7/15 Offshore Report (Go Big(eye) or Go Home)

[Riptide Charters]

7/15 Offshore Report (Go Big(eye) or Go Home)

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Today was as perfect example of how a small window of time can make or break an offshore trip. It also shows how being willing to change your gameplan on the fly can make the day as well.

The game plan was to head 15-20 miles South of Block Island from Westport to fish the area around the Suffolk and the Horns for the SBFT that had been around there early last week. While the intel was old there was not much current news due to the wind and waves we've been having. It was as good of a starting point as we could get. I had current sea temp charts from two companies I felt was were in a decent position. The crew JJ (SOundking) Shaun Ruge and Sam Riley met me at the house at 0500 and we headed out. I hit the gas station and bring the boat up to 3/4 of a tank (about 125gallons). Since we are not going that will be plenty with room to roam (little did I know)

We splashed the boat in the fog and and I ran on radar for the first 45 minutes to an hour. JJ started off showcasing his skills on a boat and I must say we were all impressed. Trailering leaves allow of dead bugs on the hull but JJ solved that problem.



We ran out to the Suffolk and found the temp break, a few birds and a TON of boats sharking and a few trolling. With no other signs of life we went lines in to give it a quick once over. I imeadiatley began to look for other options. The break at the Horns was getting weaker so I opted to stray from the game plan and go east rather than west to the Horns. It looked like the fish of last week would have no reason to be hanging around since all the bait had moved off.

We trolled/ran east and hit the fingers. There was a fleet out there sharking but even with a little more bait this area still looked slow. I heard there was some action north of us earlier in the morning but it was brief and had died off.

A quick study of the temp charts and I opted to stray from the tuna game plan and go a bit south and look for mahi in the 73-74 degree water near the dump. There was also a long break that ran north and south a ways east of the dump that looked as if it should hold the fish the were migrating west to east. I felt we could take the curse off with some mahi then make a play for the tuna on the hard break. From the sound of things everyone was workingthe east west break above the dump, we would have no other boats around on the north south break well tothe east of it, and since I hate crowds it was a great option.

We ran into the 73 degree water and found some whales, dolphin and bait. It was as good a place as any to go lines in. So we set the spread and adjusted it for mahi and small tunoids. We trolled for several hours with no joy. At this point being up for 20 something hours and having no action was getting to me. I popped in a "go to" point and set JJ on the wheel. I retired to the bow to relax and enjoy the sunshine and FAC water. I had just closed my eyes on the bow when I hear FISH FISH FISH!!!!

I leap up and just catch the bird on the shotgun getting smashed BIG TIME! The guys said somthing just hammered the left short rigger too. I hit MOB and make a tight turn back onto the MOB. In a minute or so something big and mean piles onto the shotgun bird and this time it doesn't miss! The 30VSW is screaming out line at 17# of strike drag! I make a few moves with the boat to try to pick up another few fish, but now we are loosing allot of line and the fish is not slowing down. I climb up on the gunnel to get the shotgun rod dwon from the t top launcher. Before I can hand off the rod Sam wraps a belt around me and says "your all set". I guess this fish is mine!

JJ comes around with the boat while we keep the spread out looking for more fish. I get on the fish and start to take back some of the 200+ yards we lost. The fish keeps taking line slowly so I bump the drag up to full (27#) and I continue to gain on the fish. After about 8-10 minutes we are close. Sam is gloved up to leader, JJ has the wheel and Shaun is ready with the gaff if needed. Since we are in 73 degree water near the Lanes I'm thinking nice YFT. My guess on the way the fish is fighting is 80# class. We get a look at the fish deep and he doesn't look that big. The gaffman is backed out of the fight for the moment. AS I keep pulling the fish just gets bigger and bigger, Ruge steps back in with the gaff. The fish goes under the hull and when he circles out he's not a YFT but he's plenty big and I make the call to stick him with the gaff. Sam gets the leader and pulls, Shaun does a SWEET job of planting the gaff in the fishes head and he and Sam heave the fish onto the deck!

The sures is off and in a big way! The fish is a 100# class...... Bluefin???? Somethings not right here. We are in almost 74 degree water, this fish is REALLY thick and the fins look longer than normal. The eye is also bigger than I'm used to seeing. Could it be... No, well maybe... IS IT A BIGEYE? I know they look like a BFT, and I've heard all the comments when someone says they hooked one that its justa BFT. So now we start to really examin it. Big eye, pec fins reach back to the dorsal fin, THICK body. We open the fish up and I remember that the liver should be striated for a bigeye. Sure enough. It is.



I know bigeye feed deep on squid and this joker has a stomach bigger than a gallon milk jug and it is SWOLLEN with 10-15 POUNDS of 6" squid! The consensus on the boat..... WE have Riptides first BIGEYE TUNA!



We are all pumped that thje curse is off the fish is over 50" and so thick and fat that it in the 80-100# range (much less once Sam tossed out the 10+ pounds of squid that was in it)

We get back on the troll with a renewed excitement. I adjust the spread to a more squid oriented pattern and we pound the area for another hour. Not even a sniff. I head south, then east and we hit a few fliers in 73-75 degree water and only get one small boil off any of them. Very little life and no fish.

At 1600 our fuel is running low and its time to head in. I start running in and the guys are washing the rigs with FW and packing them away as I steam home then after about 5 minutes I see a HUGE and I mean HUUUUGGGE explosion on the water!!!!! We all jump up and it happens again! Sam grabs the camera and gets this film (WARNING 4.6 meg file and ADULT LANGUAGE)


http://riptidecharters.com/Sharkjump.mov

Less than 50' from the boat a 20' basking shark decided to launch itself CLEAR OUT OF THE WATER THREE TIMES!!!!! I've never seen a basking shark jump, let alone that close! Now with things randomly launching out of the water around us all eyes are glued to the surface to see what else might come up and try to join us in the boat.

I run for another 10 minutes, just enough time for the guys to get all the gear put away when I see the MOTHER OF ALL TUNA SCHOOLS!!!! They are just under the surface and daisy chaining around in a 3 acre circle. OH wait, theres another school, and another!!!! GET THE RIGS OUT NOW!!!!!!!!!!



"THIS IS NOT A DRILL, THIS IS AN ACTUAL TUNA EMERGENCY!!!" For guys that have never been offshore on my boat (except Sam) All I can say is they were on their game. We had 7 rods out and in position in the time it took me to get the boat in position to make the first pass on the tuna. The guys pulled out all the lures they had just washed, re-rigged the rods and had everything just so in like 90 seconds.... VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!!

I make the first pass and swing the spread into the huge mass of fish....Here it comes..........NOTHING! WTF!@! We just pulled a perfectly good spread into 1000's of tuna and we didn't get ........FISH ON!!!!!! DOUBLE!!!!! It was game time. Apparently these fish would not hit in the big schools. Every time they would wait until our lures cleared the pod by 500' or so then the chaos would start. We began to work these fish over nicely.



Sam wanted time to practice leadering tuna. He got plenty.



Since all of these fish were in the 50# range, we went to a lip gaff to dehook and release them. Shaun tried to tail them but after landing one that way the lip gaff proved to be a MUCH better option.



We worked these fish until near dark, and until our fuel situation was near critical. They were still biting. I always fill the boat (176gal) when i'm going WAY offshore and I never have to look at the guage. Today since we were only planning to run inshore it was a 3/4 tank day to keep the boat from being too heavy. I was watchful of the fuel situation all day and we left at an appropriate time to have a reserve. But when the tuna showed up on the ride home we ate that reserve up. I knew we hada safety valve of MV for fuel if need be, although I really didn't want to pay MV Marina prices for gas. However with a bite like this and the crew saying "we can swim home, please let us stay" It was looking like and option we might have to take. Fortunatley as I passed Nomans and figured my fuel burn in the FAC conditions I felt we could make Westport safely and we didn't need the MV stop. We did make Westport ramp without any issues, but the fuel gauge was lower than I've ever let it get.

Final tally about 15 tuna in the 40-50# class and one nice bigeye? around 100#. Overall a killer day OTW. As you can see from the pics it was FAC and hot most of the day. The guys were super to fish with and the plan although it changed throughout the day came together nicely. Lure of choice was a green machine with a bird/ bird chain. The big fish came on this combo as well. The water for the big fish was around 74 degrees. The smaller fish came from 71-72 degree water. We ran 7-8 rods all day with only one cluster to show for it. The boat ran flawlessly and the fishing was great.

Overall THIS is what its all about!!!!
__________________
Good Luck,

Capt. Terry Nugent
Riptide Charters
www.riptidecharters.com

[jbhockeyfan]

OMG I would not of swam home but stayed in the boat and just fished till someone found me LOL. Sounds like one heck of a day and a nice bite of fish to boot. Just wonder you going to go with 3/4 of a tank next time. Congratz on a great catch and Your first big eye. Way to go

[Riptide Charters]

My boat holds 176 gals and I get around 2.2 mpg so obviously the need to fill the hull with a half ton of fuel for inshore suff is not needed. But I do thank God, Wahoonbox and anyone else involved in the 10% margine they put on the fuel guage

[Admin]

Now that is one hell of a fishing report man.

I have never seen a basking shark jump but that video is coool .

Big eye congrates on your catch man and finding a massive pod of yellow fin damn it dont get much better then that! Congrate on a great day of fishing !!!!

[Deep C]

Wow that's the opposite end of the spectrum from my day... Pretty work!

[WAHOONBOX]

TERRY..............BEST DAM REPORT I HAVE EVER READ!

THE VIDEO IS PRICELESS OF THE BASKER...........

ANY CHANCE OF A SFC WATERMARK? PALEEEEESSE

[Riptide Charters]

Anything I can do for you Box, you know that! Shoot me an email about it.

[POON MAN]

Outstanding ,,,,,,,,,,Trip and Report Terry

[O-SEA-D]

Great report and great pics guys.

BTW...is that a 28 Vector Hydra Sports??

[anthony]

Great day and AWESOME report!!!