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Chronicles of a Blue Water Hunter
- Thread startermiles
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Re: YF Tuna and Murphy's Law!!
Miles
The Sea looks like not clear.i mean the vision is short in the sea .last year my friend and me went too far from coast vision was like at the picture .i was around 5-6 meters below and waiting.at that time my friend at the boat putting a big spot to the point where i am.the light makes 3 meters area very clear a big fish came very suddenly very close to me.the sun almost sinking.i shoot and i felt the spear(8mm) passed.all rope in the reel gone in 2 sec and i left the gun from my hand behind there was a white galoon(10 litres) tighted with rope to the handle of the gun she took everything and went down 10 sec later only white galoon came up.she took everything it was not big maybe 30 or 40 kgs but i only remember after she get the spear she moved like a shell coming out from the gun.i do not know what fish it was
i ask you the spot light atracts the tuna or other big fish???
Miles
The Sea looks like not clear.i mean the vision is short in the sea .last year my friend and me went too far from coast vision was like at the picture .i was around 5-6 meters below and waiting.at that time my friend at the boat putting a big spot to the point where i am.the light makes 3 meters area very clear a big fish came very suddenly very close to me.the sun almost sinking.i shoot and i felt the spear(8mm) passed.all rope in the reel gone in 2 sec and i left the gun from my hand behind there was a white galoon(10 litres) tighted with rope to the handle of the gun she took everything and went down 10 sec later only white galoon came up.she took everything it was not big maybe 30 or 40 kgs but i only remember after she get the spear she moved like a shell coming out from the gun.i do not know what fish it was
i ask you the spot light atracts the tuna or other big fish???
Re: YF Tuna and Murphy's Law!!
One man's small fish is another mans trophy fish!!! I really have to go to SA!
Great catch miles! keep 'em coming!
Said
miles said:
One man's small fish is another mans trophy fish!!! I really have to go to SA!
Great catch miles! keep 'em coming!
Said
Re: YF Tuna and Murphy's Law!!
Good fishes.
It is a pity the bent shaft.
Continue to inform .....
Good fishes.
It is a pity the bent shaft.
Continue to inform .....
Hiya
As most of you already know, i'm ADDICTED to Blue Water Hunting!!! The months when you can't get out to the deep is littered with excursions to the local reefs and smaller pelagics, all just to satisfy the "NEED"!!!
Well, tuna season has FINALLY arrived and last week i managed to spear the first Yellowfin Tuna for the season. A nice 50kg fish. Not a bad start!!!
So, all preparations began in ernest. Saturday, 26 March 2005, saw me launch the boat at 6:00am. After some bad weather reports from other spearo's, i double check www.Bouyweather.com , which still showed good weather. So off we went. Two hours later, we arrive at the Tuna grounds, only to find a FLAT and WINDLESS sea!!!!!! Pure bliss!!!!
Since it was Easter weekend, all the longliners and trawlers were in the harbour, so locating tuna in 400m deep water, in the wide ocean, was quite challenging. Out comes the 30lb fishing tackle and the trolling lures. Pretty soon we're into a 45kg YF tuna. The fish is boated, but by the time i get into the water, the school had left. A while later, we run into some Albacore and after some chumming, i manage to raise the school next to the boat. I get my wife kitted up and we jump in. we've got a school of Albacore tuna of at least 50 fish milling around the boat. I'm using my meduim 63" mid-handled woodie, which is OVERKILL for Albacore, but am looking for YF tuna beneath them. After about 20minutes, with no sign of YF's, i fetch my new 120cm RA Carbon with reel. My wife is using my 115cm Carbon Apex with reel and floatline (just in case a YF swims by!!). She had loads of fun whacking those Albacore.
After about an hour in the water, and getting stung badly by blue bottles, i get back into the boat. We leave the school of Albacore and go searching for YF's. A couple of miles later, then echo sounder shows a good sign. I jump in.............finally.........YF TUNA!!!!!!!!!
I managed to take two fish from that school, both weighing in at 51 and 55kg's!!! Unfortunately, by now, there are more than 10 Blue Sharks around the boat. Smallish sharks up to about 2.5m, with a brilliant blue colour. Very pesky buggers, that are not detered by poking them with a spear or pushing them away with the gun. Generally when they appear, you tend to find another school as they'll just eat up all your chum. I spend some time just diving with them (they're relatively harmless) and then i spot a small Mako. Also about 2.5m long. Was amazing to see how the Blue sharks would keep well clear of the Mako. Another amazing sight was watch ALL the blue sharks come up and check out my motors stainless steel propellors!!! They were fascinated by it and would leave it alone!!!!
The day ended well, 21degrees water, 30-40m viz in places, no wind, quite a flat sea, 3 Yellowfin Tuna of 45-55kg's (two shot and one caught on rod and reel), 14 Albacore (longfin tuna) ranging from 8-16kg's and two bonitto.
Ran back home at almost 30knots with over 300kg's of fish on board as well as myself, my wife and another crew member(buggy boy). Not too shabby for a 6.5m Semi Rigid with 2x50hp 4strokes yamaha's!!!
Until next weekend......
Regards
miles
As most of you already know, i'm ADDICTED to Blue Water Hunting!!! The months when you can't get out to the deep is littered with excursions to the local reefs and smaller pelagics, all just to satisfy the "NEED"!!!
Well, tuna season has FINALLY arrived and last week i managed to spear the first Yellowfin Tuna for the season. A nice 50kg fish. Not a bad start!!!
So, all preparations began in ernest. Saturday, 26 March 2005, saw me launch the boat at 6:00am. After some bad weather reports from other spearo's, i double check www.Bouyweather.com , which still showed good weather. So off we went. Two hours later, we arrive at the Tuna grounds, only to find a FLAT and WINDLESS sea!!!!!! Pure bliss!!!!
Since it was Easter weekend, all the longliners and trawlers were in the harbour, so locating tuna in 400m deep water, in the wide ocean, was quite challenging. Out comes the 30lb fishing tackle and the trolling lures. Pretty soon we're into a 45kg YF tuna. The fish is boated, but by the time i get into the water, the school had left. A while later, we run into some Albacore and after some chumming, i manage to raise the school next to the boat. I get my wife kitted up and we jump in. we've got a school of Albacore tuna of at least 50 fish milling around the boat. I'm using my meduim 63" mid-handled woodie, which is OVERKILL for Albacore, but am looking for YF tuna beneath them. After about 20minutes, with no sign of YF's, i fetch my new 120cm RA Carbon with reel. My wife is using my 115cm Carbon Apex with reel and floatline (just in case a YF swims by!!). She had loads of fun whacking those Albacore.
After about an hour in the water, and getting stung badly by blue bottles, i get back into the boat. We leave the school of Albacore and go searching for YF's. A couple of miles later, then echo sounder shows a good sign. I jump in.............finally.........YF TUNA!!!!!!!!!
I managed to take two fish from that school, both weighing in at 51 and 55kg's!!! Unfortunately, by now, there are more than 10 Blue Sharks around the boat. Smallish sharks up to about 2.5m, with a brilliant blue colour. Very pesky buggers, that are not detered by poking them with a spear or pushing them away with the gun. Generally when they appear, you tend to find another school as they'll just eat up all your chum. I spend some time just diving with them (they're relatively harmless) and then i spot a small Mako. Also about 2.5m long. Was amazing to see how the Blue sharks would keep well clear of the Mako. Another amazing sight was watch ALL the blue sharks come up and check out my motors stainless steel propellors!!! They were fascinated by it and would leave it alone!!!!
The day ended well, 21degrees water, 30-40m viz in places, no wind, quite a flat sea, 3 Yellowfin Tuna of 45-55kg's (two shot and one caught on rod and reel), 14 Albacore (longfin tuna) ranging from 8-16kg's and two bonitto.
Ran back home at almost 30knots with over 300kg's of fish on board as well as myself, my wife and another crew member(buggy boy). Not too shabby for a 6.5m Semi Rigid with 2x50hp 4strokes yamaha's!!!
Until next weekend......
Regards
miles
Attachments
Miles, those are some excellent fish!
It appears you have things well underway with your blue water hunting now with regular catches of good Yellowfin and other blue water species!
I am very envious and would love to get over their at some stage to do some diving with you1
Take care!
Rob
It appears you have things well underway with your blue water hunting now with regular catches of good Yellowfin and other blue water species!
I am very envious and would love to get over their at some stage to do some diving with you1
Take care!
Rob
Hiya
Well, after a very windy week-end, the weather had settled down (as usual!!). So off to sea we went!!!
The day started off well with two small YF's and a Dorado (mahi-mahi) caught on the troll. PERFECT pan sized fish.
Then the diving started. Viz. wasn't that great, 10-15m at best but with quite a bit of particles in the water. The small blue sharks were also in attendance, gobbling up chum as soon as it hit the water. There were quite a bit of YF's around, but they were VERY shy and would only feed on the chum 10-15m deep. They simply would not come closer to the surface. Tommy how-ever showed why he is so legendary by taking 3 YF's which we guestimated to be around the 70kg mark!!! Thats 3 YF's shot and landed in under an hour!!!!
The high-light of the trip was the schools of Dorado (mahi-mahi) we got. VERY RARE visitor to our part of the ocean. We managed to take 14 Dorado's. Great fun!!!!!
Tony and myself weren't having such a good day. We both missed on the longer shots and i managed to give a solid shot on a 70kg class fish only to have the fish bend the spear and to have the slip tip not engage. Tony manged a great shot on a fish only to see the fish BREAK the 8mm spear in half!!!! With a thick fog approaching, we had to make a early run home. (no radar on my semi-rigid!!!)
One VERY funny incident: Just after Tony had his spear broken, i was alone in the water. Tommy and Tony were both on the boat. Tommy was chumming for me, when a blue shark appears. He starts eating the chum and i dive to chase him away. After a couple of attempts, i finally get close enough to jab him with my spearpoint. The blue shark now becomes peeved off at me and starts acting strangely. Starts swimming very erratically and starts circling me. Tommy's laughing and how this blue shark is giving me grief. It is about this time that i realise that its a bloody mako!!!!! Not too worried as i've got a four banded wooden gun, i slowly start swimming back to the boat. All the time will this peeved off 2m Mako is circling me. i get into the boat and my crew is laughing at me for trying to chase a mako!! (mako's are known to get VERY aggressive when provoked!!) Now, about 30m ahead of us is another boat with 3 spearo's in the water. Tommy shouts to the closest spearo, "watch out, there's a mako coming your way!!!" The spearo in the water just shakes his head. Now this peeved of mako is swimming on the surface straight to this diver. all three of us are now watching the shark. the spearo sees the shark and shouts: "there's a F@CKIND HUUUUUUGE MAKO here!!!!!!!!! Guys helpppppppp!!!!!!" (note shark was only 2m long!!) Had us doubled over with laughter!!
Can't wait for week-end!!!
regards
miles
Well, after a very windy week-end, the weather had settled down (as usual!!). So off to sea we went!!!
The day started off well with two small YF's and a Dorado (mahi-mahi) caught on the troll. PERFECT pan sized fish.
Then the diving started. Viz. wasn't that great, 10-15m at best but with quite a bit of particles in the water. The small blue sharks were also in attendance, gobbling up chum as soon as it hit the water. There were quite a bit of YF's around, but they were VERY shy and would only feed on the chum 10-15m deep. They simply would not come closer to the surface. Tommy how-ever showed why he is so legendary by taking 3 YF's which we guestimated to be around the 70kg mark!!! Thats 3 YF's shot and landed in under an hour!!!!
The high-light of the trip was the schools of Dorado (mahi-mahi) we got. VERY RARE visitor to our part of the ocean. We managed to take 14 Dorado's. Great fun!!!!!
Tony and myself weren't having such a good day. We both missed on the longer shots and i managed to give a solid shot on a 70kg class fish only to have the fish bend the spear and to have the slip tip not engage. Tony manged a great shot on a fish only to see the fish BREAK the 8mm spear in half!!!! With a thick fog approaching, we had to make a early run home. (no radar on my semi-rigid!!!)
One VERY funny incident: Just after Tony had his spear broken, i was alone in the water. Tommy and Tony were both on the boat. Tommy was chumming for me, when a blue shark appears. He starts eating the chum and i dive to chase him away. After a couple of attempts, i finally get close enough to jab him with my spearpoint. The blue shark now becomes peeved off at me and starts acting strangely. Starts swimming very erratically and starts circling me. Tommy's laughing and how this blue shark is giving me grief. It is about this time that i realise that its a bloody mako!!!!! Not too worried as i've got a four banded wooden gun, i slowly start swimming back to the boat. All the time will this peeved off 2m Mako is circling me. i get into the boat and my crew is laughing at me for trying to chase a mako!! (mako's are known to get VERY aggressive when provoked!!) Now, about 30m ahead of us is another boat with 3 spearo's in the water. Tommy shouts to the closest spearo, "watch out, there's a mako coming your way!!!" The spearo in the water just shakes his head. Now this peeved of mako is swimming on the surface straight to this diver. all three of us are now watching the shark. the spearo sees the shark and shouts: "there's a F@CKIND HUUUUUUGE MAKO here!!!!!!!!! Guys helpppppppp!!!!!!" (note shark was only 2m long!!
) Had us doubled over with laughter!!Can't wait for week-end!!!
regards
miles
Attachments
Tastey!
How deep did you dive for that angler? I thought they were deep-sea fish....
Is it edible?
How deep did you dive for that angler? I thought they were deep-sea fish....
Is it edible?
Hiya
I use two weightbelts and then dive bomb down to 400m and whack 'em!!! (sorry, been watching Pirates of the Caribean..........love the part where the crew walks underwater, back to their boat!!!)
Seriously though, we regularly pick them up behind the hake longline boats. What happens is that the hake hooks itself and then the angler eats the hake, thereby also hooking itself. The longliners only have a certain amount of allowable bycatch, so many of the anglerfish are tossed back. Unfortunately, being dragged up from 300-500m deep water, the fish's swim bladder is buggered and it can't return. So the birds feast as do the YF tunas. We then simply pick them up!!!! DIVINE to eat, but extremely ugly!!!! Also leaves a slime trail everywhere. If you leave it on the deck for a short period of time, the slime even eats away the deck paint!!!
ps. don't ever get your feet close to that fish. It'll chomp your foot!!!!
Regards
miles
I use two weightbelts and then dive bomb down to 400m and whack 'em!!! (sorry, been watching Pirates of the Caribean..........love the part where the crew walks underwater, back to their boat!!!
)Seriously though, we regularly pick them up behind the hake longline boats. What happens is that the hake hooks itself and then the angler eats the hake, thereby also hooking itself. The longliners only have a certain amount of allowable bycatch, so many of the anglerfish are tossed back. Unfortunately, being dragged up from 300-500m deep water, the fish's swim bladder is buggered and it can't return. So the birds feast as do the YF tunas. We then simply pick them up!!!! DIVINE to eat, but extremely ugly!!!! Also leaves a slime trail everywhere. If you leave it on the deck for a short period of time, the slime even eats away the deck paint!!!
ps. don't ever get your feet close to that fish. It'll chomp your foot!!!!
Regards
miles