SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Good going Sculpin!
The 2014 Bamfield Tuna Shootout!
- Thread starter Charter Tofino
- Start date
Good going Sculpin!
Osama Bin Hopper
Active Member
Just back into service area after a great day and beautiful night on the water! Crazy weird fishing out there right now. We got skunked on opening day of derby then got 13 yesterday. All of our fish small except the one that we didnt get of course... Couple guys have been spoiled on heavy gear so there's some monsters in the mix. Great weather and great fun so far!!!
Birdsnest
Well-Known Member
We have been seeing some very inconstant numbers amongst boats here too. I think it has to do with luck. Hit the right school of fish and you'll get 3 to 11 fish off it before they stop. Fish seem to be sounding after a few passes. I started fishing at 10am the other day and had 1 in the boat. At 3 pm I saw one bird in the distance flying back and forth on a tight spot and drove over to it. The one bird I saw turned into about 10 birds bouncing of the water and a school of tuna jumping in an area the size of 2 acres. This was the biggest school I ever saw on the surface. We took 7 out of it in about 10 minutes but then it was over. School was gone and the birds were just sitting on the water surely thinking that we had screwed up that scenario for them lol.
Certainly may be worth trying some different tactics because of this. I'm thinking casting with a stopped boat. Small deadly dicks or buzz bombs. Could be a blast. Hook one up leave it down there and keep casting with other rods. Chum at the same time. Thats all I got. May be worth a try. Small stuff, 3 inch baits.
That patch of water seems to be moving south a bit. Hope it comes even closer.
Certainly may be worth trying some different tactics because of this. I'm thinking casting with a stopped boat. Small deadly dicks or buzz bombs. Could be a blast. Hook one up leave it down there and keep casting with other rods. Chum at the same time. Thats all I got. May be worth a try. Small stuff, 3 inch baits.
That patch of water seems to be moving south a bit. Hope it comes even closer.
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Try Fijian style-run your lures waythehellandgone behind the boat and then turn so as to drag them through the school without approaching the fish at all-this takes some monkeying around.
In a place like Fiji with it's crystal clear water it's the only thing that works and with gun shy fish it's worth a try.
The guys down south fish with jigs all the time. The favorite seems to be Shimano butterfly jigs usually with some pink color on them. Swim baits apparently work well when jigged also. The technique is similar to what you describe - e.g. leaving one or two fish "hanging" while chumming and getting other hookups. The guys who know how to do this well can turn a trolled fish or two into 10-30 fish on one "iron stop". I haven't gotten into this yet but I'm working on it (buying jigs, trying to make it work after a troll hit etc). You might want to visit the ifish web site and search a few threads on "iron" for tuna.
I just returned home from 2days of chasing these Tuna's.I was fishing with the Ascent helicopter boy's,out of Rodzilla.
All I can say is WOW.After getting pounded on for the 3 hour tour to the 70 mile mark,we were rewarded with a dble header rt away,we scratched a 3rd and were leading the derby SAT.The weather and sea's were unreal.Sunday had us running back to were we got the dbble and wouldn't you know we picked up another.Pounded that spot for several more hours,picked up and moved,which turned out to be the rt call,we got 3 more.The bite was def more in the afternoon.What a amazing fishery this is.The weather was unreal,the ocean life was amazing,Gray whales.dolphins,massive sunfish.
The best part was the company.Nice to meet you Kelly and put some faces to the names that are on this site.
Good luck to the rest of you boy's who are still fishing.I'm already going through withdrawls.
Reddog.
All I can say is WOW.After getting pounded on for the 3 hour tour to the 70 mile mark,we were rewarded with a dble header rt away,we scratched a 3rd and were leading the derby SAT.The weather and sea's were unreal.Sunday had us running back to were we got the dbble and wouldn't you know we picked up another.Pounded that spot for several more hours,picked up and moved,which turned out to be the rt call,we got 3 more.The bite was def more in the afternoon.What a amazing fishery this is.The weather was unreal,the ocean life was amazing,Gray whales.dolphins,massive sunfish.
The best part was the company.Nice to meet you Kelly and put some faces to the names that are on this site.
Good luck to the rest of you boy's who are still fishing.I'm already going through withdrawls.
Reddog.
getbent
Well-Known Member
Tough fishing though, long way to go for peanuts but when you are there you may as well fill the boat if you can.
We ran to 90 miles looking for size and it just wasn't going to happen, stayed inshore today to chase some coho and heading off to bump some Hali.
Good times. Probably make a stab tomorrow for tuners before the weather hits. Hopefully the boys come back with some size.
Getbent
We ran to 90 miles looking for size and it just wasn't going to happen, stayed inshore today to chase some coho and heading off to bump some Hali.
Good times. Probably make a stab tomorrow for tuners before the weather hits. Hopefully the boys come back with some size.
Getbent
Charter Tofino
Well-Known Member
The fleet just rolled in. Amazing weather continued with some solid results. The grade of Tuna was quite small again but the top boat managed 24 even after a late start. Fingers crossed this front moving in doesn't blow up too much and the fishing continues to pick up!
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I crewed for Matt on the Fifth Element on Saturday and Sunday. We arrived at the temp break at about 8am and fished in 61.5 degree water for a few hours with no luck. The farther North we went the better it got, not just for us, but for the rest of the fleet. As all found out, not much wildlife to help us out and it took most of the day to scratch out 7 by the time most of the fleet were heading back in. We had decided before leaving the dock that we would overnight and as advertised, the wind stayed down, to about 3 or 4 knots, and the swell remained negligible. There was an evening bite where we picked up 4 more for a total of 11, and the other boats did likewise with All in finishing off the day with a bang, which was good because up to that point the crew was near mutinous. In our group there were three other boats who stayed the night, Why Knot, San Mateo, and All In. Early on we entertained ourselves with a little skeet shooting, fireworks, and shark fishing. Notice I didn't say shark CATCHING due to someone saying "what are we going to do if we catch one" Turns out that was the most sensible non event of the night. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we drank some beer.... Later on we entertained ourselves with watching the freighters going by .9 of a mile away. The skipper was sharp enough to inform us, after it had passed, that it was 700 feet long, 100 feet wide, and traveling at 16 knots. With all this info we were all left wondering why we were parked in a traffic lane. Anyway it made a long night shorter especially when the guys started talking to the bridge of each passing ship. Did I mention that we were 70 miles off the beach? You would think I guy would be given a little room out there!
When it gets dark at 7 it makes for a long night. Unless, that is, Borat checks in from Kazakhstan Radio Network!!!! I knew we were a long way offshore but I was surprised how well radio signals travel out there! Anyway Borat entertained us for quite awhile although I didn't quite understand the inside joke he had going on with the crew of Why Knot. He kept accusing them of having tiny tuna. I thought, I hope he doesn't ask the rest of us how large our tuna are. And then there was reference to a tupper ware party, and that can't be posted here but you can ask one of them, say the Croatian, at Saturday's dinner. I was fortunate enough to pull the 12:15 to 2:15 crowsnest watch and I am happy to report that I enjoyed a night lit by a half moon and the lights of our buddy boats, and also treated to the heavy snoring coming from the bunks. OK, so we all know life's not perfect! Boy I thought, these guys really trust me! I thought to myself this watch had better not end like the one on Thin Red Line (correct me if I have my movies mixed up) where the guy on watch fell asleep and the enemy was able to sneak up and pick off a few of his buddies. That wasn't going to happen on my watch I thought. So I did my duty, as did all crew members and we were all able to get a few hours of sleep.
Next morning the keeners on All In had 4 fish in the boat before day light. Isn't that against the rules? We fished the temp break until about 9:30 with one hit only...and no fish. The rest of our group picked up between 4 and 7 each on Sunday. Given the fuel burn the day before a few of us were becoming concerned about having enough to get back home so three of us left at 9:30, Why Knot stayed longer, and were at the dock by 11:45. Wow, that was an easy ride back wasn't it. The fuel bill was $1100 so now we are taking a few days off to go back to work to earn some cash and impress our wives with the tuna we caught which we will tell them is the perfect size for hors d'oeuvres the next time we are entertaining the neighbours. I hope she doesn't ask how much the gas bill was, I hate lying to her...
Thanks to our buddy boats on the trip and to all the boats who shared information on days one and two. When things were dead for us we appreciated being given the lat and long of where at least SOME fish were being caught, even if they were tiny tuna! See you all later in the week and safe and happy hunting.
When it gets dark at 7 it makes for a long night. Unless, that is, Borat checks in from Kazakhstan Radio Network!!!! I knew we were a long way offshore but I was surprised how well radio signals travel out there! Anyway Borat entertained us for quite awhile although I didn't quite understand the inside joke he had going on with the crew of Why Knot. He kept accusing them of having tiny tuna. I thought, I hope he doesn't ask the rest of us how large our tuna are. And then there was reference to a tupper ware party, and that can't be posted here but you can ask one of them, say the Croatian, at Saturday's dinner. I was fortunate enough to pull the 12:15 to 2:15 crowsnest watch and I am happy to report that I enjoyed a night lit by a half moon and the lights of our buddy boats, and also treated to the heavy snoring coming from the bunks. OK, so we all know life's not perfect! Boy I thought, these guys really trust me! I thought to myself this watch had better not end like the one on Thin Red Line (correct me if I have my movies mixed up) where the guy on watch fell asleep and the enemy was able to sneak up and pick off a few of his buddies. That wasn't going to happen on my watch I thought. So I did my duty, as did all crew members and we were all able to get a few hours of sleep.
Next morning the keeners on All In had 4 fish in the boat before day light. Isn't that against the rules? We fished the temp break until about 9:30 with one hit only...and no fish. The rest of our group picked up between 4 and 7 each on Sunday. Given the fuel burn the day before a few of us were becoming concerned about having enough to get back home so three of us left at 9:30, Why Knot stayed longer, and were at the dock by 11:45. Wow, that was an easy ride back wasn't it. The fuel bill was $1100 so now we are taking a few days off to go back to work to earn some cash and impress our wives with the tuna we caught which we will tell them is the perfect size for hors d'oeuvres the next time we are entertaining the neighbours. I hope she doesn't ask how much the gas bill was, I hate lying to her...
Thanks to our buddy boats on the trip and to all the boats who shared information on days one and two. When things were dead for us we appreciated being given the lat and long of where at least SOME fish were being caught, even if they were tiny tuna! See you all later in the week and safe and happy hunting.
Smiley
Well-Known Member
Great report Unchained. Would have loved to be out there given the great wx and sea conditions. What was the average size? We pounded out 90 some miles the week before without success but the trip out and back is an adventure in itself! Glad to hear that some fish are coming in and the derby participants are enjoying great weather!
BearCove
Crew Member
Forgot to mention, we will have a professional knife on scene starting tomorrow. His name is Dylon, you can find him at Mills Landing or by contacting me at 250-902-9184 for the next 4 days. He will be charging $10 per fish cash only. He will have fish bags for your fillets, very easy to transport up to Jerry at Mills for sealing and freezing.
This guy is a pro and magician with a knife. Has been cutting fish at Hardy Buoys in Port Hardy for years. At $10 a fish, you can't go wrong.
See everyone tomorrow afternoon. Come by Mills for a cocktail
This guy is a pro and magician with a knife. Has been cutting fish at Hardy Buoys in Port Hardy for years. At $10 a fish, you can't go wrong.
See everyone tomorrow afternoon. Come by Mills for a cocktail
Killer B's
Member
After 3 days of fishing and one over nighter we are going to take a day off. Lots of smalls great water. Might try for another overnight on Wednesday. Terry thanks for answering my call first thing. 
Killer B's
Member
Sounds good bear cove. See you tomorrow night
Charter Tofino
Well-Known Member
Headed offshore with the film crew. Looks like the Hardy Bouys have cued the bad weather (nice work guys). Fingers crossed the fishing and weather hold. Top boat yesterday didn't put lines in the water until 1pm and landed 24 in 3 hours.
Karma-Kazi
Active Member
That boat is dialed in! That boat deck must have been a bloody gong show! Awesome
-KK
-KK
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
I'm totally bagged after 3 days and one night offshore.
I'll let the pictures do the talking......
Coming into bamtown.
The new coast guard station looking really nice.
Going through Grappler with the sun setting in the sound behind.
Stayed at the Beam but got up there quite late. We missed the big crowd but managed to get a great steak meal. Thanks again Brad and everyone that put this on. Great way to kick it off!
Continued....
I'll let the pictures do the talking......
Coming into bamtown.
The new coast guard station looking really nice.
Going through Grappler with the sun setting in the sound behind.
Stayed at the Beam but got up there quite late. We missed the big crowd but managed to get a great steak meal. Thanks again Brad and everyone that put this on. Great way to kick it off!
Continued....
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