2015 Tuna Adventures
- Thread starter Sculpin
- Start date
I wound up doing some tuna exploring on Sunday. We were out for kings at "Shark Fin" - a spot about 30 miles SW of Tatoosh Island. The water was about 61F and as we were getting set up for kings, a huge school of porpoise surfaced about 1/2 mile way and birds were everywhere. Initially, I thought they were tuna so we deployed some tuna gear and headed their way. Didn't hook up any tuna (or thankfully any porpoise) but decide to run a bit farther out to look for tuna. Most times when I see these large schools of porpoises, tuna are not too far away. We ran out a total of about 30 more miles to the 4000' line on the N end of the JDF canyon. The water cleared up and was gin clear all the way back in to about 10 miles W of blue dot. We had water temps as high as 65F and even had 62-63 near blue dot. I didn't see anything that made me want to deploy gear so we were mostly just hunting for fun. I did see several small sunfish but I didn't see birds crashing the surface farther out and I didn't see any sharks. Most of the other tuna "signs" were around but in a 2-3 hour search I didn't see any jumpers or obvious signs on the sonar. We did pick up a couple of nice kings at Blue Dot though. Did anyone else make a run? I think they must be out there.
Sculpin
Well-Known Member
Nice to hear you got out there looking. I'm ready to go anytime now. Boats up on the west coast and all the gear is ready. Just waiting for all the stars to align. Weather looks stellar tomorrow and Weds. but the water has done some funny stuff over the weekend. I'm shooting for next weekend if the water/weather looks good.
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Tidal Chaos
Active Member
tykkyt e blue
Well-Known Member
Watching "Wicked Tuna" and the winter Bluefin season got me thinking...
Would Albacore react to the Greenstik trolling method?
How would I run a Greenstik on a 23' boat? ( that already has to much gear on it! Ha )
Any real net advantage over the extra complexitiy? - sometimes my first hookups come on the 'waaay back' lines so would a Greenstik help even more?
Will people point and laugh?
Does the Stik NEED to be green?? ( critical question in my monochromatic view of the world lol )
Maybe I just like fiddling with my boat too much!
Anyway - Here is the result. I gave it a test pull and everything seems to work ( umm, except for the train bridge on Pitt river...sigh - very embrassing! ). I plan on using it like a vertical outrigger w a release clip at the top
Would Albacore react to the Greenstik trolling method?
How would I run a Greenstik on a 23' boat? ( that already has to much gear on it! Ha )
Any real net advantage over the extra complexitiy? - sometimes my first hookups come on the 'waaay back' lines so would a Greenstik help even more?
Will people point and laugh?
Does the Stik NEED to be green?? ( critical question in my monochromatic view of the world lol )
Maybe I just like fiddling with my boat too much!
Anyway - Here is the result. I gave it a test pull and everything seems to work ( umm, except for the train bridge on Pitt river...sigh - very embrassing! ). I plan on using it like a vertical outrigger w a release clip at the top
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![20150617_152203[1].jpg](/data/attachments/26/26046-08796cdf7ac47971a877a893eb1966cc.jpg)
tykkyt e blue
Well-Known Member
Oh - 8' antennae are up for comparison. White/BlueStik is a stiff 15' Okuma surf rod that was $40 on Amazon
Birdsnest
Well-Known Member
Hmmmmmm.....Interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip-4_k-di9Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip-4_k-di9Y
Tidal Chaos
Active Member
Terry
When I bought my boat last year from the eastern sea board; I looked at a few boats that had a Rupp outrigger base mounted central on there hard tops with a 20' outrigger running out the back; I think this was the sport version of the "Green stick" in simpler design, easy to deploy and retrieve and it gets it that much higher and back, but with as much gear as we are running; especially those of us running hand lines; I thought it would be a nightmare trying to retrieve a fish from far back through the spread of gear; especially for those of us running outriggers. I too am planning on running a rod way back with a big clone looking for something bigger; but am planning on putting it on the outside line off the outrigger.
Looks great what you have done and will be interesting to see if it produces; it will be whether or not it causes a mess being down the middle of your spread; especially if the fish dives and goes left or right. Time will tell.
harper44
Well-Known Member
Terry, what you've got there is a center rigger, not a greenstick.
A greenstick is used for longlining baits above the water, you rig a large bird and float to the end of the main line to hold tension then attach longline clips with baited hooks to the main between the bird and the boat, the greenstick keeps the baits suspended above the water until you pull down on the tag line and dip them intermittently. Once you get a fish on, the mainline breaks away from the greenstick and you retrieve it by hand (or often with a winch). It's very effective for yellowfin tuna from what I've heard although the practice would be illegal for sportfishing on our side of the boarder.
A center rigger on the other hand is exactly as you say, just an outrigger pointed up the center line of the boat to allow you to get another bait further back in the spread without tangling on turns. If I was running a bigger boat I think I would rig one, for me, I don't see the point in running more than the 6 rods I currently troll. Let us know how it pans out.
Cheers,
A greenstick is used for longlining baits above the water, you rig a large bird and float to the end of the main line to hold tension then attach longline clips with baited hooks to the main between the bird and the boat, the greenstick keeps the baits suspended above the water until you pull down on the tag line and dip them intermittently. Once you get a fish on, the mainline breaks away from the greenstick and you retrieve it by hand (or often with a winch). It's very effective for yellowfin tuna from what I've heard although the practice would be illegal for sportfishing on our side of the boarder.
A center rigger on the other hand is exactly as you say, just an outrigger pointed up the center line of the boat to allow you to get another bait further back in the spread without tangling on turns. If I was running a bigger boat I think I would rig one, for me, I don't see the point in running more than the 6 rods I currently troll. Let us know how it pans out.
Cheers,
trophywife
Crew Member
we ran a long rod off the top of dons boat last year... did alright once we got it going... 200' back, white turd with a jughead, six ounce weight about 10' in front of it..
Just remember if you are running a long rod way back for something big other than albies, make sure you have a big reel to deal with it. I would run nothing smaller than a 30W with 80# braid and a 100' top shot of 80#. There are garbage can sized blue-fin out there but if you hook one on albie gear kiss it goodbye....
harper44
Well-Known Member
Just ask Trophy Hunter about big fish on small gear... he got spooled on a single run, straight down last year during the shootout. Although I have yet to see any garbage can sized Bluefin reported north of SoCal, a man can dream....
Read this old thread on ifish - an Oregon/Washington fishing board - http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=20020&highlight=big+show. It will make you dream about catching bluefin farther north. Also, there's always a few albie size bluefin caught in WA and OR waters each year - not to mention the occasional yellowtail. I caught a yellowtail off the W side of VCI in 2013 on bite that Tuna Don called me in on. With the warmer water we have this year, anything is possible.
harper44
Well-Known Member
There was at least one juvi bluefin taken last year during the shootout. The trouble is that, generally speaking, tuna school by size. So if you are working a school of 20lb albies all day, the chances of hooking up with a big blue are pretty slim. I'd say you'd have to hunt for them. I can recall running up on a school of jumpers that looked HUGE, only to have no takers. but then again, the jumpers always look bigger before they're stuck with the gaff...
I would love to see some kelp or something floating in the water this year, anything to give a guy a shot at a yellowtail or even a dodo.
I would love to see some kelp or something floating in the water this year, anything to give a guy a shot at a yellowtail or even a dodo.
Tidal Chaos
Active Member
Talking with a good friend of mine that used to commercial tuna fish; he told me of things they used to catch and how they used to do it and what lures used to work; it peaked my interest; not only for Bluefin; dodo and yellow tail but for the bigger albies as well, apparently they are lazy and tend to hang out at the bottom of the schools and are last ones to react in the school. That being said; he told me to stretch things out to the point of feeling comfortable within my spread and further; go bigger; but don't expect anything; it will be that one time that you just never know.
We caught something 2 years ago on our furthest rod that we couldn't stop and ended breaking it off with a few wraps left on the reel; new reel; 300 yds of 80 lb backing and 300 yds of 100lb braid will hopefully do the trick; if not a double ended lanyard is waiting to tie of too another rod. One can only hope for the chance; but that is why we fish!
We caught something 2 years ago on our furthest rod that we couldn't stop and ended breaking it off with a few wraps left on the reel; new reel; 300 yds of 80 lb backing and 300 yds of 100lb braid will hopefully do the trick; if not a double ended lanyard is waiting to tie of too another rod. One can only hope for the chance; but that is why we fish!
trophywife
Crew Member
with all the new tuna fishers,,, something big is gonna come in.. one day.
