I'm sure I will catch abit of chit...but lets talk chunking to start...

[Captain Michael Buffington]

alot of you may not like me or my style but I will freely share everything I know and it is more than ballyhoo rigging. If you disagree just put me on your ignore list.

Chunking 101 for me.

I normally do kites, freelining baits, and chunking at the same time. I will concentrate on my idea of a good chunkline. I will start with tuna but many, many species are chunkable.

1. Of course be where they are and that involes temp., bait, and intuition honestly. You find the first two and the third will start to happen. It never hurts to try and I try to give it at least an half hour. I ave successfully chunked on manmade and natural bottom as well as rigs and dolphin schools so it the bottom machine/side scan that gives me clues.

2. Pace...pace is all important! Vary your pace ecspecially at the beginning. If there is a hundred ton school there then you ain't holding them anyway unless you havce 25000 sardines but you get the point that if you dont give a fast pace to start with you may miss out on a ton of fish. The opposite is also often the case in that a super heavy chunkline will drive a small school far enough back in the line that hydrodynamics force your chunk up out of the line just because of you line and the drag drifting or the current places upon it.

3.Hiding the hook...My order of instruction or tips may be off but its all here somewhere I think. Hiding the hook serves a dual purpose with(circle of appropriate size and weight)with this method. Take a sharp filet knife a make an incision in your chunk. Take the bottom or bend of the hook and press it into the cut. This way if you pull out sufficient line as you set it in the water it stays in the chunk until you get bit or you reel it in. Just get on it for the first few feet and you will feel it come out.

More tomorrow if anyone wants.

Mike

[netman9]

Thanks for the late read.

Setting here watching the now 1-19 against top 5 teams VT Hokies getting spanked just like they did when they started the season #4.

Later, I'll study this and any tips you add.

[Hatterized]

alot of you may not like me or my style but I will freely share everything I know and it is more than ballyhoo rigging. If you disagree just put me on your ignore list.

Chunking 101 for me.

I normally do kites, freelining baits, and chunking at the same time. I will concentrate on my idea of a good chunkline. I will start with tuna but many, many species are chunkable.

1. Of course be where they are and that involes temp., bait, and intuition honestly. You find the first two and the third will start to happen. It never hurts to try and I try to give it at least an half hour. I ave successfully chunked on manmade and natural bottom as well as rigs and dolphin schools so it the bottom machine/side scan that gives me clues.

2. Pace...pace is all important! Vary your pace ecspecially at the beginning. If there is a hundred ton school there then you ain't holding them anyway unless you havce 25000 sardines but you get the point that if you dont give a fast pace to start with you may miss out on a ton of fish. The opposite is also often the case in that a super heavy chunkline will drive a small school far enough back in the line that hydrodynamics force your chunk up out of the line just because of you line and the drag drifting or the current places upon it.

3.Hiding the hook...My order of instruction or tips may be off but its all here somewhere I think. Hiding the hook serves a dual purpose with(circle of appropriate size and weight)with this method. Take a sharp filet knife a make an incision in your chunk. Take the bottom or bend of the hook and press it into the cut. This way if you pull out sufficient line as you set it in the water it stays in the chunk until you get bit or you reel it in. Just get on it for the first few feet and you will feel it come out.

More tomorrow if anyone wants.

Mike

great post Capt. Buff........and on the 5th day GOD invented Butterfish.......aka Candy........i am sure some older Tuna slobbers can teach

[Captain Michael Buffington]

great post Capt. Buff........and on the 5th day GOD invented Butterfish.......aka Candy........i am sure some older Tuna slobbers can teach

I will elaborate on the chunkin' at "work" tomorrow. In the mean time I need a bamboo specialist ot two.

Mike

[Captain Michael Buffington]

this is just me but I think pace is the second most important factor in chunking. being where they live of course being the first. When I get started I like to have alot of bait cut. If I only have pogies or threadfins I want a ton of them(2 flat minimum). I start with a double handful pitched in an arc and then start a count in my head varying it from 1 a second to 1 every 10 seconds. Once I hook or see the first fish I start trying to fine tune the timing so they are getting enough to stay interested but not enough to where they cant keep up and fall back in the chunkline. I want them on the corner trying to eat the paint off the boat. Not only is it easier to see what is happening and therefore hook the fish but you kinda make them stupid when you have them that close. If you are getting overwhelmed with blackfin and bonita start chunking them(you want to do this anyway as the big fish usually prefer the red meat). The boneheads and blackfins will usuall shy away from the red meat at first but will start on it later. when they start eating your redmeat just increase the size of your chunk until it turns into straight yellowfins and big blackfins. I usually try to have one guy catching nothing but bonita with a locked down drag and pitching them in a trash can where one guy(usually me)is hacking them up and incorporating them into the chunkline. I try to keep two lines in the water at all times. My basic set up is one fisherman at each corner with a two speed 50 and a short top shot of fluoro(18' to start)and a snelled circle. put the rod in the holder with the clicker on, grab the hook and pull out about 15' of line, take the chunk and push the hook in. When you drop it in the water it must have enough slack so that it doesnt come tight or your hook will fall out. My method is to pull out 10 or 15' of line and pile it in the water below me. I watch the loops of line feed out and pile 10 or 15' more when there is one or two loops remaining. Never let it get tight. When the line shoots off reach over and throw the lever to strike while turning the handle. if your not getting bit try something different. Play with your hook weights and fluoro sizes(usually never go below 80 but have gone down to 60 before). One common mistake I see is people chunking with straight mono. This is just me but no matter how new or well taken care of mono is it will always have some line memory. Those loops from the spool catch water and pull your chunk out of the chunkline. You may catch a fish or two but if you are competing against someone with a reel full of spectra and a short top shot of yozuri pink you are getting your as$ handed to you every time imho.

Gotta make a loan...

Mike

[Ace1st]

Would this technique work on the Eastern side of the Stream? Im told thats where the YFTs are hanging out.

[Captain Michael Buffington]

Would this technique work on the Eastern side of the Stream? Im told thats where the YFTs are hanging out.

I would say definitely. Ecspecially at night. Most of my open water chunking success has been in the dark. I think yellowfins just about everywhere respond to the right chunkline.

Mike

[Ace1st]

I would say definitely. Ecspecially at night. Most of my open water chunking success has been in the dark. I think yellowfins just about everywhere respond to the right chunkline.

Mike

Yeah.....Ive seen your success in the dark on the Cows. You sure know how to get the Big girls biting at MARTINIS.

[Captain Michael Buffington]

It was her dike girlfriend that ruined thaqt adventure! That was a heck of a night my friend. I can't wait for April Asa's got to be getting close to 20 guage size! Will Miss lucy let us baptize him in turkey feathers?



Mike

[skirt chaser]

Capt Mike you are right on . here are some tricks from here on the va coast . we use peanut bunker netted the morning of fishing or the night before for bait and chunks . pick the larger of the lot for hook baits , hide the hook inside the bait . the chunks most we leave whole and inject air into some of them to help them float . during the chunking we use a menhaden oil dripper to make a longer slick to help draw them in . we will fish some baits on top behind boat and some deep under baloons from the riggers . goodluck fishing give chunking a shot it is worth it at times .
Capt Kevin