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Chronicles of a Blue Water Hunter
- Thread startermiles
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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The Tuna have ARRIVED!!!!!
Spent Saturday afternoon putting graphics on my boat. The wind was waaaay to strong, coupled with a big sea, put paid to any plans on going out to the deep. Besides, there was a week long tuna competition, which ended on Saturday, with the final result being 4 fish landed!!! Thats 4 fish for a weeks fishing, between 30+ boats with our countries best anglers on board. Things were looking really bleak..................
Late Saturday afternoon, i check Bouyweather.com, and saw that almost no wind was predicted for Sunday. The wife insisted that we go this week-end as she's working next week-end. Who am i to argue with the boss???
Sunday morning, 6am, we launch the boat. We barely started the 50nm run to the tuna grounds, when we were greeted by a school of dolphins. After some quick photos, i noticed that our stickers which we put on the night before, had all washed off!!! :rcard :rcard
Anycase, we ran in a rather lumpy sea. When we got to the tuna grounds, we found a trawler with 3 other boats behind it already. Two hours later, only one boat had a smallish (10kg or so) longfin (albacore) on board. Things were really not looking good. Water was a cold 15degrees!!! By now, we'd drifted about 7nm from our original destination. I quickly ran back, only to be rewarded with the sight of two commercial boat with anglers straining over bent rods!!!
30 seconds after the bait hits the water.................FISH ON!!!!!!!!! With-in the next hour, we had over 10 commercial boats working the same area. Being a commercial fisherman, a while back, i have great respect for these guys. I decided not to get into the water, as it would mean that i'd probably drift into their chum trail. Rather leave the diving for a day when there are less commercial guys out.
Final tally, 9 YF tuna with 2 fish in the 50kg class and the other 7 being in the 70-85kg class.
Tommy was also out there with his rib and one of the guys managed to spear a 87kg fish. The FIRST speared fish for this season!!!! Can't wait to get out in the week, when there are less boats around!!!
Regards
miles
Spent Saturday afternoon putting graphics on my boat. The wind was waaaay to strong, coupled with a big sea, put paid to any plans on going out to the deep. Besides, there was a week long tuna competition, which ended on Saturday, with the final result being 4 fish landed!!! Thats 4 fish for a weeks fishing, between 30+ boats with our countries best anglers on board. Things were looking really bleak..................
Late Saturday afternoon, i check Bouyweather.com, and saw that almost no wind was predicted for Sunday. The wife insisted that we go this week-end as she's working next week-end. Who am i to argue with the boss???
Sunday morning, 6am, we launch the boat. We barely started the 50nm run to the tuna grounds, when we were greeted by a school of dolphins. After some quick photos, i noticed that our stickers which we put on the night before, had all washed off!!! :rcard :rcard
Anycase, we ran in a rather lumpy sea. When we got to the tuna grounds, we found a trawler with 3 other boats behind it already. Two hours later, only one boat had a smallish (10kg or so) longfin (albacore) on board. Things were really not looking good. Water was a cold 15degrees!!! By now, we'd drifted about 7nm from our original destination. I quickly ran back, only to be rewarded with the sight of two commercial boat with anglers straining over bent rods!!!
30 seconds after the bait hits the water.................FISH ON!!!!!!!!! With-in the next hour, we had over 10 commercial boats working the same area. Being a commercial fisherman, a while back, i have great respect for these guys. I decided not to get into the water, as it would mean that i'd probably drift into their chum trail. Rather leave the diving for a day when there are less commercial guys out.
Final tally, 9 YF tuna with 2 fish in the 50kg class and the other 7 being in the 70-85kg class.
Tommy was also out there with his rib and one of the guys managed to spear a 87kg fish. The FIRST speared fish for this season!!!! Can't wait to get out in the week, when there are less boats around!!!
Regards
miles
Attachments
Friday 21 October 2005
Since my last trip was done on the weekend, with waaaay to many boats out on the tuna grounds, which makes for very difficult diving, i decided to try my luck on a week day.
The day didn't start off well, with 2 of the crew members cancelling on the very last minute. I managed to get a couple of my old commercial fishing friends to come with, just so that i could have some crew. With only 4 of us on board, we left two hours later than planned.
During the trip, i managed to crack one of the cabins windows and the deck wash pump also packed up. About 5nm into the trip, we run smack into a 25knt SE wind. Makes for a VERY bumpy ride. Was looking to be one of THOSE days when i should've rather stayed in bed........................
The weatherman predicted beautiful weather in the deep, and luckily for us, this time he was right. No wind and a fairly small swell. With-in the first 20minutes, we have 3 fish on rod and reel. Forty minutes later, two fish were lost and i'm still fighting mine. Then...........a bird flies into my line!!!! :vangry :vangry So, three fish lost!!! This whole process happened several times during the day. My crew are simply not experienced enough to handle these BIG fish. I managed to take 3 YF's weighing 64kg's, 76kg's and 82kg's on rod and reel.
We then decided to run slightly away from the other boats and try and get our own school of fish, so that i can get into the water. A short while later, i see birds working and YF tuna's smashing bait fish on the surface!!! (We very seldom see tuna working baitfish here!!) I run up to the feeding frenzy, and start chumming immediately. Before i could even put my wetsuit on, we had YF's all around the boat.
I jumped in, only to find the viz. is not so good. Maybe 12-15m, but with lots of particles in the water. The fish were everywhere, but they were VERY skittish, plus it looked like they were moving at MACH3!!!! Since the school of fish were feeding on the chum, i took my time and singled out ONE of the bigger looking fish. I had plenty of YF's in the 60-70kg class swim by, easily with-in range, but as luck would have it, the bigger fish stayed just out of range.
How-ever, THIS is where my 67" Mid-handled Tommy Botha wooden gun with 10mm(3/8")spear and 5x16mm (5/8") bands, really excels!! I shot one of the bigger fish at probably full range. The slip tip engaged inside the fish!!
Twenty minutes later, the fish was brought along side the boat and my crew managed, with difficulty, to pull the fish on board. Inside that fish's mouth was a old rusted long line tuna hook plus a newish looking 9/0 gamagatsu hook with a short peice of flouro-carbon leader!!! Looks like its luck had run out!!
By now, i had drifted away from that school of fish and the not so clean water, and with me being the only diver in the water, i decided to call it a day.
Our final tally, 3 YF's on rod and reel and 1 speared. One or two of the tuna commercial boats (rod and reel) did quite well, with them boating up to 20YF's. During the course of the day, we also heard on the radio, a FEW times, of anglers being spooled by BIG YF tuna's. Thats Shimano Tiagra 50W with 80lb line!!!
My fish weighed in at 94kg's and from the other fish i saw in that school, it looks like we're going to break the 100kg with-in this MONTH still!!!
Regards
miles
Since my last trip was done on the weekend, with waaaay to many boats out on the tuna grounds, which makes for very difficult diving, i decided to try my luck on a week day.
The day didn't start off well, with 2 of the crew members cancelling on the very last minute. I managed to get a couple of my old commercial fishing friends to come with, just so that i could have some crew. With only 4 of us on board, we left two hours later than planned.
During the trip, i managed to crack one of the cabins windows and the deck wash pump also packed up. About 5nm into the trip, we run smack into a 25knt SE wind. Makes for a VERY bumpy ride. Was looking to be one of THOSE days when i should've rather stayed in bed........................
The weatherman predicted beautiful weather in the deep, and luckily for us, this time he was right. No wind and a fairly small swell. With-in the first 20minutes, we have 3 fish on rod and reel. Forty minutes later, two fish were lost and i'm still fighting mine. Then...........a bird flies into my line!!!! :vangry :vangry So, three fish lost!!! This whole process happened several times during the day. My crew are simply not experienced enough to handle these BIG fish. I managed to take 3 YF's weighing 64kg's, 76kg's and 82kg's on rod and reel.
We then decided to run slightly away from the other boats and try and get our own school of fish, so that i can get into the water. A short while later, i see birds working and YF tuna's smashing bait fish on the surface!!! (We very seldom see tuna working baitfish here!!) I run up to the feeding frenzy, and start chumming immediately. Before i could even put my wetsuit on, we had YF's all around the boat.
I jumped in, only to find the viz. is not so good. Maybe 12-15m, but with lots of particles in the water. The fish were everywhere, but they were VERY skittish, plus it looked like they were moving at MACH3!!!! Since the school of fish were feeding on the chum, i took my time and singled out ONE of the bigger looking fish. I had plenty of YF's in the 60-70kg class swim by, easily with-in range, but as luck would have it, the bigger fish stayed just out of range.
How-ever, THIS is where my 67" Mid-handled Tommy Botha wooden gun with 10mm(3/8")spear and 5x16mm (5/8") bands, really excels!!
I shot one of the bigger fish at probably full range. The slip tip engaged inside the fish!! Twenty minutes later, the fish was brought along side the boat and my crew managed, with difficulty, to pull the fish on board. Inside that fish's mouth was a old rusted long line tuna hook plus a newish looking 9/0 gamagatsu hook with a short peice of flouro-carbon leader!!! Looks like its luck had run out!!
By now, i had drifted away from that school of fish and the not so clean water, and with me being the only diver in the water, i decided to call it a day.
Our final tally, 3 YF's on rod and reel and 1 speared. One or two of the tuna commercial boats (rod and reel) did quite well, with them boating up to 20YF's. During the course of the day, we also heard on the radio, a FEW times, of anglers being spooled by BIG YF tuna's. Thats Shimano Tiagra 50W with 80lb line!!!
My fish weighed in at 94kg's and from the other fish i saw in that school, it looks like we're going to break the 100kg with-in this MONTH still!!!
Regards
miles
Attachments
Last edited:
Miles,
You make us look bad, knock on wood man, fish in the 40-90 kg range ae a dream catch for most of us here,
excellent catch, great story, this is a cool post, it's turning into a weekly episode like "survivor"or "friends", keep em coming , best of luck and be safe out there
cheers
You make us look bad
, knock on wood man, fish in the 40-90 kg range ae a dream catch for most of us here, excellent catch, great story, this is a cool post, it's turning into a weekly episode like "survivor"or "friends", keep em coming , best of luck and be safe out there
cheers
Miles, I am afraid there is now a more advanced, fully featured, 2-engine, Tuna spearing vessel featured on the DeeperBlue forums, it even has luxury cabin accomodation:miles said:
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showpost.php?p=568619&postcount=1"]DeeperBlue Forums - View Single Post - The latest dive float/work platform[/ame]
16 November 2005
Trip Report: Revenge of the YF tuna's!!!
Tuesday afternoon, one of my mates called me to tell me that they had a good day tuna fishing. They boated 4 fish, with the biggest almost 80kg's. He told me about HUGE YF's swimming in their chum line, eating chum, but not taking the bait. Since i have a chest infection, the wife has BANNED me from diving until it clears up!!(She even put my dive bag in her cars boot, so that i can't sneak off and go shoot some fish... )
Had a look at the weather, and it showed a nice calm window before a 30knt+ wind and 12' sea. Since it was looking like a small sea and only wind in the afternoon, i decided to take out some old fishing friends, whom i promised a long time ago.
5:00am. We leave the harbour. NO WIND!!! Dead flat sea. After a hour or so, we get a bit of wind, but nothing to worry about. About 10nm from "my spot", i see Yf's smashing bait on the surface!! Didn't even bother to stop, as generally you get the smaller 40-50kg sized Yf's in that area.
By 8:00am, we have our first fish on board. Was loads of fun watching anglers fight with a REAL fish for a change!!! Its even funnier when you give them the wrong harnesses, so that they can suffer even more!!! After some burn off's and many aching mussles, i showed the guys the PROPER tecnique pulling YF's stand-up style.
Now, we have 3 anglers fighting fish and i'm sitting on the trolling bar, throwing chum into the water, when three HUUUUGE YF's appear. They're swimming very slowly, and completely un-afraid of the boat. They circled the boat for more than 10 minutes........in crystal clean water!!! Did i wish i had my speargear with!! :vangry :vangry
Anyways, i just about had enough!!! I grabbed another Tiagra 50W and lobbed a peice of chum at them. BANG!!!!! Fish on!!! Less than a minute later, i'm busy staring at the last bits of line left on my reel!! I pushed the drag to sunset and thumbed the spool.................it works........the fish stops!!! Drop down the reel into low range.........and start the loooong fight. 40minutes later the first gaff goes in!!! Meanwhile, the other anglers are still very busy fighting their fish. Being too buggered to put another line in, we still had those HUGE fish swimming around the boat!!!!(for the record, its MUCH easier to spear those big fish than catch them!!) A new personal best for me 101kg's!!!
We ended the day with 15 YF tuna ranging from 50-101kg's. Then we took a hiding coming back home in that 30knt wind. Had a wave break OVER my CABIN!!!!! Not a fun trip home!!! But what a day!!!
Regards
miles
Trip Report: Revenge of the YF tuna's!!!
Tuesday afternoon, one of my mates called me to tell me that they had a good day tuna fishing. They boated 4 fish, with the biggest almost 80kg's. He told me about HUGE YF's swimming in their chum line, eating chum, but not taking the bait. Since i have a chest infection, the wife has BANNED me from diving until it clears up!!(She even put my dive bag in her cars boot, so that i can't sneak off and go shoot some fish...
)Had a look at the weather, and it showed a nice calm window before a 30knt+ wind and 12' sea. Since it was looking like a small sea and only wind in the afternoon, i decided to take out some old fishing friends, whom i promised a long time ago.
5:00am. We leave the harbour. NO WIND!!! Dead flat sea. After a hour or so, we get a bit of wind, but nothing to worry about. About 10nm from "my spot", i see Yf's smashing bait on the surface!! Didn't even bother to stop, as generally you get the smaller 40-50kg sized Yf's in that area.
By 8:00am, we have our first fish on board. Was loads of fun watching anglers fight with a REAL fish for a change!!! Its even funnier when you give them the wrong harnesses, so that they can suffer even more!!! After some burn off's and many aching mussles, i showed the guys the PROPER tecnique pulling YF's stand-up style.
Now, we have 3 anglers fighting fish and i'm sitting on the trolling bar, throwing chum into the water, when three HUUUUGE YF's appear. They're swimming very slowly, and completely un-afraid of the boat. They circled the boat for more than 10 minutes........in crystal clean water!!! Did i wish i had my speargear with!! :vangry :vangry
Anyways, i just about had enough!!! I grabbed another Tiagra 50W and lobbed a peice of chum at them. BANG!!!!! Fish on!!! Less than a minute later, i'm busy staring at the last bits of line left on my reel!! I pushed the drag to sunset and thumbed the spool.................it works........the fish stops!!! Drop down the reel into low range.........and start the loooong fight. 40minutes later the first gaff goes in!!! Meanwhile, the other anglers are still very busy fighting their fish. Being too buggered to put another line in, we still had those HUGE fish swimming around the boat!!!!(for the record, its MUCH easier to spear those big fish than catch them!!) A new personal best for me 101kg's!!!
We ended the day with 15 YF tuna ranging from 50-101kg's. Then we took a hiding coming back home in that 30knt wind. Had a wave break OVER my CABIN!!!!! Not a fun trip home!!! But what a day!!!
Regards
miles
Attachments
20 November 2005
STUNNING weather!! The WIFE had DEMANDED that i take her to sea!! With my chest infection not yet cleared up, and me devloping a nasty cough, still NO DIVING for me
Ran the usual 10nm to the point and were greeted by hundreds of yellowtail feeding on baitfish on the surface. Took lots of will power to drive past all those fish and not throw a surface plug at them!!!
Ran another 15nm out to sea, still more than 10nm short from my usual "SPOT X", when i saw some birds working. Change course, just to have a look. Then saw a trawler a short distance away, with loads of birds behind it, which meant that it was either cleaning its catch, or it was busy pulling its nets, either way, a GOOD sign!!
Ran up to the trawler and picked up a HUGE block of fish on the echo sounder. Stopped the boat and chummed. Before we could even get a line in, we had YF's swimming around the boat smashing the chum on the surface!!! And in CRYSTAL CLEAR water too!!!
Three bait line is and INSTANTANOUES hook-ups!! That was the scenario that repeated itself for the rest of the day. The wife had het tiagra30lrs spooled by a nice fish and now wants a tiagra50w for her birthday present!!
Woke up this morning with lots of aching mussles, but the cough is gone and my chest is much better!!! Pretty sure i'll be back to normal in a day or two. Then those YF's are going to be punished for taunting me like that!!!!
Our season only lasts perhaps another 3 weeks, so i'll have to cram as much possible sea time in as i can. I've seen those 100kg (220lb) YF's in my chum trail again and simply MUST shoot one of them!!
Regards
miles
Picture1- Wife shows us how to pull a YF
Picture2- Me pulling the daylights out of a YF
Picture3- YELLOWFIN TUNAAAA
STUNNING weather!! The WIFE had DEMANDED that i take her to sea!! With my chest infection not yet cleared up, and me devloping a nasty cough, still NO DIVING for me
Ran the usual 10nm to the point and were greeted by hundreds of yellowtail feeding on baitfish on the surface. Took lots of will power to drive past all those fish and not throw a surface plug at them!!!
Ran another 15nm out to sea, still more than 10nm short from my usual "SPOT X", when i saw some birds working. Change course, just to have a look. Then saw a trawler a short distance away, with loads of birds behind it, which meant that it was either cleaning its catch, or it was busy pulling its nets, either way, a GOOD sign!!
Ran up to the trawler and picked up a HUGE block of fish on the echo sounder. Stopped the boat and chummed. Before we could even get a line in, we had YF's swimming around the boat smashing the chum on the surface!!! And in CRYSTAL CLEAR water too!!!
Three bait line is and INSTANTANOUES hook-ups!! That was the scenario that repeated itself for the rest of the day. The wife had het tiagra30lrs spooled by a nice fish and now wants a tiagra50w for her birthday present!!
Woke up this morning with lots of aching mussles, but the cough is gone and my chest is much better!!! Pretty sure i'll be back to normal in a day or two. Then those YF's are going to be punished for taunting me like that!!!!
Our season only lasts perhaps another 3 weeks, so i'll have to cram as much possible sea time in as i can. I've seen those 100kg (220lb) YF's in my chum trail again and simply MUST shoot one of them!!
Regards
miles
Picture1- Wife shows us how to pull a YF
Picture2- Me pulling the daylights out of a YF
Picture3- YELLOWFIN TUNAAAA
