Sculpin
Well-Known Member
That's the plan. Only with a good weather window and with a buddy boat or two.
I think a Sat phone would be a great safety feature for communications.
Tuna Talk
- Thread starter Sculpin
- Start date
That's the plan. Only with a good weather window and with a buddy boat or two.
I think a Sat phone would be a great safety feature for communications.
We have used the "SPOT" locating device with the "tracking feature" for our last three trips to tuna country. The SPOT lets my wife know where we are (with about a 10 minute delay) and she and the kids track us all day. It's big entertainment for them to see on google earth "where is daddy now" in almost real time. This is the basic unit, not the upgraded SPOT II that is out now.
The added benefit is being able to save our track and view it after the trip.
I have never used the 911 button on the device, which notifiys S&R and coastguard of my location. I have used it for the past 4 years hunting (Knights, Bute, Toba), boating and fishing Winter Harbor, Gold River and Campbell River, and it has proved to be very reliable. People I have talked to that don't like it have never used it (or have not learned to use it properly).
I have submerged it in fresh and salt water, dropped it out of the truck while doing 70kms, and run it over with the motor bike.
I cannot believe that it is not more popular, given the value and price.
Get one, put it in your floater coat pocket, it may save your life (for $150 per year).
The added benefit is being able to save our track and view it after the trip.
I have never used the 911 button on the device, which notifiys S&R and coastguard of my location. I have used it for the past 4 years hunting (Knights, Bute, Toba), boating and fishing Winter Harbor, Gold River and Campbell River, and it has proved to be very reliable. People I have talked to that don't like it have never used it (or have not learned to use it properly).
I have submerged it in fresh and salt water, dropped it out of the truck while doing 70kms, and run it over with the motor bike.
I cannot believe that it is not more popular, given the value and price.
Get one, put it in your floater coat pocket, it may save your life (for $150 per year).
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
The Turd hootchie on the downer riggers hit 3 of the 5 fish we boated that day. They were probably the shortest and about 17 feet down.
My gal came with Taco Grand Slams and I will be re mounting them this summer. I just need to buy a new rigging kit with release clips etc. Shawn was thinking of making up some horizontal rod holders off his radar arch to get a couple of rods spread out further.
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
I heard about this SPOT device when I first joined up to the forum after my tuna trip. I thought it was an awesome idea an really liked the idea of a third party being able to track progress. Would help keep level heads at home for sure! I just couldn't find the info after hearing about it and haven't heard about it since...
I went to the website..definately worth a look i think!
http://www.findmespot.ca/en/
I went to the website..definately worth a look i think!
http://www.findmespot.ca/en/
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
PNT is shaping up in the tuna department.
Well I was running around the mid Island yesterday and stopped in to see Rob and Derek at PNT.
I picked up some stuff that Shawn has in his arensal of tuna tackle. I was also surprised by how much sporty stuff they have now. The place is loaded!!!!
Here is some of the Tuna gear I picked up.
10 pack of Zuccini colored Zukers, 10 pack of Purple and Black colored Zukers, a couple of orange rabbits like Shawn runs, and a couple of natural squid colored Zukers because of last years success on the Turd hootchie. I thought what the hell and they were in the singles bin to boot.
I also grabbed a cool Shimano bag with inserts to keep my tuna gear separate from my other tackle. When you get 150-200 lb mono line leaders with these Zukers and double hooks they take up some room. I think this bag with serve me well for having pre rigged lures intact and at the ready.
I figure the 10 packs were the way to go in case I loose any I have a few extra's. I can't see me running more than 6-8 line's on my boat. I am planning on picking up or making some daisy chains as well shortly to get ready for August and September.
Cheers,
Sculpin
Well I was running around the mid Island yesterday and stopped in to see Rob and Derek at PNT.
I picked up some stuff that Shawn has in his arensal of tuna tackle. I was also surprised by how much sporty stuff they have now. The place is loaded!!!!
Here is some of the Tuna gear I picked up.
10 pack of Zuccini colored Zukers, 10 pack of Purple and Black colored Zukers, a couple of orange rabbits like Shawn runs, and a couple of natural squid colored Zukers because of last years success on the Turd hootchie. I thought what the hell and they were in the singles bin to boot.
I also grabbed a cool Shimano bag with inserts to keep my tuna gear separate from my other tackle. When you get 150-200 lb mono line leaders with these Zukers and double hooks they take up some room. I think this bag with serve me well for having pre rigged lures intact and at the ready.
I figure the 10 packs were the way to go in case I loose any I have a few extra's. I can't see me running more than 6-8 line's on my boat. I am planning on picking up or making some daisy chains as well shortly to get ready for August and September.
Cheers,
Sculpin
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
Here is a great explanation on how a slide works once you have hooked up trolling and located a school (hopefully a big school lol).
From the ifish forum
"As others have mentioned, including Del, once you hook a fish on the troll, you have a decision to make.
You either stay committed to the troll, or you commit to bringing as much of the school of fish up as you can and hitting the fish with iron, swimbaits and live bait. Its your choice really, but you usually have to go all-in either way to be really successful (unless the fish are so hungry it doesn't matter what you do).
If you like to run a really tasty troll spread of 6-7 lines or more, and you want to convert to fishing live bait, swimbaits and iron on a stop, you will learn quickly that running that many troll lines is a pain in the arse to clear once a fish is hooked (even moreso if there is much wind). If you can find the fish with 2-3 troll lines, maybe 4, then its much easier to convert to light tackle fishing because most of the time it takes considerable effort to chum and get iron, bait and swimbaits out on the slide and hook up more and more fish (while ignoring the troll spread, which by that time is getting more difficult to clear).
I come off the throttle the moment the first fish is hooked, and the crew runs for the cockpit to throw chum, livies, iron and swimbaits at the fish. If you do this fast, and the fish are willing, all those hungry eyes looking up at you from the depths will have something to eat....bendo x6.
If you are slow at this, or you screw around with the troll gear and don't get enough iron, bait and swimbait rods fishing, you have missed your opportunity.
Think of it from the fishes perspective. They are down there a few fathoms, and they see this bait ball coming (boat) with stragglers behind (troll gear). A few of them come up to eat, but there is not enough for more than just a few to eat. When you throw chum, swimbaits, iron and livies in, it brings up the school (if they wanna eat). Now you have raised a feeding school, and you can feed them as long as they will stay up.
This is the way I prefer to fish, even when the fish are eating squid early in the year.
There are lots of details in this framework, and each boat does it differently, but this is the general idea.
Have fun and experiment. Repeat what works and change tactics to conform with the conditions on the water. "
Swim baits and a chunking system is next on my list as I think I have enough trolling gear now. I'm going to use up some old bait and cut it up into 3/4" squares and put it in some small icecream buckets or something like that and keep it in the cooler.
From the ifish forum
"As others have mentioned, including Del, once you hook a fish on the troll, you have a decision to make.
You either stay committed to the troll, or you commit to bringing as much of the school of fish up as you can and hitting the fish with iron, swimbaits and live bait. Its your choice really, but you usually have to go all-in either way to be really successful (unless the fish are so hungry it doesn't matter what you do).
If you like to run a really tasty troll spread of 6-7 lines or more, and you want to convert to fishing live bait, swimbaits and iron on a stop, you will learn quickly that running that many troll lines is a pain in the arse to clear once a fish is hooked (even moreso if there is much wind). If you can find the fish with 2-3 troll lines, maybe 4, then its much easier to convert to light tackle fishing because most of the time it takes considerable effort to chum and get iron, bait and swimbaits out on the slide and hook up more and more fish (while ignoring the troll spread, which by that time is getting more difficult to clear).
I come off the throttle the moment the first fish is hooked, and the crew runs for the cockpit to throw chum, livies, iron and swimbaits at the fish. If you do this fast, and the fish are willing, all those hungry eyes looking up at you from the depths will have something to eat....bendo x6.
If you are slow at this, or you screw around with the troll gear and don't get enough iron, bait and swimbait rods fishing, you have missed your opportunity.
Think of it from the fishes perspective. They are down there a few fathoms, and they see this bait ball coming (boat) with stragglers behind (troll gear). A few of them come up to eat, but there is not enough for more than just a few to eat. When you throw chum, swimbaits, iron and livies in, it brings up the school (if they wanna eat). Now you have raised a feeding school, and you can feed them as long as they will stay up.
This is the way I prefer to fish, even when the fish are eating squid early in the year.
There are lots of details in this framework, and each boat does it differently, but this is the general idea.
Have fun and experiment. Repeat what works and change tactics to conform with the conditions on the water. "
Swim baits and a chunking system is next on my list as I think I have enough trolling gear now. I'm going to use up some old bait and cut it up into 3/4" squares and put it in some small icecream buckets or something like that and keep it in the cooler.
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
It would be alot cheaper and easier. Anything is worth a try.
Last edited by a moderator:
spring fever
Well-Known Member
Why not use prawn bait with a few tins of carlye (opened and mixed)LOL a it has fish oils etc etc in it. Should put out a scent slick.
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
I was pondering my boat rebuild today, specifically with Tuna on the mind...when we went out last october and loaded up, the only thing that stopped us from fishing more was lack of room to store and cool the fish. Cooling them immidiately was the biggest problem, they burned up the ice on the initial cool, and created a blood slushy in most cases.
Wondering what techniques others may have to cool, chill and store your fish on board. We managed 23 onboard of the 22' we made the trip in...but thats only just over limit for one angler. I would like to work on limits for at least two on board!!
Some ideas that came to mind...
the initial cooling (where most of the ice gets melted) - i was thinking of fashioning a rope with 4 or so nooses fixed 2ft apart to tie between the forward and rear cleate, spanning the length of the deck. The end of each noose (a spliced carrabeaner to loop back and clip to itself, creating noose) would dangle just above the waters surface. When a tuna is landed, a noose is pulled onboard, put around the tail, then give 'em a stab in the liver, and toss them over the side, to bleed out and be cooled to 60 degrees, water temperature (rather than competing with a summer air temperature, and a cooler/fish hold filling with fish). With the tail just above the water, I don't think it would conflict with landing other fish or gear in the water. It was the Halibut Seminar that got me thinking of this as someone said just leave the halibut in the water, and let the ocean do the refrigeration (obviously once tied on). Maybe on way off on this one but, Thoughts?
Chilling and Storage- [going beyond what storage is offered in the original boat design] Since I have rather deep sides on my boat, nearly waste high at 6'4", I was thinking of constructing "Tuna Boxes", build of aluminum, approx 8" tall (thickness of a tuna) to cover the entire deck space, strong enought to stand on. I would make 3 seperate boxes, running front to back, with the middle box full of sea ice. Each box would have a large hatch or two that open, and as fish are caught, cooled and bled, they are loaded into the side tuna boxes, and packed with ice. You could regulate how much ice is needed per fish, as the side boxes become full. Once full, work can begin on filling the now almost empty middle box that stored your ice. Some simple foam insulation would be placed under the tuna boxes, with large drainage holes drilled into the back of the boxes at the bottom.
Has anyone tried the 'Kill Bags"
and do they make Gerry Cans out of soft plastic? like a plastic water bag that is meant to be filled with gas? If extra gas was brought out, it would be cool to not have to deal with empty, bulky gerry cans!
.....always thinking, maybe to much!!
-FB-
PS sometimes I think I would win the "long-winded" post award lol
Wondering what techniques others may have to cool, chill and store your fish on board. We managed 23 onboard of the 22' we made the trip in...but thats only just over limit for one angler. I would like to work on limits for at least two on board!!
Some ideas that came to mind...
the initial cooling (where most of the ice gets melted) - i was thinking of fashioning a rope with 4 or so nooses fixed 2ft apart to tie between the forward and rear cleate, spanning the length of the deck. The end of each noose (a spliced carrabeaner to loop back and clip to itself, creating noose) would dangle just above the waters surface. When a tuna is landed, a noose is pulled onboard, put around the tail, then give 'em a stab in the liver, and toss them over the side, to bleed out and be cooled to 60 degrees, water temperature (rather than competing with a summer air temperature, and a cooler/fish hold filling with fish). With the tail just above the water, I don't think it would conflict with landing other fish or gear in the water. It was the Halibut Seminar that got me thinking of this as someone said just leave the halibut in the water, and let the ocean do the refrigeration (obviously once tied on). Maybe on way off on this one but, Thoughts?
Chilling and Storage- [going beyond what storage is offered in the original boat design] Since I have rather deep sides on my boat, nearly waste high at 6'4", I was thinking of constructing "Tuna Boxes", build of aluminum, approx 8" tall (thickness of a tuna) to cover the entire deck space, strong enought to stand on. I would make 3 seperate boxes, running front to back, with the middle box full of sea ice. Each box would have a large hatch or two that open, and as fish are caught, cooled and bled, they are loaded into the side tuna boxes, and packed with ice. You could regulate how much ice is needed per fish, as the side boxes become full. Once full, work can begin on filling the now almost empty middle box that stored your ice. Some simple foam insulation would be placed under the tuna boxes, with large drainage holes drilled into the back of the boxes at the bottom.
Has anyone tried the 'Kill Bags"
and do they make Gerry Cans out of soft plastic? like a plastic water bag that is meant to be filled with gas? If extra gas was brought out, it would be cool to not have to deal with empty, bulky gerry cans!
.....always thinking, maybe to much!!
-FB-
PS sometimes I think I would win the "long-winded" post award lol
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
We used a garbage can with an ice slurry in it to do the initial cooling before putting them in the ice chests. This seems to work well.
I am looking into the kill bags as they can be kept away folded up somewhere until needed. You can tie them to the inside of the gunnel off of a railing or something etc. One thing to point out is they are designed to weep or leak so don't put them up in your cuddy and expect it to stay clean and smelling like a rose lol.
I am looking into the kill bags as they can be kept away folded up somewhere until needed. You can tie them to the inside of the gunnel off of a railing or something etc. One thing to point out is they are designed to weep or leak so don't put them up in your cuddy and expect it to stay clean and smelling like a rose lol.
Aces
Well-Known Member
We used a garbage can with an ice slurry in it to do the initial cooling before putting them in the ice chests. This seems to work well.
I am looking into the kill bags as they can be kept away folded up somewhere until needed. You can tie them to the inside of the gunnel off of a railing or something etc. One thing to point out is they are designed to weep or leak so don't put them up in your cuddy and expect it to stay clean and smelling like a rose lol.
Also because i have the room i carry 3 165 qt coolers of ice in which i can pack up to 30 tunas. I've never caught more than that on a trip.
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
We had the 2 or 3 large coolers on board as well, but they were quite cumbersome, were often sliding around, and seemed to never be in a 'good' spot. They were always being shifted to land fish, open the hold, clean the deck or just moving around due to the motion of the ocean. The Tuna Boxes I thought about building would be in a fixed position, operating as a tempory floor, the I could load up with fish. Open the hatch, in they go...
The garbage pail idea would work if it was one or two on the deck...but many times we had 4 or 5 flopping around, not only that im sure you can't push a tuna into the ice to cool the whole body, rather than just the head, as pictured by Sculpin. Being such an expensive fishery to part-take in, I don't mind going the extra mile, or spending a few more bucks to build something custom, suited to the job, to bring home more fish!
We did a good job of cooling our fish but by the time we reached the dock, which was about 6 hours after the slaughter, some fish were firm (like we want) and some were soft, which made filetting quite difficult.
So it sounds like the number to beat is 30!!
Kill Bags - Silver Horde makes some cheaper ones $30-$60
Charkbait.com other brands....lil more but im sure worth it.
google for others!
You have to do the kill bags, we used to use two big coolers plus the fish well to ice down about 30-35 tuna. We bought a reliable kill bag and now we can store about 40 fish in the one bag! I think the kill bag is somwhere in the 80"x40" range and it bulges out toward the bottom for more capacity. For prechill we used a grabage can with ice/water slurry. For bleeding out we just place the fish around one of the scupper holes on deck for 15-20 min and cut the gills on both sides. Another thing to note is that the kill bags are very portable we had three guys ours up to get it out of the boat, that would be tough with aluminum boxes.
Last edited by a moderator:
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
Gat damn thats a big bag! http://www.reliablefishing.com/?Kill_Bags:RF_30"x90"_Kill_Bag
I don't know about 40 fish but thats a big bag, and like you said very portable. The aluminum boxes would not be removed, and all fish would be cleaned on board at the dock. The boxes would only come out once the Tuna fishing was complete.
But a bag that big is pretty appealing!
good line mikep...
tubber
Well-Known Member
Yes. Here's one type. Do a search on Ifish for pillow, saddle, bladder tanks etc...
http://www.turtlepac.com/products/fuel-bladder-marine-pillow-tanks.html
http://www.turtlepac.com/products/fuel-bladder-marine-pillow-tanks.html
Similar threads
- 5-Salt Fever
- Saltwater Fishing Forum