Tuna tackle

[Sculpin]

we ran ten lines off dons boat... quite the spread,, six tuners on and slivo wanting a slow down.. don hits the auto pilot to come help out..awesome. two lines off each outrigger. hand line with a jaw left on it.lol

Thanks Blair. I'm getting my TRI Gladiator hooked up and running as well over the winter for the very reason you posted. I had no use for it when I bought the boat so I unhooked it. It will be very valuable when limited crew members or on board or heavy action fishing is on the table.

The hand line thing is a total eyeball game. I can spot a fish on a hand line right away now after some practice. They are the ones I'm always looking at because the clickers on the rod's are a dead give away. I'm hoping to make up some commercial style bell's for my hand lines next year and there will be a VERY LOUD ring when a fish is on lol. It should make the whole deck jump!!!

 

[Dogbreath]

A lot of guys think that a standard Scotty clip is fine on outriggers but once you use a Blacks or Aftco you'll never go back to a clothespin.

Blacks style

Aftco Roller Troller

 

[Dogbreath]

Use one of these to stop Halyard creep-if you don't know what that is you will soon.

http://www.alltackle.com/hal_lock_outrigger_pulley.htm

 

[kanuckle head]

Do not want to be total newbe, just a long time fan waiting for my chance
Attracting an albi pass the pacific shelf, in the deep abis of water must requires some skill

Searching for albi's on the troll must be first on the menu, Is having a surface spread with birds & skimming lures like more flash similar on a downrigger spread with dummy flashers ?? attractant must be the key Eh...........

Kh

 

[Sculpin]

Do not want to be total newbe, just a long time fan waiting for my chance
Attracting an albi pass the pacific shelf, in the deep abis of water must requires some skill

Searching for albi's on the troll must be first on the menu, Is having a surface spread with birds & skimming lures like more flash similar on a downrigger spread with dummy flashers ?? attractant must be the key Eh...........

Kh

Most folks use them and do well with them. Talk to Nick about them lol.

 

[kanuckle head]

Most folks use them and do well with them. Talk to Nick about them lol.

Will do bra, reason I ?? it is I have been working on a spiral float spoon that turbulents water, on the surface well like a Arneson surface drive

Len

 

[tykkyt e blue]

About the yo-zuri planers..
as another option, I used the high speed Sea Striker planers and was happy with the results - Planers go down on your downriggers so super easy to retrieve/ deploy - and then use the blacks style release clips like Carl posted and the fish is free to play on just the rod.

http://www.seastriker.com/styled-14/index.html

 

[tykkyt e blue]

Also for John ( or anyone else ) making your own horizontal outriggers is pretty easy using ss tubing and off the shelf Scotty parts - say $200 ea or less depending on what you already have.
Tuna cord, a 200lb snap and a blacks release going out around the scotty tip pulley is all you need for halyard

 

[Sculpin]

About the yo-zuri planers..
as another option, I used the high speed Sea Striker planers and was happy with the results - Planers go down on your downriggers so super easy to retrieve/ deploy - and then use the blacks style release clips like Carl posted and the fish is free to play on just the rod.

http://www.seastriker.com/styled-14/index.html

Thanks for the insight and report on the Sea Striker planers. I have been looking at those for awhile now. Might have to give them a go. I really like the release feature of using this type of planer . I am now a firm believer in having some lures below the surface to give the spread a 3D look.

As for the outriggers I just need to make up some halyards and get some releases. I have the Taco bases and telescopic poles. I believe their 15'ers and have eyes on them.

 

[Finished Business]

Dive Boards:

If I am trolling for tuna there is no stopping. I'll take it back to 5 knots but thats why we are armed with heavy gear and tackle...to horse these fishies to the boat! So if it means stopping to mess with 40' of lines and a dive board, I think I will pass. We have had such great success fishing clones, they are painless and work.

Outriggers:

Just an opinion, but after fishing on Mikep's awesome rig with outriggers (they were not home built, they were some fancy aluminum and brass units) I wasn't too impressed. Yes they did spread the gear out, but it was only effective a certain distance behind the boat. You could not tuck your gear in close, it would just bounce and fling out of the water. The further back you sent the outrigger line, the more it swung directly behind the boat. They took very very little fish when we managed 27 to the boat. And most of the time the line was getting caught in the wind and tangled with other gear, or would bury itself into the crest of a wave, causing usually some tangles.


My ideal tuna fishing is flat water, a tight group of similar lures (as close to mimicking a bait ball as I can get) with as little of fuss as possible. I want to KEEP fishing, I don't like messing with yards of handlines on the deck, dive boards here, rapalas there...ect. Don't get me wrong, they are effective, no doubt about it. But 50+ miles out, I prefer seamless operation of gear and vessel. Clones and zukers have produced my best fishing thus far, doing anything else at this point seems to be more a lesson in frustration, and spending. And not to air any secrets but plain and simple is what won the Tuna Shootout this year!

It is fun to try all the gear out there, but I am happy keeping it simple. It works.
A last note, I will never Tuna fish in the seas we experienced during the shootout. 4M @ 14 sec or less with 20kn winds...that was some BS! LOL. But it was a good learning experience. Albacore do not like rough water if you are trolling gear. As soon as it flattens out and the surface becomes settled things seem to light up. So next time its like that out there...I will be benchwarming the dock. lol

 

[mikep]

You are right when it is super windy the outriggers suck, but when it is calm and the fish are spooky man do they work well. No doubt about it nick clones work well but they aren't always the golden ticket. I have out fished clones with cedar plugs and rapalas lots of times. The day we got the 43# tuna I had 10 lines out in decent water and only took a few fish on clones, most came from the two rapalas off the stern corner. Also those little black birds that you didn't like man they sure fished once the water settled some.................but hey what do I know i've only been offshore for tuna like once or twice........haha

On the topic of dive boards...........they flat out fish and if I could only troll one lure for tuna it would be a dive board and clone....

 

[Birdsnest]

Last two posts: Thumbs up!!

 

[Finished Business]

.....but hey what do I know i've only been offshore for tuna like once or twice........haha [\quote]


Mike forgot to mention he ALWAYS fishes with bunched panties

 

[mikep]

hehehehehe

 

[Derby]

You are right when it is super windy the outriggers suck, but when it is calm and the fish are spooky man do they work well. No doubt about it nick clones work well but they aren't always the golden ticket. I have out fished clones with cedar plugs and rapalas lots of times. The day we got the 43# tuna I had 10 lines out in decent water and only took a few fish on clones, most came from the two rapalas off the stern corner. Also those little black birds that you didn't like man they sure fished once the water settled some.................but hey what do I know i've only been offshore for tuna like once or twice........haha

On the topic of dive boards...........they flat out fish and if I could only troll one lure for tuna it would be a dive board and clone....

Hey Mike...I'll jump on your boat anytime...

 

[Birdsnest]

Hey MikeP, can u show us the black birds you mention?

 

[Derby]

there pretty cool.. We will be bring them in to the store in Feb.

 

[Birdsnest]

I would like to find 2 individuals to split a purchase 3 ways. This lot of 100 5 inch splash birds. I will be making chains with them and I think I would like to get black, orange, yellow or green.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lot-of-100-5...LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2313f4a2ee&_uhb=1

 

[Tidal Chaos]

I would like to find 2 individuals to split a purchase 3 ways. This lot of 100 5 inch splash birds. I will be making chains with them and I think I would like to get black, orange, yellow or green.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lot-of-100-5...LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2313f4a2ee&_uhb=1

PM sent Jay.

 

[tykkyt e blue]

Before you go too far with a 100 birds - here is a place that is selling singles for not much more ( I bought 8 myself ) - https://www.fishingtackleoutlet.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=brdbl

I'm willing to pu in Blaine for you if you want to ship there?