2019 Tuna Adventures

[Aces]

Looks like a new batch has moved in. Next Friday is my next attempt day with favorable sea/wind conditions

 

[After Hours IV]

Looks like a new batch has moved in. Next Friday is my next attempt day with favorable sea/wind conditions

Are they showing up in any sort of numbers? We will be in winter harbour on the 29th, for 8 days. Any one who wants to buddy boat up during that time if we get a good weather window, PM me.

 

[Seagirt]

Are they showing up in any sort of numbers? We will be in winter harbour on the 29th, for 8 days. Any one who wants to buddy boat up during that time if we get a good weather window, PM me.

Anyone buddy boating with you can expect a highly energetic and overly enthused fisher. A bit crazed (within the realm of safety of course) but an ideal buddy boat. Good luck this year! I'm hoping to get the boat to Bamfield in Sept. and make it out during a good weather window.

 

[paguy]

OK....not sure if I'm going to get a chance this year to try for Tuna. I have for several years now read all the Tuna posts and whatever You Tube videos I can find on West Coast Tuna fishing. I have managed to collect a fair bit of Tuna gear and just looking to fill the gaps on a few items. Not sure if I should have started another thread or not but there is definitely other discussions on here less Tuna related...lol Feel free to PM me as well. Could be a long winter if I don't get to go this year so need to get some more gear to keep me busy.

Does anyone have a preference for using Yo-Zuri Rabbits over say Dabo's or other style birds and splash boards?
I'm struggling a bit with hook size and brand (7/0......9/0) Barbless?
And lastly...If you are using some type of attractor what length leaders are best? (6ft-8ft) is what I see a lot of mentioned.

I'm still hoping to make it out...thanks for any help!

Get on Washington Bloody Decks web site and do some reading on what those guys are running for tuna trolling spreads. Most the guys on the site have got the tuna fishing dialed in.

 

[After Hours IV]

Anyone buddy boating with you can expect a highly energetic and overly enthused fisher. A bit crazed (within the realm of safety of course) but an ideal buddy boat. Good luck this year! I'm hoping to get the boat to Bamfield in Sept. and make it out during a good weather window.

Hey thank you for the compliment Seagirt! If the fish show hard in later September, I will shoot down again on the right weather window, and you will be the first to know, and have the first right of refusal!! Keep you posted!

 

[ReelSlim]

Get on Washington Bloody Decks web site and do some reading on what those guys are running for tuna trolling spreads. Most the guys on the site have got the tuna fishing dialed in.

I have been on there in the past a bit. Just what I need......another forum to burn time! lol

 

[The Jackel]

My point was there are no sure things for tuna. One winter I went out 8 times out of Cabo and San Jose del Caboand never got a tuna and then the next year got several almost every trip

Same with the WCVI. Some years I have to go in early because all my fish boxes were full and other years I’ve struggled.

The second coming of christ will happen before that happens my friend

 

[Fishmyster]

Was out tuna fishing Barclay canyon last Friday. About 40 miles out. We landed on them and hit the first one with a mile of trolling. Quit fishing by 2:00 because my guests had enough but I would have kept going. Final count was 48 being 10-18lbs. The tuna were very picky that day. They just wouldn't bite anything with seaweed on it. LOL
Good luck guys if you get out. They are there!!!

 

[Birdman]

Was out tuna fishing Barclay canyon last Friday. About 40 miles out. We landed on them and hit the first one with a mile of trolling. Quit fishing by 2:00 because my guests had enough but I would have kept going. Final count was 48 being 10-18lbs. The tuna were very picky that day. They just wouldn't bite anything with seaweed on it. LOL
Good luck guys if you get out. They are there!!!

Great report, and awesome to be able to get them at a reasonable distance from shore. I'm heading out of Bamfield next weekend with a salty crew on the Sam Mateo, if the stars align we'll be heading out to the canyons for first light on Saturday.

If anyone wants to share intel etc. feel free to get in touch.

 

[Flashman]

Off Winter Harbour, 45 miles. Beautiful day out there, nice breeze offshore, bit snotty to 15 miles out. Did the whole run at a 20-25mph cruise so conditions weren't too bad. Pulled the gear after 6 fish in 3 hours, no survivors. Probably not super hot fishing relatively speaking when you keep hearing about boats bringing in 50 fish. Awesome day as far as I'm concerned.

The Sun fish was super cool. I stopped to take a look after seeing it jumping. It swam over and hung out 5' from the boat swimming to keep up with my drift speed.

 

[Pippen]

The Sun fish was super cool. I stopped to take a look after seeing it jumping. It swam over and hung out 5' from the boat swimming to keep up with my drift speed.

Had one leap out of water off Hiast Island just recently in Kyuquot and we were well inside the surf line. Startled me big time as it was about 10' off the boat as I was looking down dealing with the rigger.

 

[Rain City]

So if a guy was to leave out of Vancouver with his boat and make the shortest/best trip somewhere to get gas and then head straight out to the grounds (weather permitting of course) where would be the best home base?

My boat holds 152 gallons which would get me easily 250 miles of run time doing 25 miles an hour. Seems like an 8 hour run to get out 40 miles or so.

Obvioulsy I'd want to find a buddy boat seeing as it's my first time. I'm seriously considering this with a couple other guys. I could sleep and feed 3 comfortably for 4-5 days and still have room for 5 or 6 big coolers of ice.

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

So if a guy was to leave out of Vancouver with his boat and make the shortest/best trip somewhere to get gas and then head straight out to the grounds (weather permitting of course) where would be the best home base?

My boat holds 152 gallons which would get me easily 250 miles of run time doing 25 miles an hour. Seems like an 8 hour run to get out 40 miles or so.

Obvioulsy I'd want to find a buddy boat seeing as it's my first time. I'm seriously considering this with a couple other guys. I could sleep and feed 3 comfortably for 4-5 days and still have room for 5 or 6 big coolers of ice.

If you are planning on running all the way from Vancouver then you'll have to check the sea temps (sat imaging) http://www.terrafin.com/ (paid subscription) to see where the water temps are coming in close enough in a given area to give you a chance at locating the Tuna. Tuna fishing isn't something you can plan too far ahead for this reason. The water temps that the tuna travel in move around and change daily. Talking to guys out there doing trips and following the catch data will help you know what's going on out there. Home base question isn't really answerable until you know the answers to the other parts of the equations. You can get them further down south at times dependant on those sea temp conditions or if it's favorable you can stay at Bamfield, Ukee, Tofino, Renfrew, or all the way up to WH... Best advice is to get contact info from guys that are going and stay in touch daily. Better yet if you know anyone on the commie fleet or guys that do sometimes you can get info from there as to where they concentrating their efforts at.. Tuna commie boats come into Ukee to off load and re supply. There are places there you can get ice from on the water front (fish buyers)... make friends, talk to folks.
The regular scenerio is to be leaving the dock either in the dark before dawn or just as dawn is starting to get out to the grounds for the morning bite and to put in long hours hunting for them. It's a lot about site fishing as it is about knowing how to read the sat imagery and knowing where to be. Have to buddy up and share info both for safety and for increasing your chances of getting into fish.

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

Off Winter Harbour, 45 miles. Beautiful day out there, nice breeze offshore, bit snotty to 15 miles out. Did the whole run at a 20-25mph cruise so conditions weren't too bad. Pulled the gear after 6 fish in 3 hours, no survivors. Probably not super hot fishing relatively speaking when you keep hearing about boats bringing in 50 fish. Awesome day as far as I'm concerned.

The Sun fish was super cool. I stopped to take a look after seeing it jumping. It swam over and hung out 5' from the boat swimming to keep up with my drift speed.

We watched a massive Sun Fish cruising around hooooovering up **** tons of jellyfish when out for Tuna. Saw him coming from a ways away as we thought the fin was that of a Blue Shark from far away lol.

 

[Pippen]

@Rain City I will let the experts chime in as I have only been out once. I would think you want want to call the home base Renfrew area, Bam, Ukie or Tofino. Bear in mind lots to watch beyond just weather. Satellite/chloro etc. You could also run over there and find yourselves sitting based on weather. @Fishtofino dropped me a line when we went and I got my arse to Tofino as he saw an opening.

Don't forget a stop at Pac Net and Twine for gear...clones, Xraps, spashers etc. You don't need a ton of Hali rods as you can run handlines.

****EDIT. @Chasin' Dreams beat me to hit "post"......but ya what he said.

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

Lot's of rod holders set up everywhere lol if you're gonna run rods not hand lines. We ran 8 rods and managed to not have a tangle without outriggers. And buy an ice pick for the brain stab.

 

[Rain City]

If you are planning on running all the way from Vancouver then you'll have to check the sea temps (sat imaging) http://www.terrafin.com/ (paid subscription) to see where the water temps are coming in close enough in a given area to give you a chance at locating the Tuna. Tuna fishing isn't something you can plan too far ahead for this reason. The water temps that the tuna travel in move around and change daily. Talking to guys out there doing trips and following the catch data will help you know what's going on out there. Home base question isn't really answerable until you know the answers to the other parts of the equations. You can get them further down south at times dependant on those sea temp conditions or if it's favorable you can stay at Bamfield, Ukee, Tofino, Renfrew, or all the way up to WH... Best advice is to get contact info from guys that are going and stay in touch daily. Better yet if you know anyone on the commie fleet or guys that do sometimes you can get info from there as to where they concentrating their efforts at.. Tuna commie boats come into Ukee to off load and re supply. There are places there you can get ice from on the water front (fish buyers)... make friends, talk to folks.
The regular scenerio is to be leaving the dock either in the dark before dawn or just as dawn is starting to get out to the grounds for the morning bite and to put in long hours hunting for them. It's a lot about site fishing as it is about knowing how to read the sat imagery and knowing where to be. Have to buddy up and share info both for safety and for increasing your chances of getting into fish.

@Rain City I will let the experts chime in as I have only been out once. I would think you want want to call the home base Renfrew area, Bam, Ukie or Tofino. Bear in mind lots to watch beyond just weather. Satellite/chloro etc. You could also run over there and find yourselves sitting based on weather. @Fishtofino dropped me a line when we went and I got my arse to Tofino as he saw an opening.

Don't forget a stop at Pac Net and Twine for gear...clones, Xraps, spashers etc. You don't need a ton of Hali rods as you can run handlines.

****EDIT. @Chasin' Dreams beat me to hit "post"......but ya what he said.

Yeah the plan would be to have a buddy boat set up prior to even considering timing. It's a long shot with the little one at home but the wife says i can take up to a week which is probably a minimum I'd imagine to wait out the favorable conditions.

 

[FishDoc]

Off Winter Harbour, 45 miles. Beautiful day out there, nice breeze offshore, bit snotty to 15 miles out. Did the whole run at a 20-25mph cruise so conditions weren't too bad. Pulled the gear after 6 fish in 3 hours, no survivors. Probably not super hot fishing relatively speaking when you keep hearing about boats bringing in 50 fish. Awesome day as far as I'm concerned.

The Sun fish was super cool. I stopped to take a look after seeing it jumping. It swam over and hung out 5' from the boat swimming to keep up with my drift speed.

Looks awesome, I would love to do that some day! You inspired me. How big of a boat were you on?

 

[cohochinook]

Yeah the plan would be to have a buddy boat set up prior to even considering timing. It's a long shot with the little one at home but the wife says i can take up to a week which is probably a minimum I'd imagine to wait out the favorable conditions.

I can write you a note for the wife if you want to do second week?

 

[Northdogboy]

Iv got to ask. For a guy like me that can't afford a offshore boat. How dose a guy like me get into tuna. ? Am I stuck hiring a charter?