Yellowfin Tuna - Offshore November / Interested?

[RACK]

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[Hoghuntinfool]

If anybody wants to stay up late so they can sleep on the way out I’ll be there patching the parking lot tomorrow night since the parking lot will be empty I could always use a hand! See y’all there!


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[Hoghuntinfool]

I may not be there til pretty late tho will have to see how work goes tomorrow


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[AtTheWall]

120 Quart cooler with 3 Yellowfin. STUFFED

[AtTheWall]

[Chase This!]

They returned this AM with 33 Yellowfin tuna - average weight around 70lbs. 53 grouper, 3 Mahi, Wahoo, Vermillion snapper and a few Blackfin Tuna along with a 300 plus pound Mako.

Guys hooked up on Yellowfin, lost over 20 fish. Would have been a boat limit if they had a bit better tuna capable rigs. Some were running spinning reels with maybe 20lbs of drag?

Best solid fish were caught with chunk on the drift. Smaller tuna were biting on top.

We will chase grouper during the day mixed with Vermillion snapper (beeliners).

Mako killed one Yellowfin as it was fought - and started in on a second yellowfin before the Mako rigged rod came into play.

20 pounds is a lot of drag.

[AtTheWall]

20 pounds is a lot of drag.

Yes it's somewhat adequate but, the reel retrieve is too high, negating the winching advantage a solid 2-speed has to offer. Retrieves of 1.5 to 1 or 1 to 1 are more important than the overall drag pressure, when you can drop that 2 speed down into low gear.

A 20 lb drag, versus what most of us are running with 2 speeds - which is more around 28 - 30lbs, these tuna are taking a hundred or two more of line on spinners, versus 2 speeds. And these guys got hung out trying to reel against a strong fish with a 5 to 1 and or 6 to 1 retrieve ratio. The angler doesn't have the low gear power required to get these tuna turned head up - adding more time on the fight, and adding potential of losing more fish with the extra time on fight, at longer distances away from the boat.

Like climbing an 18% grade mountain in high gear - rolling an 18 wheeler with a load on. Eventually you kill the engine - not enough torque to continue that climb, even if the engine was rated with a thousand plus horsepower.

Even the 2 speed reels, left in high gear, whip you pretty good till you drop down into low gear. This is during that tuna down deep phase - adding to that, the boat is on drift the entire time, adding more power to the fish versus the angler.

We cover the first part of the tuna fight in high gear, covering for green fish that may swim in quickly - slacking the line to points, they can gain line angles opposite of the rod pull, and get that hook pulled easier. So we cover in high gear, covering for potential fast runs into the boat on slack line...... till that tuna goes down into the vertical fight mode. Then we drop into low gear and work the pump at 1 to 1, gaining every time the boat falls and hold during the rise. It might only be inches at a pop but, it's gain. I've watched spinning reels just dump line against a 20 - 30lb drag without the torque to gain, during the boats fall. The fish weighs way more than the drag and it's body's weight, coupled with a steady head down spin, negate any gain. At this point, someone has to hand line on the boat's fall, just in front of the reel, just to gain line. Which then puts two people into the fight to cover that spinning reel.


I'm running 32 - 40 lbs of drag, turning up drag after I can get the fish turned after it's first couple of runs. I start out around 20 lbs or so, right around strike drag till I feel the tuna tire. Then I crank the drag up and drop into low gear for the winch - keeping it's head always on the upswing as much as I can. One reel setup, I'm running upwards of 50lbs of drag, which at times, gets cranked up all the way to hold pressure on a stubborn fish. I've pulled a few hooks doing this, but not enough to match the lost fish made with spinning reels with a fixed retrieve ratio.

Fast to the gaff reduces the chance of losing the fish.

These guys lost over 20 tuna with fixed speed spinning reels. The 2 speed conventional reels - maybe 5 fish total lost? 3 of those were due to bad line, oil got on the top shot and weakened it. Top shot was cut and a new section re tied - no more tuna broke off on that particular Accurate 2 - speed.

[AtTheWall]

I may not be there til pretty late tho will have to see how work goes tomorrow


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Be safe and see you there Mike!

[Dushon]

think I’m ready now


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[RACK]

What's everyone bringing for motion sickness? I'm bringing cold beer and cigars.[emoji16]

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[Fargus]

You scalawags be safe out there. Hate that I am missing this trip. I can't wait to see pics of bloody decks and fat yft.

**** is gonna die!!!!

[AtTheWall]

Rolled to work - knock off and roll southbound.

[Chase This!]

think I’m ready now


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Not the best choice. Get a script for a scop patch. You’ll thank me. 9ft on Tuesday.

[Chase This!]

Scratch that. I see dates change. Looks like good weather.

[Geezy Rider]

What's everyone bringing for motion sickness? I'm bringing cold beer and cigars.[emoji16]

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The Patch and ginger.