Update on the Tuna Hunt.

[Old Savage]

Sunday - 1st of 2 day - we put 150 tuna on the boat 25 lb to 44 lb. Fish hold full, out of bait, we headed back.

Filled the bin numerous times.

Didn't get any real action shots because there was too much action and flying blood on the deck.

I took five - 55 lbs of fillets - arms beat - couldn't lift a beer to drink it with my left hand after 5 in about an hour. Lunch, nap, kick back.

Fish boiling all over the place.

[paulyseggs]

NICE!!! I love a good trip! Glad it was action packed.

I want to go for tuna, maybe next year.

I did catch one, It's kind of a hard to catch story but it's the God's honest truth.

First time I went to Florida, Panama City, about 5 years ago I was diein to do some fishin. Fishstock just happened to be goin on so my lady and I bought some combo outfits, Nothing huge, 7.5ft 8-15lb, a few hooks some egg sinkers and a bag or two of frozen shrimp.

We were there for almost a week and everyday I fished the beach. Caught ALOT of fish too. Mostly panfish (sail cats, croaker, flounder, pompano, ladyfish) Just havin a great time.

Way out maybe 500-1000 yards I see some birds divin and alot of activity on surface. And It's movin closer to shore! I'm watchin and watchin and I see a Bottlenose dolphin break the surface. which is pretty cool too.

It's a pod of 5-8 dolphin workin a school of fish. And the fish look pretty big!

I wade out as far as I can, I'm hoppin just to keep my nose above water. I cast the mutha of all casts. The kinda cast you wish everyone else saw you make.

Shrimp hits the water and I start workin it like jerk bait. BAM! something hits it. Rod doubles over and the drap starts screamin.

stuff I'm thinkin "What a tool, I hooked a dolphin!!"

In the meantime I'm tryin to back up so I can actually have both feet in the sand and not spit water. Out of nowhere this wave comes up and literally crashes me on my keister. I go rollin in the surf and end up on almost on the beach. Lost my favorite FISHSTOCK hat!!!

I reel up the slack and whatever I was fightin is still there!! It's fightin, I'm fightin, pullin drag out, I'm reelin in, pull line out, reel in. Fought the fish for about 15 mins.

Finally get it to where I can land it and it's A TUNA!! Not large by anymeans, I'd say 10-15lbs. The best I could indentify with my "Sportfish of the Gulf of Mexico", great series of books btw, it was a blackfin.

Wish I got a picture, cause apparently you aint supposed to catch them from the beach!!!

[Rusty]

Here around the Tampa Bay area most people that want to catch tuna head out to where the shrimp boats are working. If you're there first thing in the morning when they're cleaning the catch, you're in luck. Most people take the guys on the boat a fresh newspaper and a couple packs of smokes just as a courtesy. They could care less if you fish off their fantail.

Tight lines,
Rusty <><

[deerwhacker444]

Were they all Albacore?

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Those tuna will build up your forearms for sure.

[Old Savage]

deerwhacker, yes all albacore, huge school, water was much warmer than albacore usually like. The capt said he had been on the water almost 40 years said he had never seen a biomass of bait fish and tuna this large. Said his sonar would scan 1200 - 1600 ft out on each side and they couldn't see the edge on either side. I could have had 15 if I had wanted them but only had freezer space for the ones I caught.

[WCF3030]

Sounds like a great time!

[MikeS.]

OS, where did you fish out of?

I use to do a lot of fishing out of Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo and that area. Had some great salmon runs out of Morro Bay.

I never did do any tuna fishing though. Looks great!

[Old Savage]

MikeS, we went out of San Diego probably about 100 miles out at about San Clemente.