member
Ok fellas, looks like it's getting better out there, just in time!

We went 8 for 10 hooked yesterday and 13 for 18 today. Took a lot of time yesterday to locate the fish, didn't have a bite until 4:11 pm! Then double header and both popped off right away. Talk about ******' disheartening. Turned the boat around and BAM ~ QUAD!!!

We managed to get all 4 on board, even though there were only 3 of us so that was cool.

Flip the boat around for another double header that we board. Couple more passes for no bites.

Keep trolling and hit another double at 7:15 which we landed. Decided it was time to head into a bit shallower water and drop the hook for the night. As we were anchoring in the dark a freighter came cruising behind us about 1/4 mile off the stern. Somewhat disconcerting. So Slivo and I decide to have a couple bevvies and listen to the big buggers cruise by for a bit. Creepy to say the least.

Sleep a few hours and then head back out this morning.

Lines in about 8a.m. Twenty minutes and we hit a single. Get him on board and spin.

MAYHEM!!!

In the next hour we got 9 out of 14 of the fish that hit into the box. That hour was ABSOLUTELY INSANE!! As a fisherman I really have got to say, that kind of action just leaves you shaking at the knees.

The next couple passes produced nothing so we continued to troll the grids looking for them.

We hit three more singles as we trolled which put us to 13 fish into the boat for the day. 2:30 p.m. comes and we decided to pull the pin and get back nice and early for a change.

Anyhow, I feel great (my arms hurt like hell) and confident that anyone coming to the weekend event will catch a few fish!

Have changed the party to the Saturday night instead of Sunday for obvious reasons...

So let's get it on next weekend people and slay some tunas!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Deadly!!! Good on you guys for doing the sleep over too.

If you ever camp out right on the grounds be sure to drop a bit of gear even before you get going. Remember what I said about flotsam? Your boat is really big flotsam; **** schools up under it. A few early morning jigs and you could really be into it!
 
Outstanding report and adventure fella's:cool::D! I don't think I could sleep at all with the freighters going by. Cool stuff for sure. Hope there are some pic's and video coming.......


How far did you have to run?
 
Tuna is listed in the regs this year.

20 per person per day. 40 possession.

It has always been in the regs and fell under the "all other fish" category. Now it is spelled out pretty clear. Wonder why they decided to list it this year?
 
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So DFO could start cutting us back early!!! They realized there mistake with salmon and halibut. This way they can get a early start to f$#k us over earlier.
 
Sculpin said:
Tuna is listed in the regs this year.

20 per person per day. 40 possession.

It has always been in the regs and fell under the "all other fish" category. Now it is spelled out pretty clear. Wonder why they decided to list it this year?
Click to expand...

That's a **** ton of delicious meat!!
 
Are these Yellowfins?
Regardless, must be heaven on the barbie :)
 
OBH or TunaDon,
Do you have any pictures of your last trip you guys could share?
Cheers,
Sculpin
 
Ha ha I found this online just now and it is so true what I am going through right now:p:D.



Welcome to the darkside

If you are looking for trolling lures for albacore tuna than it is likely you have entered or are about to enter the darkside. Let me be the first to welcome you to a sportfishing pursuit like no other. You will soon find yourself looking at expensive rods and reels and very large boats. Soon you will be scheming ideas to convince your spouse to get a second job so you can afford this affliction that is upon you. There is no cure, only the occasional fix when you load the boat.
Every other thing you do becomes nothing more than a way to pass the time between tuna fishing trips. You will watch countless fishing video's and bookmark websites of sport yachts you could not possibly afford. You will daily check the latest ocean forecasts looking for a window and beg online message boards for fishing reports. And every online retailer with tuna lures will become your friends.


http://steviedow.hubpages.com/hub/Trolling-Lures-For-Albacore-Tuna



It's all Derby's fault for giving me 10 years worth of Sportsfisherman magazines:D!
 
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FWIW-Over they years I've done very well throwing Deadly Dicks @ Tuna of various kinds.

Largest model-beef up the hooks/rings and use a large Mustad 95170 or the equivalent.

Throw the lure out and let it sink for a count of 5 then reel it back medium fast -don't get jiggy jiggy just a steady retrieve.

If that doesn't work let it sink for a count of 10 then burn it back top the boat.
 
Dogbreath said:
FWIW-Over they years I've done very well throwing Deadly Dicks @ Tuna of various kinds.

Largest model-beef up the hooks/rings and use a large Mustad 95170 or the equivalent.

Throw the lure out and let it sink for a count of 5 then reel it back medium fast -don't get jiggy jiggy just a steady retrieve.

If that doesn't work let it sink for a count of 10 then burn it back top the boat.
Click to expand...

So let's say you got a bunch on the troll to find them so to speak. Would one stop and start start jigging or throwing swim baits etc. in the general area? We don't have access to live bait up here. What could one do to create a bait stop without live bait?
 
We were close to trying it last time out but were doing good on troll so kept with that next time will try for sure. Here is one article I have on it.
Fishing Jigs on Slide
It's that time of year again; you start dusting off your tuna gear and get ready to go after them. We all live for those epic tuna bites when you keep hooking fish till you arms are literally ready to fall off. But those bites are few and far between, and on a scratchy day, the difference between having a good trip or having a bad trip can be fishing the "slide". The "slide" is slang for the series of events that follow a troll strike. Someone yells "Hookup!!!!," and the boat begins to gradually slow. As it slows the skipper will usually turn the boat to face parallel to the swell. On a tough day, most of the fish will be caught on the "slide" or on the troll, and unless you like fighting 25# albacore on 80# line the "slide" is the way to go.
There are a few techniques that work for fishing slide, but the advent of one in recent years has really revolutionized "slide" fishing. It turns out that albacore and other pelagic fishes love soft plastics, the same ones designed mainly for fishing saltwater bass. In my experiences I have seen these baits out fish jigs, and live baits on the "slide" almost every time. The best part about it is it, really couldn't be an easier thing to do.
I would recommend, using a 7' -8' rod in the 25# - 30# line class. Something like a 15#-30#, 20# -40#, or a 30#-60# depending what line you want to fish. I personally use my jigstick with 30#, because I am not using a line that is heavy enough to really hurt me on the longer rods. Match a rod with a 99 size or 500 size reel loaded with 25# -30# string and you are set to go. If you want to use a heavier line go up to 40# on a 4/0. I would recommend 30# for this technique because it strong enough where you can control you fish, and you can still have a lot of fun.
Now that you got a rod and reel, all you need is the right lure. I like using 5" Big Hammers with 1.5 oz. or 2.5 oz. Hammer Heads™. The 5" in my experience seems to be the perfect size for the albacore and other tuna. The colors are fairly simple; you only really need two, a dark and a light. For a light color I use Silver 'Chovy (#44) and for a dark I use Deep Purple (#39). Similar colors to either one of these work fine, its mainly just personal preference. Use the dark bait in the morning or if it is heavily overcast all day, and use the lighter color when it is bright and the sun is shinning. For the jig heads I like to use the plain or natural color, mainly because tuna really seem to hone in on chrome. The 1.5 oz heads with 5/0 hooks work great for most days fishing; but sometimes the fish are boat shy or stay deep, in which case I would go to a 2.5 oz.

Fishing the "slide" is relatively simple. Get your "slide" rod with your plastic tied on, and go stand at the stern rail. The second someone yells hookup or you hear a clicker scream, chuck that thing as far back as you can. That is the basic idea behind fishing the "slide", but it is a little more complicated than that. Find out which side of the boat, the skipper usually fishes on, most boats seems to fish the port side. In that case stand at the port/ stern corner, the reason for this is so you don't tangle up other the troll lines. When you do cast out, throw it as far back as you can, and leave the reel out of gear for a few seconds letting a hundred or so feet of line out; this gets the bait to sink. Keep the line in between your forefingers as it sinks, so you can detect a pick up on the sink. Be mindful of the line to take a quick jerk and start to come off faster, this is what will happen if a fish picks it up on the sink. Towards the end of the "slide" put the reel in gear and let the boat troll your bait till it comes to a stop. Often times when you engage your reel you are already on. If not begin a slow to medium retrieve. Tuna will bite quickly retrieved swim baits but, they really like them at almost the same speed the bass eat them at. When they bite, don't expect a hard full speed hit. Most of the times as you are cranking or trolling it will seem as though you have a hooked a plastic bag in the water, that's a fish, Turn the Handle! Half way through your retrieve if you are still not bit put the reel out of gear and let it sink another fifty feet or so and then work it back to the boat.
Fishing the slide is an extremely fun way to fish albacore. Most troll stops will produce a slide fish, but the key is being one of the first in the water. While everyone is scrambling for a bait, you could already be hooked up.
 
Sculpin said:
So let's say you got a bunch on the troll to find them so to speak. Would one stop and start start jigging or throwing swim baits etc. in the general area? We don't have access to live bait up here. What could one do to create a bait stop without live bait?
Click to expand...
Leaving one hooked fish in the water beside the boat works sometime to hold a school.
 
He Osama, I love your story even I heard that already from Slivo, too bad I could not be there we could of kill much more, I hope we could do that again this year.

hot knot
 
u guys got more guts than dick tracy - not sure I could sleep anchored up in the shipping lanes. Might sleep a little easier with an AIS pinging out my position to the tankers. I'll be up working on the cabin when you guys are playing - good luck to ya...take lots of pics please. Also coming up for Thanks Giving to do some more work and prawning. Felix, drop by the cabin when you are up that long weekend.
 
Jeff or Don please post up some pic's of the last trip..................as a new addict I'm going through withdrawls here:p!!!!
 
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