M
Mongoose
Guest
i think the blue sharks would some what follow the tuna, but tuna are fast. quicker then the sharks. the sharks would eat the slow and weak tuna. a good lure for tuna are Zukkers. or Tuna Clones
5
5-Salt Fever
Guest
Blue Sharks are not nessarily a good indicator of Tuna - we see a lot of Blues early spring halibut fishing when water temps are well below Tuna water temps. As well we often find them inside of tuna in 56-54deg water.
You need min of 59degrees with 60-63 being ideal.
As to guys coming down to Tuna fish between now and the end of the season around 15Oct, sooner is better than later. Much of the summer has been a wind fest keeping us off the water. It has begun to lay down for 3-4 days a week - hong long it will last is a guess. Good news is we can watch forcasts to save a bunch of guys running south only to be stuck inside. Other good news is the current lack of wind forms a real clean temp break between cold and tuna water.
We are headed out in the morning about 45nm west of Newport OR - will post a report Saturday. We are giving serious thought to over nighting Friday on the salt to chase big tuna and swordfish in the gray light early saturday morning.
As to my boat, I like to fish 2 anglers and myself on my boat but I can fish 3 anglers if need be. As well, I sure we can scare addition open seats on other local boats. You could also trailer your own boat down - fuel capacity and safety equip are only really critical items then rigght reel/rod set up.
Let me know when you are thinking about so we make sure get all covered. Next three weekends is my recommendations.
You need min of 59degrees with 60-63 being ideal.
As to guys coming down to Tuna fish between now and the end of the season around 15Oct, sooner is better than later. Much of the summer has been a wind fest keeping us off the water. It has begun to lay down for 3-4 days a week - hong long it will last is a guess. Good news is we can watch forcasts to save a bunch of guys running south only to be stuck inside. Other good news is the current lack of wind forms a real clean temp break between cold and tuna water.
We are headed out in the morning about 45nm west of Newport OR - will post a report Saturday. We are giving serious thought to over nighting Friday on the salt to chase big tuna and swordfish in the gray light early saturday morning.
As to my boat, I like to fish 2 anglers and myself on my boat but I can fish 3 anglers if need be. As well, I sure we can scare addition open seats on other local boats. You could also trailer your own boat down - fuel capacity and safety equip are only really critical items then rigght reel/rod set up.
Let me know when you are thinking about so we make sure get all covered. Next three weekends is my recommendations.
R
Rob Warren
Guest
Whole bunch of tuna fishing videos here
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ynw6SE99NPA&mode=related&search=
Man those things are bloody messy!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ynw6SE99NPA&mode=related&search=
Man those things are bloody messy!
M
Mongoose
Guest
holy! those are fiesty little buggers. and yes they are "bloody" messy
P
Pablo2079
Guest
Why don't they bonk them already? Do they have to be bled that much???
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Tuna are a bugger when it comes to killing one, when you bonk one he keeps shivering and shaking often in a pool of blood and as that tail shakes 100 times/minute the blood scatters.
They just won't die right away like a Salmon does the shivering shaking keeps on and on.
Bleeding is best and a bucket really helps the problem comes when you hook one on every line you're dragging and they all end up in the boat within a few minutes of each other.Some aren't dead and are scattering the blood of the dieing ones all over the inside of your boat is a like a bloody skating rink.
They are a lot more work because not only does each one need to be bled as much as possible but if you want quality meat you have to gut 'em and take out the gills then stuff the carcass with ice preferably salt ice, lotsa work.
Also the blood needs to be cleaned up right now because when it dries it's awful hard to get dries to a weird gummy consistency off worse even than Dogfish blood.
EDIT you really should slice the artery just behind the fin to bleed 'em but it's easier to slash the gills for much the same effect.
They just won't die right away like a Salmon does the shivering shaking keeps on and on.
Bleeding is best and a bucket really helps the problem comes when you hook one on every line you're dragging and they all end up in the boat within a few minutes of each other.Some aren't dead and are scattering the blood of the dieing ones all over the inside of your boat is a like a bloody skating rink.
They are a lot more work because not only does each one need to be bled as much as possible but if you want quality meat you have to gut 'em and take out the gills then stuff the carcass with ice preferably salt ice, lotsa work.
Also the blood needs to be cleaned up right now because when it dries it's awful hard to get dries to a weird gummy consistency off worse even than Dogfish blood.
EDIT you really should slice the artery just behind the fin to bleed 'em but it's easier to slash the gills for much the same effect.
M
Monaro
Guest
Salt Fever, didn't hear back about your trip. Did you get into any fish?
5
5-Salt Fever
Guest
Tuna has been spotty the past 10days here in Oregon. Reports out of Southern Washington have been good as of 5 days ago with boat numbers running 30-40fish per trip. Regrettably this past weeks wx has kept sport fleet off the water. We have a trip planned for tomorrow.
Last week Friday we managed 14 tuna averaging 25lbs and 5 Halibut over 40inches. Not much bait in the water in central Oregon this summer and with tons of anchovie up near Columbia river and north no suprise Westport and Illwaco have been posting good reports. Normally Depoe Bay is one of the better bait populations for th state keep tuna near and fat. July fish had sardines and choives spilling out of their mouths. Aug/Sep fish all have had pretty empty bellies or the very tiny chovies in small qty's.
The 5 big halibut made the day as red hot tuna fishing it was not. All but two tuna were caught on the troll in 60degree water with Clones in Zuchinni, Coco, Chartruse, Green/white coloring. Two fish were caught on Silver/Blue Swim baits casting to jumpers in 54.6deg water on the way out to 60deg - coolest water any on the boat had ever caught tuna - we lost three others on swim baits in warmer water. The hot setup for the day was a 50yrd handline running greenwhite clone behind a Yozuri diverboard. Next was 6in Coco Jethead and Chartruse Salmon Hochie 3 fish each.
Looking forward, tomorrow looks to be one of the last days of the 2006 Oregon tuna season as warm water appears to slowly retreating and forecasts beyond Sunday look windy and cool. Hopefully I am wrong. Past three weeks the clear temp breaks have been gradually migrating north and west.
Will post reports for tomorrows outing.
Last week Friday we managed 14 tuna averaging 25lbs and 5 Halibut over 40inches. Not much bait in the water in central Oregon this summer and with tons of anchovie up near Columbia river and north no suprise Westport and Illwaco have been posting good reports. Normally Depoe Bay is one of the better bait populations for th state keep tuna near and fat. July fish had sardines and choives spilling out of their mouths. Aug/Sep fish all have had pretty empty bellies or the very tiny chovies in small qty's.
The 5 big halibut made the day as red hot tuna fishing it was not. All but two tuna were caught on the troll in 60degree water with Clones in Zuchinni, Coco, Chartruse, Green/white coloring. Two fish were caught on Silver/Blue Swim baits casting to jumpers in 54.6deg water on the way out to 60deg - coolest water any on the boat had ever caught tuna - we lost three others on swim baits in warmer water. The hot setup for the day was a 50yrd handline running greenwhite clone behind a Yozuri diverboard. Next was 6in Coco Jethead and Chartruse Salmon Hochie 3 fish each.
Looking forward, tomorrow looks to be one of the last days of the 2006 Oregon tuna season as warm water appears to slowly retreating and forecasts beyond Sunday look windy and cool. Hopefully I am wrong. Past three weeks the clear temp breaks have been gradually migrating north and west.
Will post reports for tomorrows outing.
Z
zike
Guest
I went out on a charter out of Westport last week, on Saturday 8 of us caught 133 tuna. On Sunday morning we caught another 33 more. We trolled near the jumpers til we hooked a fish and then stopped and fished live bait. We had as many as 5 fish on at a time. Sure kept the deckhands busy. We gave 11 tuna to the crew and split the rest 8 ways. My 20 fish, gave up 120lbs of boneless filets. The live bait gear was salmon rods with penn 320 and 20lb test. Sure were a lot of fun on the lighter rods.
nedarb2
Active Member
im really interested about this idea of a trip out next summer, ill talk to my dad and see if we can arrange for a trip out (we dont have a trailer so its $$ to get it hauled out)..im thinking that the far side of swiftsure would probly hold fish eh
p.s., i received this "manual" to pacific tuna fishing from a guy a couple months ago, ill post it but if its too big ill delete it and can email it to who ever wants it
Albacore Migrate from the West Pacific (Japan and Midway) to the East Pacific (U.S. West Coast) along the Japanese current. Then into and up the California Current. The furthest south they occur off our West Coast below Punta Bunda, Baja. They then travel north as far as British Columbia Canada. This migration is followed until Albacore reach maturity above seventy-five pounds and are ready to spawn. When they reach that size to go into another circular current south of Midway Island and spend the rest of their days in that current. That's the reason we never see any Albacore with roe. The fish in our migration are all immature fish. Mature Albacore will reach a size of one hundred and fifty pounds or more. In the last few years it has been found that Albacore over 40 lbs. will stay in an area if suitable water temps and feed in there.
Albacore are one of the Tunas whose body temperature is warmer by several degrees than the water in which they swim. They must always be on the move because they haven't any swim bladder. If they stop moving they'll sink. The way they get a little rest is to swim up sharply from three-hundred feet or deeper to about one-hundred feet. Then they'll take a long downward glide back down to the depth they started from. We suspect this behavior may also have something to do with regulating their body temperature. The same way Yellow-fin and Big-eye tuna do. They will come to the surface to feed, but not for a long period of time. They have large eyes for feeding at depths of over a thousand feet. Their eyes don't have eye lids and are very sensitive to light..
The first Albacore each year show up off the California Coast. Usually show up at such places as the Cortez Bank, San Juan Seamount, in southern California around June however they have been caught as early as March. Then on the North side of Point Conception. They appear on places like the Davidson Seamount, the 455 Spot, 601 Spot, Guide Seamount, Pioneer and Gum Drop Seamounts right around the middle of July.
Typically Albacore south of Point Conception, are usually two year olds. Averaging eighteen pounds. Albacore north of the point, are three years and four year olds or older. They average twenty-five pounds and up. One year old fish, averaging eight pounds do however occur in both areas Albacore will be off our coast in some years as late as January, depending on Sea Surface temperatures.
Don't be put off by cooler water temperatures. Remember Albacore migrate at an average depth of between two hundred to three hundred feet or deeper. How cool do you think the water temperatures are down there? A good rule of thumb is July through September fish surface waters from fifty-eight and a half degree and up. Later season fish tolerate cooler surface temperatures. Of course warmer is always better. When the surface gets cooler than fifty-five or warmer than sixty-eight, they leave.
Albacore generally surface on or around a temperature break, or TIDAL up-welling. That's were cool deep water surfaces and hits warmer surface water. Causing a plankton bloom that attracts bait fish. These breaks can sometime be visually seen. They look like a long slick, kind of how it looks when a ship passes through an area (so always fish the warm edge of a temp. break). Remember Albacore like clear blue water, so blue that it's almost purple.
Another good place to check is around floating kelp patties. They usually hold bait fish that attracts predator fish. Feeding Porpoise and Whales are another place that deserves checking. If you have a good depth sounder you can read Albacore, if you don't, you ought to be able to read bait fish and squid, so check that area out. Long areas of floating kelp and debris usually means you are at the edge of the Tidal Current. Try the outside edge. Look for diving birds, or even just birds in the area ( be sure to fish around setting birds they are sometimes setting on top of fish), in general look for signs of life. You don't want to spend your day fishing a dead area. Also keep in mind that about three days before, and about three days after a full moon the bite will usually be a late afternoon bite.
If you find fish, don't be afraid to put the information out on the radio. Most of the time more boats working the area properly, can mean more Tuna for everyone including you. So it's up to us private boaters to keep each other informed. This is the down side of fishing in BC waters as few are targeting Albacore and concentrating on easily caught salmon & halibut.
In June till the middle of August fish can be found by trolling feathered jigs at between six and a half to nine knots. Troll lines in a V pattern, the bottom of the V should be at the center of the boat and the shortest line. The first thing Albacore are attracted to is the bottom of your boat and the wake. They think the bottom of the boat is bait ball, and the wake is something feeding on that bait ball. So don't fish lines seventy-eleven miles back. A good starting rule is around the second wave behind the boat. Always keep lines and jigs clean of kelp, jelly fish and sea grass's. Another words check them often.
For boats that carry live bait any time you get a jig strike or see fish, try to chum them to the boat. Always chum so that the boat will drift over the chum not away from it. You can chum dead bait (small pieces of herring, sardines or squid) but be careful that you don't put so much bait in the water that they will follow the sinking bait down.
Use light colored jigs on bright days and dark jigs when conditions are darker. Good patterns are. Zucchini, Mexican flag, red and white, blue and white, green and white, green and yellow, purple, purple and black, and root beer. If I only had my choice of four. They would be, zucchini, Mexican flag, red and white, and purple and black.
Rig some of your lines with daisy chains. That's three or four smaller feathers threaded up your line about a foot apart, and held there with a micro press, with a larger different color larger jig about eighteen inches behind them. The larger jig is the only one with a hook in it. You can use jig's of the same size, if you don't have small ones.
Spreader bars really produce. You can troll nine to twelve hoochies. With a trailing feather with a hook in it, at the rear center of the rig. It looks like a whole school of bait, with a predator behind them. They are very hard to keep untangled, however. If you are weighing your boat lines, try a length of chain instead of a lead. The chain will make bubbles, which will attract fish. Trolling teasers such as Birds causes surface commotion that will bring fish up. Keep teasers ahead of the jigs.
Another tip for trolling is if you get a jig strike, and you don't have the live bait to chum. Try to keep going for at least a long ten count. You will have a good chance of hooking some more fish. When you wind the other rigs in after you stop wind them fast, sometimes that will result in another hook up. Mix some Fish trap 5" lures in your spread with weighted heads and when you get bit just let the Fish Traps drop and leave them drift and they will usually hook up.
It never hurts also to toss a hand full of bait, even chunked bait off the stern. Then while the people are fighting their fish, keep a light chum going in the direction of your drift. Another thing that works upon a jig strike is to cast back what's called, a drop-back rig, or a Fish Trap Lure. Free-spool it till the boat stops. Then retrieve it slowly, if a fish hits it throw reel in free spool let it swallow it then set the hook. A drop back rig is the same as a trolled bait rig, only with a two foot leader, A metal jig will also work, but you will have to retrieve it fast.
One more trick if you can read Albacore deep on your meter, circle over them. Pull all your lines on the side of the boat that are towards the inside of the circle. Chum the outside of the circle with frozen bait, long enough to let the first chummed baits sink to the depth they at. You want to chum enough to create a long spiral of bait down to the fish. Most time they will follow the spiral up and hit your jigs.
Around the middle of August these fish will switch over from feeding on squid, to feeding on bait fish, and will not readily take a feathered jig. You can tell when the switch comes you'll start seeing a large amount jumpers and surface feeding Albacore. Try trolling a Rapalas in the blue-white, green-white and Mackerel patterns. Cedar Plugs, in blue-white, natural naked, green-yellow, purple black or red-white patterns work well also. Set lines in a V trolling pattern, as you did with the feathers.
Another technique that will work is trolling a bait fish four to six feet behind a two to four ounce torpedo sinker. Hook the bait fish up through the bottom lip and out the top lip or head. Troll very slowly, and fish in free spool. When the fish hits, let it swallow it before setting the hook ( the bait can be a dead bait). You want to be sure fish are in the area before you do this. You will not cover much ground, trolling baits. You have to troll a little slower than Salmon trolling speed. Baits can be dead baits. Fish Trap lures are red hot for this.
When Albacore are feeding on bait fish, they tend to school in tighter schools. If you see an area of jumping, or surface breezing fish. DO NOT run over the top of them. Position the boat up drift from them and slide to within casting distance. Cast some metal Jigs at them. Let it sink for at least one hundred feet. Then wind as fast as you can. If you are going to troll fish them. One of the things that works best is a Fish Trap with a 1-1/2 oz. head, I prefer Bonito jigs (attached photo) in any colour --- however I troll all my lures and spreader bars the same colour ---- I firmly believe in presenting the total package of bait as presentation as opposed to various colours. Troll around the outside edge, not through the middle. If you run through the middle of them you'll put them down. The Albacore off BC are twenty pound range and the secret is keeping the baits under 6” inches . I would suggest that when trolling utilize the canyon wall drop-offs --1000 meters up to 160, tide flow bring up bait fish from the depths and colour of water and temp.
If you don't find fish on a trip, don't give up try again maybe you zigged when you should have zagged. Check the Sea Surface Temperature charts, look for a different area. It's an awful big ocean and Albacore can move a good distance in one day. Remember they have no swim bladders so they must always keep moving, or they will sink also they are hard to locate on your sounder (no swim bladders) unless you have a more powerful unit available to read fish to 1500 ft.
Out-Riggers, cannot stress strongly enough the value of these to the private boater. They will increase your lines spread and will increase your score by at least thirty percent. Make sure they are mounted properly. A private boat with out-riggers should be able to troll from seven to nine lines without tangles, along with a couple of short boat lines. And remember the old Albacore fishing law, keep your hooked fish in front of you, "NO ANGLES NO TANGLES"
There are other species of Tuna on the BC fishing grounds too. Blue-Fin Tuna, and they can get to over the two hundred pound mark. They like skipping jigs. Big-Eye Tuna that can get to over four hundred pounds in our area. You will not usually see Big-Eye unless it's right at dawn or and hour or so from sunset. They usually like a larger jig, but we take a few every year on Albacore jigs. A deep fished sliding dropper rig, with a live mackerel, large sardine or good sized squid will work, a fish trap or 4” to 6” soft plastic swimming lure will also work.
We also have Pacific Bonito, occasional Skipjack Tuna and Broad-bill Sword Fish, Thresher, Salmon & Blue Sharks; Unfortunately few BC fishermen chose to pursue these species so information is scarce. There is a great group which fish Oregon and Washington waters and share information on their website -----address is www.ifish.net go to the boards and view The Salty Dogs portion.
If additional in-depth information as to best canyon wall locations, baits, etc drop me a line. Don’t even consider going out unless your boat is fully equipped and your running with another boat !
p.s., i received this "manual" to pacific tuna fishing from a guy a couple months ago, ill post it but if its too big ill delete it and can email it to who ever wants it
Albacore Migrate from the West Pacific (Japan and Midway) to the East Pacific (U.S. West Coast) along the Japanese current. Then into and up the California Current. The furthest south they occur off our West Coast below Punta Bunda, Baja. They then travel north as far as British Columbia Canada. This migration is followed until Albacore reach maturity above seventy-five pounds and are ready to spawn. When they reach that size to go into another circular current south of Midway Island and spend the rest of their days in that current. That's the reason we never see any Albacore with roe. The fish in our migration are all immature fish. Mature Albacore will reach a size of one hundred and fifty pounds or more. In the last few years it has been found that Albacore over 40 lbs. will stay in an area if suitable water temps and feed in there.
Albacore are one of the Tunas whose body temperature is warmer by several degrees than the water in which they swim. They must always be on the move because they haven't any swim bladder. If they stop moving they'll sink. The way they get a little rest is to swim up sharply from three-hundred feet or deeper to about one-hundred feet. Then they'll take a long downward glide back down to the depth they started from. We suspect this behavior may also have something to do with regulating their body temperature. The same way Yellow-fin and Big-eye tuna do. They will come to the surface to feed, but not for a long period of time. They have large eyes for feeding at depths of over a thousand feet. Their eyes don't have eye lids and are very sensitive to light..
The first Albacore each year show up off the California Coast. Usually show up at such places as the Cortez Bank, San Juan Seamount, in southern California around June however they have been caught as early as March. Then on the North side of Point Conception. They appear on places like the Davidson Seamount, the 455 Spot, 601 Spot, Guide Seamount, Pioneer and Gum Drop Seamounts right around the middle of July.
Typically Albacore south of Point Conception, are usually two year olds. Averaging eighteen pounds. Albacore north of the point, are three years and four year olds or older. They average twenty-five pounds and up. One year old fish, averaging eight pounds do however occur in both areas Albacore will be off our coast in some years as late as January, depending on Sea Surface temperatures.
Don't be put off by cooler water temperatures. Remember Albacore migrate at an average depth of between two hundred to three hundred feet or deeper. How cool do you think the water temperatures are down there? A good rule of thumb is July through September fish surface waters from fifty-eight and a half degree and up. Later season fish tolerate cooler surface temperatures. Of course warmer is always better. When the surface gets cooler than fifty-five or warmer than sixty-eight, they leave.
Albacore generally surface on or around a temperature break, or TIDAL up-welling. That's were cool deep water surfaces and hits warmer surface water. Causing a plankton bloom that attracts bait fish. These breaks can sometime be visually seen. They look like a long slick, kind of how it looks when a ship passes through an area (so always fish the warm edge of a temp. break). Remember Albacore like clear blue water, so blue that it's almost purple.
Another good place to check is around floating kelp patties. They usually hold bait fish that attracts predator fish. Feeding Porpoise and Whales are another place that deserves checking. If you have a good depth sounder you can read Albacore, if you don't, you ought to be able to read bait fish and squid, so check that area out. Long areas of floating kelp and debris usually means you are at the edge of the Tidal Current. Try the outside edge. Look for diving birds, or even just birds in the area ( be sure to fish around setting birds they are sometimes setting on top of fish), in general look for signs of life. You don't want to spend your day fishing a dead area. Also keep in mind that about three days before, and about three days after a full moon the bite will usually be a late afternoon bite.
If you find fish, don't be afraid to put the information out on the radio. Most of the time more boats working the area properly, can mean more Tuna for everyone including you. So it's up to us private boaters to keep each other informed. This is the down side of fishing in BC waters as few are targeting Albacore and concentrating on easily caught salmon & halibut.
In June till the middle of August fish can be found by trolling feathered jigs at between six and a half to nine knots. Troll lines in a V pattern, the bottom of the V should be at the center of the boat and the shortest line. The first thing Albacore are attracted to is the bottom of your boat and the wake. They think the bottom of the boat is bait ball, and the wake is something feeding on that bait ball. So don't fish lines seventy-eleven miles back. A good starting rule is around the second wave behind the boat. Always keep lines and jigs clean of kelp, jelly fish and sea grass's. Another words check them often.
For boats that carry live bait any time you get a jig strike or see fish, try to chum them to the boat. Always chum so that the boat will drift over the chum not away from it. You can chum dead bait (small pieces of herring, sardines or squid) but be careful that you don't put so much bait in the water that they will follow the sinking bait down.
Use light colored jigs on bright days and dark jigs when conditions are darker. Good patterns are. Zucchini, Mexican flag, red and white, blue and white, green and white, green and yellow, purple, purple and black, and root beer. If I only had my choice of four. They would be, zucchini, Mexican flag, red and white, and purple and black.
Rig some of your lines with daisy chains. That's three or four smaller feathers threaded up your line about a foot apart, and held there with a micro press, with a larger different color larger jig about eighteen inches behind them. The larger jig is the only one with a hook in it. You can use jig's of the same size, if you don't have small ones.
Spreader bars really produce. You can troll nine to twelve hoochies. With a trailing feather with a hook in it, at the rear center of the rig. It looks like a whole school of bait, with a predator behind them. They are very hard to keep untangled, however. If you are weighing your boat lines, try a length of chain instead of a lead. The chain will make bubbles, which will attract fish. Trolling teasers such as Birds causes surface commotion that will bring fish up. Keep teasers ahead of the jigs.
Another tip for trolling is if you get a jig strike, and you don't have the live bait to chum. Try to keep going for at least a long ten count. You will have a good chance of hooking some more fish. When you wind the other rigs in after you stop wind them fast, sometimes that will result in another hook up. Mix some Fish trap 5" lures in your spread with weighted heads and when you get bit just let the Fish Traps drop and leave them drift and they will usually hook up.
It never hurts also to toss a hand full of bait, even chunked bait off the stern. Then while the people are fighting their fish, keep a light chum going in the direction of your drift. Another thing that works upon a jig strike is to cast back what's called, a drop-back rig, or a Fish Trap Lure. Free-spool it till the boat stops. Then retrieve it slowly, if a fish hits it throw reel in free spool let it swallow it then set the hook. A drop back rig is the same as a trolled bait rig, only with a two foot leader, A metal jig will also work, but you will have to retrieve it fast.
One more trick if you can read Albacore deep on your meter, circle over them. Pull all your lines on the side of the boat that are towards the inside of the circle. Chum the outside of the circle with frozen bait, long enough to let the first chummed baits sink to the depth they at. You want to chum enough to create a long spiral of bait down to the fish. Most time they will follow the spiral up and hit your jigs.
Around the middle of August these fish will switch over from feeding on squid, to feeding on bait fish, and will not readily take a feathered jig. You can tell when the switch comes you'll start seeing a large amount jumpers and surface feeding Albacore. Try trolling a Rapalas in the blue-white, green-white and Mackerel patterns. Cedar Plugs, in blue-white, natural naked, green-yellow, purple black or red-white patterns work well also. Set lines in a V trolling pattern, as you did with the feathers.
Another technique that will work is trolling a bait fish four to six feet behind a two to four ounce torpedo sinker. Hook the bait fish up through the bottom lip and out the top lip or head. Troll very slowly, and fish in free spool. When the fish hits, let it swallow it before setting the hook ( the bait can be a dead bait). You want to be sure fish are in the area before you do this. You will not cover much ground, trolling baits. You have to troll a little slower than Salmon trolling speed. Baits can be dead baits. Fish Trap lures are red hot for this.
When Albacore are feeding on bait fish, they tend to school in tighter schools. If you see an area of jumping, or surface breezing fish. DO NOT run over the top of them. Position the boat up drift from them and slide to within casting distance. Cast some metal Jigs at them. Let it sink for at least one hundred feet. Then wind as fast as you can. If you are going to troll fish them. One of the things that works best is a Fish Trap with a 1-1/2 oz. head, I prefer Bonito jigs (attached photo) in any colour --- however I troll all my lures and spreader bars the same colour ---- I firmly believe in presenting the total package of bait as presentation as opposed to various colours. Troll around the outside edge, not through the middle. If you run through the middle of them you'll put them down. The Albacore off BC are twenty pound range and the secret is keeping the baits under 6” inches . I would suggest that when trolling utilize the canyon wall drop-offs --1000 meters up to 160, tide flow bring up bait fish from the depths and colour of water and temp.
If you don't find fish on a trip, don't give up try again maybe you zigged when you should have zagged. Check the Sea Surface Temperature charts, look for a different area. It's an awful big ocean and Albacore can move a good distance in one day. Remember they have no swim bladders so they must always keep moving, or they will sink also they are hard to locate on your sounder (no swim bladders) unless you have a more powerful unit available to read fish to 1500 ft.
Out-Riggers, cannot stress strongly enough the value of these to the private boater. They will increase your lines spread and will increase your score by at least thirty percent. Make sure they are mounted properly. A private boat with out-riggers should be able to troll from seven to nine lines without tangles, along with a couple of short boat lines. And remember the old Albacore fishing law, keep your hooked fish in front of you, "NO ANGLES NO TANGLES"
There are other species of Tuna on the BC fishing grounds too. Blue-Fin Tuna, and they can get to over the two hundred pound mark. They like skipping jigs. Big-Eye Tuna that can get to over four hundred pounds in our area. You will not usually see Big-Eye unless it's right at dawn or and hour or so from sunset. They usually like a larger jig, but we take a few every year on Albacore jigs. A deep fished sliding dropper rig, with a live mackerel, large sardine or good sized squid will work, a fish trap or 4” to 6” soft plastic swimming lure will also work.
We also have Pacific Bonito, occasional Skipjack Tuna and Broad-bill Sword Fish, Thresher, Salmon & Blue Sharks; Unfortunately few BC fishermen chose to pursue these species so information is scarce. There is a great group which fish Oregon and Washington waters and share information on their website -----address is www.ifish.net go to the boards and view The Salty Dogs portion.
If additional in-depth information as to best canyon wall locations, baits, etc drop me a line. Don’t even consider going out unless your boat is fully equipped and your running with another boat !
B
battaglino
Guest
Salt,
You are right about the fight of the the Tuna. I lived in CA for about 5 years and we fished for them in the Corando Islands they are a blast. I didn't realize that there was such a following for fishing for them in OR. I have had freinds that have gone out in the 2 day trips out of westport but running out for just they day sounds a lot better. Do all of you fish out of Newport, OR? I met someone here in Bremerton that was from Newport and still goes Hali fishing down there quite often. I'll have to ask him if he Tuna fishes out of there too. He has 20 foot hewes where seems a little small to run 50 miles off. Thanks for the information
You are right about the fight of the the Tuna. I lived in CA for about 5 years and we fished for them in the Corando Islands they are a blast. I didn't realize that there was such a following for fishing for them in OR. I have had freinds that have gone out in the 2 day trips out of westport but running out for just they day sounds a lot better. Do all of you fish out of Newport, OR? I met someone here in Bremerton that was from Newport and still goes Hali fishing down there quite often. I'll have to ask him if he Tuna fishes out of there too. He has 20 foot hewes where seems a little small to run 50 miles off. Thanks for the information
5
5-Salt Fever
Guest
I typically fish Tuna out of Depoe Bay, about 10miles north of Newport. Depoe typically is 10miles less running one-way to get into the tuna - particularly early season. Have also fish tuna out of Tillimook and Columbia river a couples times each this summer. Seems like we get bigger fish further south but numbers between ports about even throughout the season. Illwaco (Columbia River) can produce great late season numbers. Westport sounds like it is going strong still as well.
There are perhaps 50 Sport boats in Northern Oregon that seriously pursue tuna. High boat total for the season amoung the 25 or so guys I chat with are: 546 Tuna in 14 trips. Other's of note are 284 in 17trips, 227 in 6trips, 175 in 4trips, 198 in 11, and 174 in 7. My total for the season is 96 in 6 trips with 32 solo. High boats are 30ft Grady, 30ft Grady, 25ft Whaler, 32ft Cabo, 24ft Edwing, 26ft Stripper, 24ft Edwing, 25ft Seasport, and 25ft Grady.
5
5-Salt Fever
Guest
Saturday Report: Garibaldi, Oregon (Tillamook)
I ended up whale wathcing with moms so no tuna for me this weekend but couple of friends ran out of Garibaldi on Saturday - pretty sloppy but they maganged 18 and 31 fish each about 55miles out. Both were in 30ft Grady's and typically troll 7-8rods however 70-80% of their fish came casting to jumpers with Swimbaits.
At some point about 2/3's of the way through the season tuna get troll shy and the stealthy drift into schools with live or swimbaits becomes the hot bite. Laying down a good chum circle or line is a big help as it keep boat shy fish close to suface.
Cheers - 5-Salt
I ended up whale wathcing with moms so no tuna for me this weekend but couple of friends ran out of Garibaldi on Saturday - pretty sloppy but they maganged 18 and 31 fish each about 55miles out. Both were in 30ft Grady's and typically troll 7-8rods however 70-80% of their fish came casting to jumpers with Swimbaits.
At some point about 2/3's of the way through the season tuna get troll shy and the stealthy drift into schools with live or swimbaits becomes the hot bite. Laying down a good chum circle or line is a big help as it keep boat shy fish close to suface.
Cheers - 5-Salt
B
battaglino
Guest
Salt,
The live bait was the way we fished for them in CA. Just one hook and a live herring or squid what a blast. If you have a space for someone next season I would love to come give it a try. Thanks for the info. Joe
The live bait was the way we fished for them in CA. Just one hook and a live herring or squid what a blast. If you have a space for someone next season I would love to come give it a try. Thanks for the info. Joe
5
5-Salt Fever
Guest
Come on down...plan late june/July.
B
battaglino
Guest
I will make it a date and I'll bring my tuna gear. I may have to dust it off it has been in the closet for a while. I still have my Tuna rods and reel somewhere. I think I have roller shimanos rods and Penn Internal 30s or 50s. I would think the 30s would be plenty of reel or maybe even down to 12s. I will keep in touch and thanks for invite hope to see you next year. Joe
B
battaglino
Guest
5-Salt,
I was wondering if you still are holding out the invitation for tuna fishing this July. I was planning to be down in OR on the 14-15 or July 21-22 if any of those days work for you and any of your friends would be willing to take out some rookies.
Thanks Joe
I was wondering if you still are holding out the invitation for tuna fishing this July. I was planning to be down in OR on the 14-15 or July 21-22 if any of those days work for you and any of your friends would be willing to take out some rookies.
Thanks Joe
B
battaglino
Guest
R
Reel Deal
Guest
We fished Albacore at Barkely Canyons 04 & 05 with good results and will be fishing Barkely with a some trips to the Juan De Fuca Canyon off Flattery if the water temps are reasonable ---- less distance to travel from Pedder Bay where my boat is moored this year. I will be running with another boat from WA and any other boats interested in running with us would be welcomed. Drop me a line or visit me at Pedder Bay if interested..
B
battaglino
Guest
How far off the coast are you running?
