Tuna tackle

From where are you buying the bulk blocks of frozen chovies? I'd like to get my hands on some of that. I found a good distributor a couple hours S of me for high quality, vacuum packed green label herring and now have 40 trays in the freezer. But even in a bulk purchase, they're too expensive to use for chumming tuna. Also, I noticed you had #3 tuna doubles. I've used everything from #2 - #6 or#7. At first I thought the #3 or #4's were a bit small since the ones I purchased pre-rigged tended to come with larger hooks. However, last year #3's and #4's seemed to work just fine. What's your experience with albies and hook size?
 
seadna said:
From where are you buying the bulk blocks of frozen chovies? I'd like to get my hands on some of that. I found a good distributor a couple hours S of me for high quality, vacuum packed green label herring and now have 40 trays in the freezer. But even in a bulk purchase, they're too expensive to use for chumming tuna. Also, I noticed you had #3 tuna doubles. I've used everything from #2 - #6 or#7. At first I thought the #3 or #4's were a bit small since the ones I purchased pre-rigged tended to come with larger hooks. However, last year #3's and #4's seemed to work just fine. What's your experience with albies and hook size?
Click to expand...

I don't have a lot of experience with albie's and hook size. Most of the trips of WCVI have been on lures that have the standard barbless double Mustad commercial hooks on them. When we went live bait fishing we were using tiny No.4 live bait hooks (really small). I think those double 3/0 barbed Owners will work just fine with those smaller lures I just picked up. I need more time on the water fishing these addicting creatures to find out myself. Thanks for your observations.

There has to be someone down there selling bulk anchovie in blocks. Look around some more. If you come up empty ask some of the guys on the black and red site.

Cheers,
John
 
seadna said:
From where are you buying the bulk blocks of frozen chovies? I'd like to get my hands on some of that. I found a good distributor a couple hours S of me for high quality, vacuum packed green label herring and now have 40 trays in the freezer. But even in a bulk purchase, they're too expensive to use for chumming tuna. Also, I noticed you had #3 tuna doubles. I've used everything from #2 - #6 or#7. At first I thought the #3 or #4's were a bit small since the ones I purchased pre-rigged tended to come with larger hooks. However, last year #3's and #4's seemed to work just fine. What's your experience with albies and hook size?
Click to expand...


where are you located ? I have a couple friends that maybe able to help you.. I can get the bulk block frozen & iQF anchovies you here no problem....:)
 
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I have caught troll tuna on 5/0 doubles w good success. Last fall, I was on an 8 day LR trip out of San Diego and caught 20-25lb YFT on jigs with 3/0 and 4/0 singles and none of those came off... plus, just like John, live bait was using #1 and 1/0 hooks and lost 1 out 9

I think the big commercial doubles are great hooks but not necessary
 
Berry's Bait in Richmind is having their annual spring sale and I see they've put up a decent selection of Tuna trolling tackle including some of those great little P-Line jet heads and a selection of BC 's Best Tuna lure the Deadly Dick-15% off for the next week.
 
I hate to do this to people here but there are some great looking little Kona Heads on EBay-Japanese made too these things will smoke like crazy!

Juvenile Saury imitation
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Imitates Almost Anything
2chx9oh.jpg


Very Squiddy Looking Lure
​
2dqvxiv.jpg
 
The addiction continues... I wonder sometimes if I like tackle better than actually catching fish???
Nah - but tackle is on sale when its too rough to fish so...

I wanted to avoid running X-rap tangle machines, but also wanted to be able to run several diving lures closer together under the surface spread. So my search for 'bibless' trolling lures led me to Lively Lures in AUS
http://www.livelylures.com.au/lures.php?id=3&col=1

They offered to do some custom painting (a la Tomic) when I sent them some pics of favorite local lures I use.
I'm pretty pleased with the results!
They run nice and true and have good wiggle even down slow to 4mph. I hope to try them on Big Bank or Swiftsure loooong before the tuna show up.
Smaller ones are 5" and the larger is 7" - for the nominal size, they are just a bit smaller than Tomics of the same length.
 

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What's the action like with the folk stuck in the back:p? (joking). Cool paint job :).

Those look like a nice alternative to the xrap's. I haven't had a problem with the xraps yet (knock on wood). I usually run them on the hand lines and last year off the dive boards. Never had one come shooting back to the boat on me yet.
 
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I've got two of those Livelies I picked up in the South Pacific they do have a different wiggle.

Never ran them here since they're a bit large and I like YoZuri Bonitas more OTOH the Bonitas can wander in the pattern.

IMGP3476_zps5468f333.jpg
 
I have been doing research on teasers and attractors. I like to make up my own stuff, so I made a couple sets of 4" and 5" teaser bars. Then I read thru Fred Archer's views on large teases:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=FWd...AA#v=onepage&q=By Captain Fred Archer&f=false

And since I am admittedly a tackle junkie - I found something to amuse my experimentation gene - the squids in the foreground are 5", the bigger one in background are 13" !!
The whole thing is over 12' long. I don't know how the Albies will react to the two sets being pulled together, but I'm willing to try it once or twice. It was on clearout at http://www.saltwateredge.com/ for $49 so I figured the 13" squid bodies could be used for hali if the tuna teaser test is a bust

The second pic is for size comparison too, but also to show a #4 Yo zuri triple skirt that I want to try on a 3 oz jig head and troll it alongside/ below the 2 teaser bars. This color is the same as #2 skirt minus the glow top skirt and was a recommendation from - http://www.pcsportfishing.com/article/26
 

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Those look awesome. I love the splash birds that lead the school. Hopefully not to messy when landing fish but if it works good maybe you could focus your whole spread around those. Leave the x-raps out of the equation and it should be fine. Splashing is important IMO. Not mandatory but important.

It's back to the spread game soon boys!!!
 
Thanks for that dog breath! Just when i think I am done purchasing tuna gear you come along and show me that. Ughhhh! How much? Can it be trolled 6 kn?
 
Terry, those chains look great. Nice job.

Carl, the action on those teasers is amazing!


I have an alarming addition to the gear that I will post up soon:p:).
 
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