2012 TUNA trips

Dogbreath said:
Make sure they're through-wired or you'll be throwing your money away.
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Ya, I know your right but for the amount that I will use them i think it is a good place to start. If I can get a fish to come up to one these I will look a proven quality. China has the world larges consuming middle class thus there products have improved compaired to the cheep crap that was coming out of there for so many years.
 
Yes found out brain spiking works well. See istvan and slivo were doing it on Jasons video. Then I cut lateral line and put in my live bait tank head down with water circ out. I have a plug at 2/3 full so water will run out to Ocean. When water is clear in bait tank transfer to slush tank. When cleaning them there is no blood on table. I have ordered a kill bag and will cut heads off and you can then pull head and guts out ( this is called carking i think) and have more room for more fish. They should cool quicker. After while in slush tank transfer to kill bag. planing trip on wed or thurs water looks better thursday.
 
We've been brain spiking all of our tuna this year also. I use an icepick or an awl - it's a little safer than doing it with a fillet knife, especially on rolling seas. Also, as shown in the video, it's a lit easier of you spike them while they are still on the gaff.

I have questions for the tuna experts here - if you are using a side planer, what brand and why? Also, do they work OK with X-raps or are they better with clones (I'm thinking the pull of a 20' X-rap is much more than that of a clone)? Any conditions/sea states when they don't work? I'm looking into get some side planers for my boat and am wondering what's the best way to go.
 
Sculpin said:
That's a good one dak. We didn't do a very good slushing job before throwing them on ice and I need to build a skookum bracket on my swim grid to come up with a more secure slush bucket. Something removable so it's not in the way during other fisheries.
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I think I am going to use a rubermaid garbage can for slush/bleed. I will spray glue some blue foam mat on it. I used one to bleed in last time and it worked fine. I stayed in it position on the swim grid while it was fairly rough that day as well.
 
seadna said:
We've been brain spiking all of our tuna this year also. I use an icepick or an awl - it's a little safer than doing it with a fillet knife, especially on rolling seas. Also, as shown in the video, it's a lit easier of you spike them while they are still on the gaff.

I have questions for the tuna experts here - if you are using a side planer, what brand and why? Also, do they work OK with X-raps or are they better with clones (I'm thinking the pull of a 20' X-rap is much more than that of a clone)? Any conditions/sea states when they don't work? I'm looking into get some side planers for my boat and am wondering what's the best way to go.
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I think you could pull a xrap right off the planner board but not to sure about off the mid line.
 
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Also, I was just in ukee and went to the Captains Hook Tackle shop. As usual it was not open but the hours on the door said it was. Anyway, thats another thread. That shop has a fair amount of tuna gear! I was looking in the window and couldn't believe it. It was closed though, again. Pffft!!!!!!
 
Birdsnest said:
Also, I was just in ukee and went to the Captains Hook Tackle shop. As usual it was not open but the hours on the door said it was. Anyway, thats another thread. That shop has a fair amount of tuna gear! I was looking in the window and couldn't believe it. It was closed though, again. Pffft!!!!!!
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Good to know. I will check them out. What time of day was it? Ukee ciesta lol?
 
Birdsnest said:
I think I am going to use a rubermaid garbage can for slush/bleed. I will spray glue some blue foam mat on it. I used one to bleed in last time and it worked fine. I stayed in it position on the swim grid while it was fairly rough that day as well.
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Head into your local Wine Kit type store, they have plastic pails that size,C/W a tight locking lid and they come with a drain on them!
You could hook an air pump to the drain and aireate the pail and also drain it when done. It should be easy to attach to a swim grid and is very easy to transport, not sure about the insulation values of the blue foam, but it would be easy to wrap it in HotWater Tank insulation, but then I'm not sure how that would stand up when it got wet.
 
Winter Harbour Sept 08/09 2012

Two boats out of WH this last weekend. Stayed at WH Friday and Sat Nights.

Body count was 12, 4 on one boat and 8 on the other for one days fishing. 50 Nautical Miles from Kain Island to the SE of of Cape Cook and the Brooks Peninsula. The wind cooperated Sat a.m. for a good run out. The warm water had moved 20+ miles further out and south in the past week. We fished our way out, and did catch one in 55 degree water (had been 60 a week ago) The fish bit various colors of xrap 20's (10 fish), with one on a natural cedar plug, and another on a crocodile cast at jumping fish. We had the whole library of jigs/clones out and didn't get a touch on them all day.

My boat had 2 birds with clones 12ft behind, splashing all day. We got the 4 fish (again, none on clones, all on xraps) . The other boat fished "lighter" trolling just xraps and no noise makers and fewer jigs. I am thinking a "stealth" approach was better on these scattered fish. The other (more successful) boat did see a few jumpers and found two schools rolling/boiling on the surface, but didn't have a touch on clones.

Maybe spookier late season fish where some chum/bait and lighter lines with smaller lures would have been better?

The SE started to puff at 4.00. We bolted for the barn with the last 3/4 of the two hour trip being nasty. Not dangerous, but uncomfortable.

We were ready for the second day (Sunday), but the SE wind howled all night and Sunday was a "sit on the beach and drink coffee" morning. Even the salmon fishers left the harbour and came back 10 minutes later.

Stayed at Dick's Last Resort. It's rustic, but an awesome location. I would go back in a heartbeat. The wolves sang at dusk and all night Friday. We were told a cougar was within 40ft of the cabin last Thurs night. Now that's cool. What a great place! (but don't take your foo-foo dog).

The tuna education continues, and I will start the Campbell River chapter of "I don't have a tuna problem,..... honest" this winter. Thank-you guys for the posts and info, keep them coming.
 
Tuna bleeding

Birdsnest said:
I think I am going to use a rubermaid garbage can for slush/bleed. I will spray glue some blue foam mat on it. I used one to bleed in last time and it worked fine. I stayed in it position on the swim grid while it was fairly rough that day as well.
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I was thinking of rigging up something to hang the tuna by the tail either off the gunnel or transom to bleed. Seawater pump could be used to provide continuous cooling spray. Looking for feedback, please feel free to shoot my idea full of holes.
 
was wondering....oh by the way first time poster on the tuna thread, long time reader..........was wondering about after bleeding the fish whether gutting them would improve the end product then into the slush. Its something I do back here in ont on lake erie for rainbows and pickeral. I think it allows them to cool quicker plus you get the guts out which may break down and cause off flavour. it looks busy on the deck at times and it stands to reason you wouldnt want to take time to gut when you are on the fish but if (and again Im not sure if the difference would be worth it) it added to the quality of the product why wouldnt you. it seems like a big part of tuna fishing is eating them.

ok....good talk....thanks
wicket
 
dak said:
I was thinking of rigging up something to hang the tuna by the tail either off the gunnel or transom to bleed. Seawater pump could be used to provide continuous cooling spray. Looking for feedback, please feel free to shoot my idea full of holes.
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I was thinking of hanging them too to bleed and also doing a cut in the tail to help the bleeding. I think for certain I will do the insulated bucket/slush on the swim grid. Al this effort and thought and very little opportunity to go. Heck I may have already had my last tuna trip of the year, who knows.
 
dak said:
I was thinking of rigging up something to hang the tuna by the tail either off the gunnel or transom to bleed. Seawater pump could be used to provide continuous cooling spray. Looking for feedback, please feel free to shoot my idea full of holes.
Click to expand...

haha had the same idea if you look back in the 2011 tuna thread....my thought was to have a rope running from the stern cleat to a forward bow cleat. Every 10" or so I thought of rigging a large carrabeaner onto a short length (6" or less) of rope, which then is fixed to the stern to bow rope....catch a tooner, stab em good, and clip the carrabeaner at the base of the tail. The tail is strong enough to not slip out I'd reckon, and then you would just have a meat rack of 8 or so bleeding tuna hanging off the side of your rig. Once they have bled out unclip em and toss them in the ice chest.

I may have been roasted a little with the idea, but I still think it would make a good system. As well as the removable ice chests built to the same size and shape the deck....10" tall and strong enough to stand on. Basically building a second floor under which you can store a shat load of Toons and ice.

But all in all I think Tuna Don has the best method, using aerated bait tanks with constant pumping water until they bleed out.

BANG BANG
 
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