Tuna of the Pacific Northwest

[FASTWATER]

Todd what I do know thou is the swords do make it up to the canyons out from the columbia and Tillamook in the summer when the temperature is right. Bait of choice out here is different from back East as Hake is the mainstay of their diet your boat with a livewell is perfect but they eat dead baits to, I have caught 2 in all my years of trying but haven't spent the last couple years trying at all mostly because I haven't been doing the over nighters like I use to. It is the same idea as back East thou with light sticks and depths, both fish were caught on the deep lines set for around the 400 foot mark.
Hake school up during the day but single out at night and that is when the swords do their destruction so the key out here is find the bait (hake) just before dark and set up for the drift accordingly the cool thing is you do almost always hook a mako every night, it use to be alot of fun I usually would put out 3 rods and can't tell you how many times I woke up to screaming reels as I was commercial fishing Tuna back then and this was something I did at night just for fun and didn't take it to serious it would be fun to get together this summer for a little adventure I will stay in touch and get that info to you when I get it my bud said he will get it for meASAP I asked for the last couple years research!!!PEACE

[FASTWATER]

Dylan are you back in PV for the winter?

[Tower Todd]

Dylan is just in PV for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to his pics.

Fastwater,

Did you catch two swords from WA or OR? If so that is the first I've heard of it other than being several hundred off by commercials.

Todd

[FASTWATER]

Todd both fish were caught way offshore yes, I believe the 1st was around 180 miles out and just south of the Astoria canyon and the same year the 2nd one was over 200 I believe we were around 230 both in late September but sort of the same area this is when swords actually are about as close and more abundant than any other time of the year. I use to commercial fish Tuna from late july to mid October out of Warrenton and always 3 to 4 day runs and in hundreds of times trying only caught 2 , of which they were both in the same fall, I know they are out there and hope to figure out how to target them more effectively, we use to see the commercial lonliners out there all the time so I am sure it would be more productive, my goal this winter is to hone as much information I can about there habits off our coast for future reference!!!PEACE

[Dylan]

Fastwater.. Great info!!

I keep telling my bro's FUGGETABOUT those BAITFISH sized albies....! Time to roll big guns ONLY! I got spooled a few years ago, 50 miles out of Ilwaco 2am, trolled alongside the Astoria canyon walls, 24' purple/black hootchie ontop of a glowstik ziptied onto the leader, onto a professionally rigged 20' mackeral. Same rigging as the guys from baitmasters of Fl do.. 500yds, gone in under 2 mins.

[ancient mariner]

BBBRRRAAAVVVOOOOOOOOO. Great way to get the kids into fishing.

WACKM 'N STACKM
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner

[Cornfed]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Fastwater.. Great info!!

I keep telling my bro's FUGGETABOUT those BAITFISH sized albies....! Time to roll big guns ONLY! I got spooled a few years ago, 50 miles out of Ilwaco 2am, trolled alongside the Astoria canyon walls, 24' purple/black hootchie ontop of a glowstik ziptied onto the leader, onto a professionally rigged 20' mackeral. Same rigging as the guys from baitmasters of Fl do.. 500yds, gone in under 2 mins.

What rod/reel setup did you have? What they hell were you doing out there at 2AM? Was the bait on the surface? Spill the story brotha.

[ancient mariner]

HI :
What dou you put in the gunnels?
I wouldn't use anything less than an 80 wide IF your hunting for the BIGUNS!
Anything else, would get a 30-50 loaded with 80 pound powerpro.
WACKM 'N STACKM
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner

[Dylan]

Tommy

We were targetting biguns.. Unfortunatly we only had one rig that was somwhat capable of doing the job That was a Diawa SLD 30W. The bait was 30' behind a old salty diver which was attached to 100' of handline.

I just hope there will be considerable amt of effort put forth into susceeding in this endeavor once summer time comes around..

There just isnt much money up here in the NW, plus there are very very few offshore boats in this region that are capable of making an overnighter. Also no one wants to go out and spend thousands of dollars getting rigged up for a chance at a giant up here.

[Cornfed]

Originally Posted by Dylan

Tommy

We were targetting biguns.. Unfortunatly we only had one rig that was somwhat capable of doing the job That was a Diawa SLD 30W. The bait was 30' behind a old salty diver which was attached to 100' of handline.

I just hope there will be considerable amt of effort put forth into susceeding in this endeavor once summer time comes around..

There just isnt much money up here in the NW, plus there are very very few offshore boats in this region that are capable of making an overnighter. Also no one wants to go out and spend thousands of dollars getting rigged up for a chance at a giant up here.

I am pretty sure that I will not be doing any over night trips with my 25'er without at least one other boat out there on a dead calm night. How far is the Astoria Canyon from port? Would you go out of Ilwaco or CR? How did you find a mackeral to fish? I have caught a couple out of Neah Bay when trolling for silvers. Should I be keeping them (vacuum packing them and freezing)? I have bought most of my reels for tuna fishin now...mostly Shimano TLD 25s. That is pretty much all I can afford without breaking the bank and still be able to participate. TT said he had an angler last summer that fought a fish for 20min. on the 50W. He said probably high forty's to mid-fifties, but it came unbuttoned.

When you say "thousands of dollars", where is the expense in getting rigged? In the lures and baits? Gas to get offshore?

I want to do it...just don't have the $$$ to do it by myself. l would be willing to throw a bunch of money on the table if somebody wanted to make a trip.