Tuna fishing on the "slide"
I attached some of the tackle I got this winter. The swim baits are Big Hammer these are ones they recommended at Seattle boat show seminar, I also got some megabait bass grande off e bay not sure if they make them still. I will be in courtenay till end of July but, Aug till Oct or when tuna are gone I will be around Bamfield. I will make up extra tackle if guys are around and want to get out and try it when they are up here. Also will be willing to take some guys out if my regular crew Jeff, Jason have dumb work or wedding commitments.
Here is article on fishing on slide for anyone interested. It seems to be from guy on big puker type boat. I have not done it but really want to try did not have tackle last year.
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 firsts in the water. While everyone is scrambling for a bait, you could already be hooked up. This is an increasingly popular method for targeting tuna, so there are more and more people doing it now a days. Please remember to be courteous, of other anglers, if you are not careful it is easy to get in a lot of tangles while fishing the "slide." You don't want to be on an all day boat with 35 strangers, and be the one responsible for all the tangles. It's a pretty quick way to become very unpopular. Just remember to keep your line in front of you and to turn the handle when you get bit. Good fishing.
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