RUDDERS

[gottaflylee]

That's right...Tuna rudders, With steady action most of the day.
What is it when you forget something that you really want to have with you...it turns out to be a good day of fishing, well today I forgot the video tape for my camera...so no video of the day. Guess I can't complain to much as having been on the road fishing Stripers for the last 2 weeks and having a bad case of road lag that its all I left.
We started off the day after 30 minuets trolling with a double Black Fin and about 8 or 10 boats around us, I break the cardinal rule about leaving fish to find fish, I'm out of there. Now with that being said I hate to fish in a crowd and to the south was a tone of boats...most that I have seen at one time out there, and to the north we went. Working the inshore breaks in 25 to 30 fathoms and the offshore breaks from 40 to 60 fathoms I soon discovered that the fish were in-between the 2 breaks and feeding on the flat in-between the breaks. In the next hour we put a nice Dolphin and a couple more Black Fins. a friend of mine was up north of me and seeing some tunas airing out so I kept going that way picking up another Dolphin and Black Fin as we worked that way. About 2 miles from him I see some flyers air out and land in out spread and I turn the boat toward where they came out of the water when the shotgun line pops out of the clip and screams out line. nice fish I thought as I passed it down to Warren. Over 45 minutes later and much work on our part we put the first 60+ pound Tuna in the box.





Wanting a Wahoo I worked back out to the deep drop off and looked for our Wahoo and not long after that we put a small hoo about 30 pounds in the boat. With that out of the way I went back looking for another big Tuna when the right long gets hit, drop back nothing, again, nothing...left long hit. I drop it back, nothing, shotgun pops and I'm on it reeling hard and it comes tight with a nice Dolphin about 30 pounds putting on a great air show like he was a Marlin. Shortly after that he is in the boat and in the box.




We get the spread back out and back in the Tuna hunt when I see them air out and I head over toward them. About the time I say this is where I saw them, the right long snaps, I pass it down and the left snaps, I head to it and the shotgun pops and screams. I pass down the left long and look at the shotgun and Warren hears something from me he's not heard from me before " were about to be spooled!" He gives me that "your kidding me " look and I say it again as I struggle to get it out of the rod holder and pass it down to him. The first fish comes to the boat and another nice Black fin is in the boat and soon the other long line is to the boat with another Black Fin, in the boat. Mine while the shotgun is another matter but now I can back down...something I don't like to do meat fishing but with 10 or so raps left on the reel I don't have much choice, with about a 1/3 of the line back on the reel we settle down to fight another nice Tuna...nice mean Tuna...doing things I have not seen a Tuna do before. Charging the boat and then running away, going wide right and then wide left, charging the boat again. This went on for 30 minutes or more when we finely got him to the boat where he goes nuts, diving under the boat and darting away and charging the boat again. As he charges the boat for the umpteenth time the line somehow gets over the short rigger rod and things get a little crazy as the 80 pound line is chaffed down to 20 pound before we can get it off the rod. Now the Tuna is back out 40 yards behind the boat with some very bad line in-between it and us. 20 minutes later it back to the boat and it stick it or lose it. Warren one hands it and gets a few wraps of good line on the reel and were back in the game having to keep one hand on the line to keep it pushed off the side on the boat the Tuna is worked up the where Warren has a shot. As he takes the shot the Tuna darts away from the boat and the gaff hits just short of mid back and Warren is pulled off his feet and pinned the gunnels with one hand on the gaff. Somehow he gets back on his feet and with a little help gets the Tuna in the boat and the second one over 60 pounds is in the boat.

Ah...gotta love the splatter!






Whew, now were beat and worn out but get some lines back out and get back to it. After the last Tuna I'm not sure that the party is ready for another one of those and I ease the boat of that area looking for something a little smaller and stumble into another Dolphin which makes it into the boat and I head the boat toward the hill as the day is winding down.
All in all it was a great day and wound up with 8 Tunas, 3 Dolphin and 1 Wahoo and a great time was had by all.

[JMS-ILM]

great writing and awesome pictures, capt lee. pretty work.......

[Tunacatcher74]

Cool stuff man, great pics and great report. Hopefully the tuna's will be up here soon

[hunt4fish]

Pretty work Capt.Lee,you outta right a book,it was like I was there with ya.

[Deep C]

Wow! What a report! ... That was color commentary extrordinaire... Enjoyed it immensly thank you!

[brandon558]

Great report man...way to put em on the fish.

Brandon

[Capt. Brian Daley]

Great report there Lee and some sweet pic thanks

[HOLWACHAGOT]

Pretty work. Loved the report and pictures Lee. Glad to see some stud yellowbellies on the deck. What was the hot color of the day...Blue and orange? Thanks for sharing the report and pics!

HOLWACHAGOT

[flatbottom]

top notch reading Lee. Nice solid yellow fin. Thanks for the rePort

[#1Gaffman]

Pretty work Lee.

Very nice job, always filln the box.