7/23 Tuna Grounds

[maquinapescado]

Summers in Kuwait (Todd) and myself hit the water @ 0300 to make bait on the the MLPA line. We made a mix of Spanish and Greenies.

The paddle out presented with light south winds early that would develop in strong winds from the south that even chased the PB'ers away.

We started seeing turns working small schools of crashing fish at 4.5 nm due west from the pier. Worked a little north of there for more action and great signs of life with bait balls, lots of whales, huge marks and smaller marks.

I worked the colt snipper on marks while Todd worked an iron as we both trolled the macs.

Somewhere around 0800 Todd is doing a bait swap, so I decided to pull mine in a little to about 60 feet back as we came to a stop. I had about 3-4 huge marks on the meter and all of the sudden the sound of a #200 pound man cannon balling onto my bait goes baaaawooosh! Clicker sings, I engaged and a short lived 30 seconds later SNAP!

Not an hour has gone by since I haven't thought about it at least two or three times. I really run my drags pretty stiff and have always had great success, but I believe it was my demise this time around. I think the power of this bruit was a little much. If I could do it again with these cows running around, I would have put less initial pressure on it.........next time.

By the sound of radio chatter, there are fish from Dana to Baja from 2 miles out to Clemente Island. Get out and represent your passion. Here are a couple photos of us on the water. Next time we'll have fish to show everyone.

Tight lines to all (but not too tight).

[maquinapescado]

Crap, I'm not fixing that.

[FISH11]

I thought you said they were close, that looks like you went to China. Better luck next time and thanks for the update.

[Zed]

Doh! Gotta hurt.

[Geno Machino]

That sucks. What pound floro were you using?

[kayakfisherman]

Love it!!! Go Go Go!

[maquinapescado]

Originally Posted by Geno Machino

That sucks. What pound floro were you using?

That was on the #40. Zing pow. Pulled line and snapped like I was tied to a truck being pushed off a cliff. I had #60 rigged but not out. Was looking for action first.

[taggermike]

That's a heart break for sure. 60# is a good idea for strength and abrasion resistance but unless you have a PA could you pull much hard er on 60 than 30 with out tipping your yak? Ive tried to break off big bat rays using 4/0 lb and about tipped. Mike

[maquinapescado]

Hey Mike,
I'm #145 and on a PA. I can surf really well so I have really good balance and strong core. I've broke off #60 night fishing snagged on the bottom. There is no way I could put #60 pressure on something like a Revo. Even with the #40 high pressure I gotta get my gangster lean on for sure. It's a really good point. I wouldn't recommend hanging something big on #50 or more unless you know what you're getting into.


Thanks, Brian

[Geno Machino]

I wouldn't troll w anything less the 65 braid and at least 80 pound floro. Preferably 100 pound floro, it's not about how much I can pull on these fish but the extra line abrasion I get for the heavier line.

[HobieOneCanoebe]

I have 80 lb braid 80 lb floro setup for trolling who's going out next I'm getting ants in my pants watching the video of that guy land one

[HobieOneCanoebe]

Use that drag to your advantage it's a matter of who will give up first. I've broken 80lb braid off on kelp with ease and I'm on an 11ft quest it shouldn't be a problem landing up to maaybe an 80lb fish, that is as long as you don't run out of line

[maquinapescado]

Originally Posted by Geno Machino

I wouldn't troll w anything less the 65 braid and at least 80 pound floro. Preferably 100 pound floro, it's not about how much I can pull on these fish but the extra line abrasion I get for the heavier line.

Definitely agree. I also want to get bit though. I have a few friends that have been putting the big cows on deck of their boats and they can't seem to get bit on anything more than #80 with a couple on the #100. Maybe being on the yaks we have an advantage though.

[pingpangdang]

I'm sure many have seen robntays videos but if not here is a good one pulling up a 114# tuna on his driveless kayak unassisted. Here are the details:
-3 miles towed hit a mile from shore.
-60lb line his reels can hold 500yds
-Penn international 12t converted 2 speed by cal's on 6' penn 30-80# mariner on this catch.
-took a little under an hour.
-tiger shark circling around.

Tips: 200lb+ tuna be familiar on regulations on cutting them up prior to having to do it...and bring ice and the right storage. Towing a bleeding tuna miles out on a kayak is like flylining your kayak...your part of the bait now.
-Yak max cap. For this 114# it maxed out his yak with his other kills and load submerging his yak a noticeable amount.
-Club seems to work
-Strong gaff good grip...not that cheep gaff you bought from amazon for 10 dollars....this ain't no yellow.
-12-15 lbs drag strike is common for tuna in the 100lb+ range. This ain't no yellowtail or grouper. You don't have to worry about structure. Light drag will absorb the hit and lessen pulling a bigger hole. You also won't get towed as fast or far as with heavy drag. Tunas usually run horizontal for the initial runs. The lighter drag setting tires them out faster vs locked down. Think of it like pushing a sled at football practice...what makes you more tired being able to push a sled weighted that you can push for only 200 meters in a few minutes or pushing a brick wall for the same amount of time? The light drag setting will zap the Tunas cardio....150yards of line won't cut it...unless your pulling 30pounders. You can gauge the size of the tuna on the run....let him run this ain't no yellow it's ok. Lever up drag if you he is taking too much but be patient. It will seem like your going to be spooled but stay calm it's only been 5 seconds let him pull. He'll soon tire and slow after long allowable runs. Gain line now. He'll then go straight up and down. When you see deep color you'll notice a pattern with tuna. Slowly spiral them up kind of working them in a figure 8 pattern up. Thanks to the light drag and exhausting the fish you have a better shot at landing him...high drag and muscle f-ing them with heavy tackle will only tow you further and bring him up green increasing the chance of break offs at color and everything else....it's a kayak not a boat so a more fatigued fish is the way to go. Again low drag is important so have it work in your favor...there is no kelp, anchor lines, hard bottom to be concerned with...different tactics so throw those yellowtail tactics out the window....and this ain't no party boat where everyone is waiting on you.


I'm no expert but this worked for me catching tuna in the past so I'm sticking with it.

Here is the video:
https://youtu.be/fU8LbHtAYc8

Also check out aquahunters forums old posts for possible lessons learned from the hawaii boyz

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[summers in kuwait]

Fun day again Brian. At least we found them and got one to bite.
Next time we'll stick em!

For all,
I was running 65lb braid to 60 lb Fluoro on all rigs and had a short quick bite, unlike Brian's bite on 40lb. Had greenbacks on the flyline rig, threw and dropped irons/magicbait on marks and later in the morning threw some poppers. Lots of life out there. Conditions weren't the prettiest to say the least, but seen worst. I was pretty jealous of Chuck sailing by!

Be safe and prepared when making that trek

[Iceman]

............and the stories we will tell.

[kayakfisherman]

Andy, tell all the stories you want--I'm eating. Talk is cheap!

[Baja_Traveler]

Top picture only works if you time the flip with the Green Flash...













Pirates of the Caribbean - Far Side of the World Reference if you are confused...

[taggermike]

Pingpang, that's an amazing video. That kage works well, but damn, fish that big deserve a break away harpoon with a float.

[taggermike]

Brian, I couldn't tell you had a PA in the upsidedown photo. Ya, you have plenty of stability n floatation.

I'm In basically the exact opposite boat. I'm 220 and paddle an original OK prowler 15. With bait tank full I'm sitting in a puddle. Ive been a life long surfer and am in decent shape for a 49 y/o. Been yakking 18 years which helps. Ive worked out some effective techniques that maximize pressure on the fish while lowering my center of gravity to increase stability. Still, no way in hell could I utilize the full strength of 60 lb. Mike