I had just cracked open a drink when the fish came up. I set the brew on the bait tank, buckled in as a tuna slurped the bait, lifted the 80-wide Tiagra out of the holder and went to work. My beer was still ice cold when we gaffed the 192-pound yellowfin.

That short, effective fight depended on the 200-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader, 40 pounds of drag and a true winch of a reel. But the gear doesn’t matter if you don’t use it right, and that means using its power to hurt tuna instead of yourself. I’m a big guy and I’ve caught hundreds of tuna over 100 pounds, but size doesn’t matter. I’ve seen little old ladies use the right techniques and catch fish much bigger than I ever have. My friend caught a 300-pound yellowfin on stand-up gear when he was 78.

Use a Harness and Pad to Fight Big Tuna

The key is a good harness and pad, and the ability to use it. One of my favorites is from AFTCO, designed by Greg Stotesbury. Stotesbury’s stand-up experience, like mine, is grounded in the San Diego long-range fleet. No offense, East Coasters, but most of you don’t know how to use a harness. Here’s how it works.

If you learn anything here it should be this: When fighting a fish, you should feel all the force transferred by the harness from the point of your hips down. You want the belt around your butt, not the small of your back.

In preparation, wear the harness before the bite. Wait until the fish is solidly hooked and pulling drag before you put the rod in the belt and clip in. Many fish are lost early when folks fumble with their gear instead of fighting the fish. Once you are fastened to the fish, attitude is everything. Stay calm and relaxed. Don’t let adrenaline and bad form hurt you.

How to Fight Tuna in a Fishing Harness

Proper form means good posture: Put your left hand on the reel to guide the line, with your right hand on the handle. Keep your back straight, and bend your knees enough to distribute the pressure across the tops of your quads and your backside.

Modern composite rods do all the work when kept at right angles to the rail. When the tip comes up, wind it back down. If you can’t turn the handle, switch the reel to low speed. Can’t keep up? Go to high speed. Don’t impart wild pumping motions. Instead, focus on the rod tip. Call out deep color when you see it, and wind the fish up to the gaff.

Safety Tips for Fighting Big Tunas

A couple of safety notes should be added. Every tuna is an individual, and where the hook ends up influences how the fish acts. Yellowfin tuna hooked in the upper jaw by the snout are notoriously squirrelly. You have to be prepared to react to the predictable and unpredictable, and that often means getting out of the harness.

Use S-hooks instead of clips to attach the harness to the reel lugs so you can get out quickly if necessary. And remember to back off the drag ­(gradually, don’t dump it into free-spool) when you need to get the rod out of the gimbal pad for maneuvers such as keeping the line out of the props.

How to Gain Line When Fighting Big Tuna

When you sit back and put on a lot of pressure, a fish will often run out high in the water column. Enjoy the fact that now the fish is on the losing end of the energy equation. This is the only time you can take a breather. When the fish stops, bear down on it. Try to get a turn on the handle, going to low gear if necessary.

Tuna will often respond to the ­pressure by diving in the direction of the boat, which provides you the opportunity to win back a bunch of line with no more effort than turning the handle. Be ready to go into high gear when the fish sounds, and take that easy line.

Once the fish goes into the final stage of the fight — straight up and down — it’s time to really put on the heat. Stay in one spot and keep the rod straight out from the rail. The tuna’s tail beats are reflected in the pumps of the rod tip as the fish circles — the more pressure, the tighter the circle. The tip of the rod will come up as the fish leaves the inside (closest to the boat) of the circle. That’s when you get those precious feet of line with several quick turns of the handle to bring the tip back down and keep the fish moving up. Don’t waste energy by stubbornly trying to turn the handle when you stop gaining line.

Most important, stay relaxed so you reserve the burst of energy and sharpness of mind that is usually called for at the end of the fight. Sometimes, a truly mean fish will say to hell with this and bust a big move. The telltale is an irritated shake of the head. You have to be ready to respond and follow. It’s usually over soon after that — one way or another.

The post Tuna Fishing with Stand Up Gear appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Ascent to Glory

A heart-throbbing scene unfolds on the deck of a sport-fisher as a marlin pops up in the trolling spread, dorsal flung high and pectorals aglow. With powerful, staccato sweeps of its massive tail, the billfish bursts toward the right flat line. All hell breaks loose as the billfish attacks. The crew scurries to action. A rod bends double. A clicker screams. Line melts away in a high‑speed blur. It is what offshore anglers live for.

Yet when it comes to big-game fish, this scenario seems to repeat more for some boats than others. Such “lucky” sport-fishers seem to possess mythical powers, raising innumerable fish from the depths as if by tractor beam.

But do boats really attract offshore species such as mahi, marlin, sailfish, tuna and wahoo? Are some boats more apt to raise offshore fish than others? And if so, what is it that causes fish to home in on such an unnatural object as a boat? These are the questions to which I sought answers from a variety of offshore-angling experts who have fished around the world, from Hawaii to Cape Hatteras to Guatemala.

Boats as Fish-Aggregating Devices

Animal Magnetism

More than one expert has likened a boat to a floating object on the offshore grounds, where game fish are attracted to things such as weed lines and kelp paddies, as well as discarded pallets, offshore weather buoys and man-made FADs (fish-aggregating devices). In their shade and sanctuary, these floating objects often harbor a community of marine life spanning the food chain. So why wouldn’t fish view a boat — despite its transient nature — in the same way?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that a boat in and of itself — whether moving or stationary — will attract fish, according to most of the experts I talked with. What’s more, most believe that visual cues associated with the boat have a stronger influence on fish than do sounds or vibrations.

Supporting these assertions were observations by the late Jim Rizzuto, a beloved Hawaiian fishing authority and writer, who told of two large yellowfin tuna swimming in the shadow of a 30-foot sport-fisher as it trolled for marlin. “The ahi were snuggling up against the hull and seemed not at all upset at the sight and sound of the boat,” Rizzuto said.

In addition, a big blue marlin showed about the same time. He estimated the fish in the 1,000-pound range. “All of these big fish seemed to be attracted to the boat and didn’t want to swim away” Rizzuto said. They appeared to make the boat their home, at least until the crew caught the yellowfin, though they failed to get the marlin.

A Sport Boat is Just a Big Teaser

In some ways, a moving boat might be even more attractive to predatory fish than a stationary object. This is due to what some might call the big-teaser effect. Like a large, hookless teaser lure designed to create a commotion on the surface to simulate a school of fish attacking bait and draw the attention of a curious predator, the prop wash, froth, and splashing of the boat hull may accomplish the same thing.

Most big-game anglers assume that a boat moving through the water is your biggest teaser and the first thing that notifies a billfish of your presence. A boat is larger than any teaser, attracting fish from a distance. They see the boat, the teaser, then your bait.

Some captains believe that the boldest fish are also the largest ones, at least when it comes marlin, and so they are more likely to get close to the boat. “In Hawaii, the lures closest to the boat often draw strikes from the biggest fish,” Rizzuto used to say. Yet, the longer trolling lines usually take smaller fish.

“As a result, big-game trollers generally position their largest lures just a few wakes back,” the Hawaiian angling expert explained.

The type of wake a boat lays down can also affect success, according to Randy Ramsey, co-founder of North Carolina-based Jarrett Bay Boatworks. “Billfish are sight feeders, and a clean wake allows them to see the baits or lures more easily,” Ramsey explained. Three factors that help create clean wakes include a hull that’s free of fouling, properly aligned running gear and well-tuned propellers.

Raising Fish Like the Pied Piper

Most experts agree that sound also plays a role in how well a boat raises offshore fish. While no one has conducted empirical testing, boats emitting the thrum from a pair of big diesel engines certainly catch a fair share of offshore fish. Yet, could this be the result of the greater number of twin-diesel sport‑fishers out there trolling? Plenty of fish have also been caught by anglers trolling with multiple four-stroke outboard engines. That number seems to be on the rise as more and more supersize center-console boats head out to pursue big-game fish.

Many assert that the key seems to be the resonance set up between two or more marine power plants, rather than the type of engine. This results in a pulsed low-frequency sound underwater that draws in fish from a distance. It has been long established that sharks are attracted to low-frequency, pulsed white noise, much like the sound of injured baitfish or a pair of out-of-synch diesel engines. We can only assume that billfish are attracted to this noise as well.

The correct harmonics make a big difference in whether fish will come to the boat to look at the lures, according to Capt. Brad Philipps, who runs Guatemala Fishing Adventures and has released more than 25,000 billfish.

“A captain’s preference for a particular trolling speed may reflect his boat’s ‘sweet spot,’” he says. “Engines turning at a certain rpm range may produce a set of harmonics that raise billfish like the Pied Piper.”

How does he know when he has achieved this? The fish tell him so. “I know I’m pulling at the right speed when we’re getting as many or more bites than the boats around us.”

The type of hull construction might also play a role, Ramsey explained. “I look at boats such as Big Oh, Chainlink, Inspiration and Sensation — boats that have been successful with different crews,” he says. “One thing they all have in common is that these are wooden-cored boats. While these hulls might not be popular, wooden-cored boats might make them better at raising fish.”

Stay Tuned

Sometimes the harmonics can turn sour. This was the case with Kona, Hawaii, Capt. John Bagwell, according to Rizzuto. Bagwell and his boat, Silky, had been on a hot streak. He and his crew had won a Skins Tournament with a 645-pound blue marlin, and followed it up a few weeks later with Henry Chee Award for the highest-scoring skipper in the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament.

“Later in the year, however, Bagwell began to wonder if his 45-foot Viking had lost its competitive edge,” said Rizzuto. “The captain began to think the engines didn’t sound right.”

The fish evidently felt the same, as the boat was not getting as many blue marlin strikes as earlier in the year. So Bagwell had the boat hauled and ordered tune-ups on the twin 485 Detroit diesels, transmissions and running gear. After the tune-up, Silky was again running as smoothly as its name, according to Rizzuto. And the fish returned to its wake. Silky and its crew picked up the pace, releasing a steady stream of billfish, just as before.

The lesson here: Sport-fishers require regular tune-ups if they are to maintain the harmonics that attract fish. “A squeaky bearing or bent prop blade could blow up into expensive problems,” said Rizzuto, “but none bigger than dragging down the fish count.”

Echoing that sentiment is Jarrett Bay’s Ramsey. “One thing is for sure,” he said, “if a boat has a bad vibration, bearing noise, bent prop shaft or other issues, this hurts the boat’s ability to raise fish.”

Ramsey pointed to evidence based on the success of new boats. “Have you ever noticed that new boats seem to catch better than older ones?” he asked. “I think it is because the bearings and running gear are tight. Crews and owners should pay attention to this as their boats age, and ensure everything is running properly.”

Size Can Matter

Large and In Charge

It seems that bigger sport-fishing boats consistently rack up higher scores than do smaller boats. But again, this might simply be a matter of numbers: In most parts of the world, there are more large sport-fishers offshore at any given time than there are smaller boats. And because of their size, larger boats can go big-game fishing on days when marginal weather and large seas force smaller boats to stay in port.

Yet, according to many experts, fish don’t care what kind of boat you are on. In my experience, I have found success in raising striped marlin off Southern California behind even smaller boats, including a single-diesel-powered 26-foot convertible and a single-outboard-powered 22-foot center-console. Yet in most cases, the marlin were as thick as fleas offshore. On tougher days, the larger boats with twin engines seemed to hold the advantage when it came to trolling.

Running large hookless teasers, daisy chains of artificial squid, or dredges can help create more commotion and enlarge your offshore “footprint” while trolling in a boat that’s smaller than rest of the fleet, and this can help level the playing field when fishing among the big boys.

Sounder Proof

How can you tell if your boat’s fishy? There is a way to test its fish-attracting power, according to Rizzuto, but it relies on keeping your eye on the fish finder. Sport-fishers equipped with high-quality fish finders can mark fish such as marlin and tuna as deep as 20 to 30 fathoms.

“When you spot a marlin or tuna down deep on the fish finder, turn your head around and look at your wake,” Rizzuto said. “Then count to 20.” It takes about 10 to 20 seconds for a curious blue marlin to swim to the surface to investigate.

“If you don’t see the fish slashing at your lures or tracking them, mark the spot on your GPS chart plotter and circle back after you are sure your lures have cleared the area with no interest from a billfish,” he added. “Troll over the area again, and give the fish another chance to investigate.” Raising fish such as marlin or tuna in this manner will prove that your boat has fish-attracting power.

Men and Machine

Of course, a boat alone will not catch fish. The experience, knowledge, and hard work of an energetic captain and crew rank as essential elements of offshore success. It is the crew’s intimate understanding of how to take advantage of a boat’s fish-attracting characteristics that proves critical. The crew’s ability to select the best lures, gauge the proper trolling distances and choose the right speed — not only for the boat, but for the ever-changing sea conditions — can often mean more than anything else.

Just as a fine guitar requires a talented musician to make music, a modern fishing machine requires the skill of its captain and crew to make fish rise to the trolling spread. And when it comes together, there’s nothing in this world that’s more exciting. That’s why I call it raising havoc.

The post Raising Havoc: Attract Pelagics to Your Boat appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

It was a slow summer at Hudson Canyon off New York, but we were headed out anyway, because you can’t catch tuna when you’re dry on the dock. We weren’t halfway out when we saw life — a half-dozen whales rolling, and tails rising among what must have been 100 or more tightly packed bottlenose dolphin. Dozens of shearwaters flocked around the ­commotion. Extending outward for 100 square yards, storm petrels dabbed the blue 75-degree surface waters. The sonar screen read 180 feet.

One cast into the mayhem created instant action. As soon as the bail closed, a fish grabbed the lure, and the rod doubled over at an impossible angle. Line easily peeled off the reel against a good 30 pounds of drag. The mate looked over at me with a big smile on his face and said, “Well, I guess we’re not going to the canyon.”

Running way offshore for big pelagics is ingrained. Want to catch tuna? Hit the “deep,” the “edge,” the canyons. And whether you see life or empty ocean, deploy a spread and troll blindly for hours. But in recent years, most of the good fishing has occurred well inshore of the canyons, and trolling isn’t required.

Tuna Feed on Sand Eels

We owe this success to one thing, and one thing alone: sand lances, Ammodytes americanus (known locally as sand eels) — long, slender, 6- to 8-inch ­low-trophic-level fish with a pointy snout.

In past years, when the sand eels have shown up — usually by mid-June — they’ve appeared in extraordinary numbers. Anglers know about it pretty quickly because often the entire list of oceanic predators also find them. Not just those with fins, but those with wings as well. Everything appears to eat sand eels.

To be clear, this bait does not reside in deep water. As the name suggests, sand eels prefer relatively sandy habitat in 40 fathoms or shallower. They also burrow at night into the soft substrate and spend their days feeding on zooplankton. They’re not equipped to frequent deep, high-­pressure water, thus don’t expect to see big ­concentrations at the canyons.

Why do they gather, and why recently have they flooded the 20- to 40-fathom area from Maryland to New York from mid-June to mid-September? Those are more-difficult questions to answer, but it seems likely that the mass migration involves a food source. Adult and larval sand lances feed primarily on copepods (immature crustaceans) and other tiny animals, so they might be focused on a new zooplankton bloom.

Regardless of the reason, the ­sand eels now congregate so thickly that once you’re into them, you often can’t read bottom on your sounder. And it’s clear that when they’re abundant, they attract a host of predators — most important of which are bluefin and yellowfin tuna — that gorge on the smallish baits with reckless abandon.

Where to Find Sand Eels and Tuna

“It’s all about finding life when you make these midshore tuna runs,” says New Jersey charter captain Gene Quigley (shorecatch.com). “I’d say we look for whales more than anything, but there are certainly other indicators.”

Not only do whales and tuna feed on this same prey, but both bluefin and yellowfin tuna often swim directly beneath the whales, possibly slurping up stunned sand eels after a whale has lunge-fed.

“We look for [bottlenose] dolphin too,” Quigley continues. “Not just the rolling ones, but the ones that are clearly smashing sand eels.”

Finding cow-nosed rays in 150 to 200 feet of water in July or August might be one of the best tuna signs. “Man, you run across a school of cow-nosed rays, and you’re a fool not to stop on it,” says New York captain Cory Crochetiere. “Drop a jig under them, and it’s often an immediate hookup.”

On a clear, calm day, you can see rays pushing water when they’re on the surface. But often they swim 10 feet or more down. When they pass under your boat, they’re easy to see. For better or worse, rays also hit a jig or soft plastic.

Rays often appear accompanied by storm petrels, or what we call “tuna chicks”—small unassuming birds that seem to dance on the water. Just the presence of these birds, with or without the rays, can indicate sand eels, and subsequently tuna.

The petrels clearly don’t feed on sand eels. More likely they’re eating the same planktonic animals as the sand eels. A mother lode of storm petrels signals a mandatory stop, but even if you see just a half-dozen, give it a try. “We had our largest bluefin one year, casting a stickbait at a flock of what was maybe six or seven tuna chicks,” Crochetiere says. “A 250-pound-class bluefin came out of nowhere and crushed the plug.”

Shearwater birds also can suggest the presence of sand eels. If you see shearwaters circling high above the water, make a stop. They might be seeing something that you can’t, such as big pods of sand eels or even cruising tuna.

While you’ll likely see such life fairly close to shore, inside 20 fathoms, you probably won’t see tuna, at least during the June-to-September period. We really don’t stop on anything inside 20 fathoms, unless we see obvious signs of tuna feeding. Generally, we find the sweet spot in the 30-fathom range.

However, even in that depth range, if the water looks green or dirty, most of the time we just move. You occasionally might find bluefin in less-than-blue water, but rarely yellowfin. Look for sand eels in cobalt-blue offshore water. That doesn’t guarantee tuna, but work the area. Nearby tuna eventually will find that bait.

Tough Tuna Fishing Gear

We fish these sand eel aggregations with soft-plastic and hard baits, using stout spinning tackle. Our favorite reels include Van Staals , Shimanos, and Daiwas. For a more affordable alternative, try the newest Penn offshore spinners. Reels should be spooled with at least 80-pound braid and 6 to 10 feet of 80- to 125-pound fluorocarbon leader.

Rods must be specific to the tuna-popping-and-jigging game as well. Popping rods measure 7 feet, 6 inches to 8 feet, 4 inches long (casting distance is important), and they should be strong in the butt section for extended fights and real lifting power.

Rods to fish soft-plastic eels can be shorter, at 6 to 7 feet, but they should demonstrate the same parabolic composition. Madd Mantis makes an affordable 7-foot all-around rod.

Summer Bluefin Tuna Fishing

Sand eels usually start to show in the 30-fathom range by mid-June. “It’s generally a water-temperature thing,” says noted New York offshore angler Ray Phelan. “Right around 65 degrees, we start to see them, and they get more abundant as things warm.”

Late spring also marks the appearance of larger (for spin-fishermen) bluefin in the 200-plus-pound category. Moving into July, the bluefin become more manageable in size—in the 80-pound range.

“Yeah, we get a few on poppers and stickbaits,” Crochetiere says, “but during the past couple of years, the shearwaters were so bad that you’d waste valuable time untangling birds. Most of the fish we catch [when that happens] are on RonZ soft-plastic baits.”

The soft-plastic tail wiggles so easily that you won’t have to impart much action to make it resemble a sand eel. Even when working this bait very slowly, it still features a ton of movement. “Tuna will often grab it on the drop,” Crochetiere says. “And we’ve certainly caught fish just dead-sticking them,” or leaving the rod in the holder.

We’ve learned over the years that bluefin like a slow bait presentation. Even with plugs, a long, slow retrieve draws way more strikes than a fast one. Once you get the RonZ below the surface, avoiding a shearwater attack, it works really well. Yes, metal jigs can and do work, but not as well as these 10-inch soft plastics.

When the birds abate, Crochetiere mixes in some poppers and stickbaits such as the Nomad Riptide. This 200 mm (8-inch) translucent floating stickbait features a single strip of reflective tape on its sides, and closely mimics a sand eel. Work this bait in a slow, sweeping fashion. Other effective plugs include the Siren Deep Seductress, Shimano Orca and Daiwa Slider.

“Poppers are pretty awesome too, if for no other reason than the often-violent blowups,” Crochetiere says. His popper choice: the Madd Mantis Atasi. “Not so easy to find anymore, but there’s something about this plug that draws crazy strikes.”

Late-Summer Yellowfin Tuna Fishing

By late July or early August, you might catch a yellowfin while targeting bluefin in that same, general 30-fathom range. And then, in what seems like the span of a few hours, the bluefin can disappear, presumably shooting up to New England and farther north.

“I’m not sure if it’s a ­temperature change, or it’s just that so many yellowfin show up that they push the bluefin out,” Quigley says, noting that the water warms to 74 or 75 degrees in midsummer.

The bait doesn’t change, however; the sand eels continue to swarm. Fishing yellowfin on sand eel aggregations remains similar to targeting bluefin, with a few nuances. Yellowfin seem to swim with the dolphins to a greater extent than the bluefin. A popper placed in front of a school of feeding dolphins often results in an explosive strike from an 80-pound tuna. Cow-nosed rays also dependably indicate nearby yellowfin; the fish often swim directly underneath the rays.

Unique to yellowfin, however, are the skipjack schools. “We have a lot of success throwing big poppers in those skipjack schools,” Quigley says. “The big yellowfin come up from underneath all those skippies and hammer them.”

I don’t think the yellowfin eat the skipjack. Both species seem to feed on the sand eels. Almost every time we clean a yellowfin, we find a stomach packed full of eels, but no skipjack.

Sand eel fishing for tuna winds down in September mainly because the weather worsens and the water cools. Yellowfin, in particular, begin to migrate to deeper water. The eels do remain, and anglers can fish another brief run of bluefin in December as the tuna head back south. During that time, fishing occurs in much shallower water closer to shore.

For summer tuna, remember that farther might not always be better. Think twice about running long, or at least keep your eyes open on the way to the deep. Find the life, and you might score big without burning all that fuel.

The post Catch Tuna Near Sand Eels appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Fifteen years ago, Western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock assessments reported that total numbers of bluefin were down about 90 percent from 1970. The number of giant bluefin, estimated to be more than 1 million fish in 1960, was estimated to be about 100,000 fish, possibly half that number. At that time, some experts said that bluefin could be so reduced that they might need endangered species status. Today, the big tuna are back.

The current rebound in Western Atlantic bluefin stocks is one of the greatest fishery success stories of this century. From a point near depletion a decade ago, their stocks have improved to a level of sustainability that seemed unimaginable back then.

“For me,” says John Walter, “it’s one of those amazing career arcs to have started with bluefin tuna in 2007, at literally the worst point in bluefin tuna management, and now have this success.”

Walter is the Deputy Director for Science and Council Services at NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center and Chair of the Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Committee at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

“Back then,” Walter says, “we were talking about endangered species listings for bluefin, CITES listings, a catastrophe in the global stocks. We have now turned the corner to where bluefin is so abundant that it’s a sustainable fishery and we’re recommending people to eat more bluefin.”

According to ICCAT estimates, three key metrics of the species’ sustainability have all improved in recent years: total biomass, recruitment, and fishing mortality as a percentage of the total stock.

Total Biomass Gains of Bluefin Tuna

Total Biomass is an estimate of the size of the entire stock. For Atlantic bluefin, that includes a combination of both western and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks. The fish mix together in the Atlantic Ocean, and American fishermen catch a lot of eastern bluefins. That mixing of the stocks has been documented by satellite tagging and backed by genetic testing.

Prior to 2006, the fisheries were catching way above the eastern Atlantic quota. “We think that the catches may have been nearly double the quota,” says Walter. “Without the greatly improved reporting measures that we have today, it was much harder to track catches. Fisheries in the Mediterranean also targeted a lot of younger bluefin. That wasn’t very sustainable, nor did it achieve the yield that one can get from allowing the fish to grow.”

In response, ICCAT took dramatic action to lower catch quotas from a high of 32,000 metric tons (t) as late as 2006 down to 13,500 t in 2010. They also put in size limits to protect smaller fish. The fishery changed from focusing on small fish to targeting large fish fattened in open-ocean farms for the sushi market. Scientists estimate that the eastern population size is much larger than the western population, so what happens in the east deeply affects the western Atlantic populations.

Tuna Recruitment to the Stock Increases

Having stricter ICCAT regulations has played a big part in bluefin’s comeback.

“We talk about good and bad years of recruitment of fish to the stocks,” Walter says, “and 2003 was a really good year. Subsequently, there were other good years where we’ve seen strong year classes of fish born in the western and the eastern stocks. Concurrent with that, it seems that there have been favorable environmental factors that enabled those recruits to survive. U.S. fishermen are often the first ones to see these good year classes and they have been great at providing their knowledge and data.

“The most basic reason for the increase,” Walter says, “is that if you allow the fish to survive, grow, and spawn they’re going to make more babies. That’s the basic story here. It’s fisheries 101—stop catching them at age 2 and let them get big and fat out in the Atlantic where all the food is and let them come back at age 9 and spawn.”

According to recent ICCAT estimates, there was a big spike in the recruitment of fish to the stocks after 2015, with more fish surviving per year to spawning age, and it’s still on the increase.

Tuna Fishing Mortality Decreases

Fishing mortality is the fraction of the stock removed from the fishery. It’s a measure of the number of fish caught versus the entire stock, and it’s dropping, another indication that the stock is increasing.

“Mortality is about 8% to 10% of the total fish and that’s down from about double that figure—which was unsustainable,” says Walter. “Now we’re in a sustainable rate of removal, which means that the population is self-reproducing. That’s the goal. Now we need to fish them at ages that provide better fishing opportunities and the ability for the stock to reproduce.”

Bluefin’s Slope Sea Spawning Location

Along with the increased numbers of bluefin, recent documentation of another spawning area for Western Atlantic bluefin, in addition to the Upper Gulf of Mexico area, has researchers like Walter intrigued and curious. It’s called the Slope Sea spawning area, located about 100 miles offshore of Long Island, and both eastern and western fish spawn there. Researchers have collected eggs and larvae.

“We don’t necessarily think it’s a new location,” Walter says, “but when the populations were lower, perhaps we lost sight of it. Now that we have a larger population, we’re seeing the fish there. Recently we’ve received funding from Congress for a survey of that area that we’ll be doing in 2025, a dedicated scientific survey to document the importance of that area to collect larvae and spawning adults.”

There has been other good news, as well. Recently, the U.S. government implemented several measures that have dramatically reduced bluefin mortality, including requirements to use “weak” hooks that bend to allow spawning giants to go free on pelagic longlines in Gulf of Mexico waters and an individual bluefin quota program, which reduced bluefin tuna bycatch by 65% fleetwide. There’s also now incorporation of Ecosystem Reference Points in the management of menhaden, a primary forage fish for bluefin. That provision is a specific consideration to allow for predation of menhaden, essentially leaving more for bluefin to eat. All these factors combined mean good news for Atlantic bluefin and for the anglers who love them.

The post Bluefin Tuna’s Amazing Comeback appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

An 80-foot Viking yacht, a network of fish-attracting structures, SONAR technology, and the last bait on the boat combined to help a group of Florida men catch the fish of a lifetime.

The six-person crew of the Flat Dangerous were just out for a shakedown cruise on April 24, and thought they would try for blue marlin in the Gulf waters off Destin, Florida. The shakedown was a good idea — the group lost three fish to old mono on their reels before re-spooling with fresh. The new stuff held up well enough for the crew to christen the boat with a massive 888-pound bluefin tuna.

“It took every single one of us to pull it into the boat,” said John Balters of Destin, a mate on the boat and sophomore at the University of Miami. “Once we got it in, there was just a bunch of cheering and photos. It was just incredible.”

Aboard were the boat’s owner, Warren Wlliamson, Capt. George Gill, first mate Eddy Griffith, friend Kole Melancon, Balters, and Dennis Bennett, who knows a bit about catching big tuna. Bennett had a hand in Rick Whitley’s 2017 catch of an 827-pound bluefin, the current Florida record. (The Flat Dangerous fish was fought by multiple anglers, disqualifying it from eligibility. The International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record bluefin is 1,496 pounds, caught by Ken Fraser in Nova Scotia in 1979.)

Fish Aggregating Devices Produce Fish of a Lifetime

Capt. Gill took the boat out to the Capt. Kelly Windes FAD Buoy Network, a string of fish aggregating devices installed in 2020 60 miles off the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area. The group began looking for blue marlin in about 2,000 feet of water at about 8:30 a.m. They caught small yellowfin, skipjack, and blackfin tuna, which went into the boat’s tuna tubes to stay frisky for the real fishing.

Soon Bennett, on the bridge with the captain, noticed marks on the sonar similar to those he saw back in 2017. It was time to get a bait in the water. “It gets maybe 30 yards behind the boat and probably about 20 feet under water, and I just see this huge flash in the water,” Balters said. But they barely had the first angler sat in the chair when the first fish was gone, hook and all.

The group swapped in another Shimano Tiagra 80 Wide reel and continued patrolling the FAD. Another mark, another bite, and then this fish too was gone. And then another. The anglers switched to a Shimano Talica 50 with fresh mono, caught another small tuna, and got a bite with an explosive rise in shallow water. But 30 minutes into that fight, “this one just pulled the hook. Nothing we could do on that one,” Balters said. He began to worry aloud: “We missed our shot. We had three hookups. That’s all God’s giving us.”

They were down to one blackfin tuna, and it wasn’t all that frisky after several hours in the tuna tube. The crew stripped one of the Tiagras and re-spooled with fresh line. Eventually, there was yet another mark in the fish-rich water around the FAD. In went the bait.

“It just kind of laid sideways,” Balters said. “I’m like, ‘Oh man, we’re not gonna get a bite.’” And soon after came a strike that “looked like someone dropped a car in the water.” This was the big one. “We’re having to follow him a little bit. He goes straight down and strips us of all the mono we had just put on and goes into our braided backing.”

Perhaps an hour into the fight, the fish became entangled and died. Then began several hard hours of pulling the dead weight to the boat. The crew had to bend its fins flat along its body to get it to fit through the tuna door.

They got back to Destin after 9, welcomed by a small crowd of well-wishers, and got the triple eights on the scale at Boshamps Seafood and Oyster Bar. They saved the filleting for the morning.

“I was sore the next day for sure,” Balters said. “When it was all said and done, it was four huge tubs of just pure meat. It all went quickly, but probably all of Destin got some.”

The post Massive Bluefin Caught in Florida appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The Start Point Lighthouse sits out on a craggy peninsula flanked by the purple moor grasses and rush pastures of South Devon. On the hillside, a trio of sheep have sky blue circles painted on their backs to denote their ownership. It’s an elevated perch where each of the 360 degrees offers a spectacular view. But at the moment, the tourists and locals along the walking path are only looking down to the water, where giant bluefin tuna are smashing mackerel, creating explosions that get closer and closer to shore. 

Did that bluefin just bust 50 yards from the beach? And as long as we’re italicizing questions, What is going on with the incredible resurgence of bluefin tuna in the United Kingdom?

The Start Point Lighthouse’s beacon can be seen in nearby Plymouth, one of the most storied maritime communities in the Western Hemisphere. After all, it is that Plymouth, the Mayflower Plymouth, the Plymouth that gave the rock in Massachusetts its name. Today, the coastal city in southwest England, which celebrated its 400th birthday in 2020, is the gateway to a growing bluefin fishery. Similar to the bluefin revival in Southern California, the numbers of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the waters off Europe, and the United Kingdom in particular, have increased significantly in recent years. It has inspired a recreational catch-and-release fishery where captains are tagging fish and serving as citizen scientists. 

In 2021, the Centre for Environmental Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) initiated the Catch and Release Tagging (CHART) program where a limited number of charter vessels are approved to tag-and-release bluefin to learn more about their movements and behavior. In 2022, the CHART program recorded 631 charter trips, 1,755 participating anglers, and 1,090 tagged fish. 

Twenty-four charters were licensed tag-and-release vessels in 2023, one of which is Fortuna Charters, owned and operated by Capt. Mark Jury. His boat, Fortuna II, is a 41-foot fishing catamaran built for the sporty seas that the English Channel often serves up. But to the daring salt goes the spoils: In October 2022, Jury caught and released 94 fish in one 14-day stretch, including one day where he landed 17. That said, blue migrations are a mystery, so this phenomenon isn’t guaranteed to last.

Planning a Trip

When to Go: While details for the 2024 season have not been announced yet, as a general rule, the season runs from mid-August to mid-December. 

Where to Go and How to Get There: Unless one has patience for purgatory, it’s best to avoid Heathrow and opt to fly into Gatwick instead. For our recent trip in October 2023, we flew direct from Orlando to London on American: an eight-hour flight. It’s a four-hour road trip through rolling hillsides to Plymouth. Don’t be surprised when in Hour Two you look out the car window and ask, “Isn’t that Stonehenge?” (Yes, it was Stonehenge. And the $30 ticket is worth it.) As you get closer to Plymouth, the streets get increasingly narrow until it’s just one-lane country roads bordered by hedgerows and stone walls, creating the most charming traffic jams you’ll ever experience. 

Skip the hotels and inns if possible. Plymouth and the nearby towns of Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers have surprisingly affordable Airbnb and VRBO rentals. While Plymouth is bigger and more industrial (dockyards, naval base, a population of 265,000), Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers are quaint seaside villages straight out of a snow globe, both only 20 minutes from Plymouth Yacht Haven. 

What to Expect: It’s downright gobsmacking to watch a man protected only by leather fishing gloves wire a 700-pound bluefin. “Ninety-nine inches!” Jury exclaims as he hangs over the gunwale to measure the giant. The tag—a thin, yellow tube—is placed below the base of the second dorsal fin. This would be the biggest of the 17 bluefin caught-and-released over four days. 

Fortuna II is quite the comfy cat. Its 16-foot beam allows for a sizable salon with more perks than most charter boats. “Should I put a kettle on?” asks Andy, the mate. Everyone politely declines on Day One. By Day Four, the whole crew is enjoying tea, and sure I’ll have another biscuit, thank you very much.

While the trademark English gloom and fog took over some days, the weather was mostly beautiful, the seas bouncy but not uncomfortable. It’s stand-up fishing with 80- and 130-pound conventional reels clipped into a harness, with one eyelet clipped to the transom should a giant send you overboard. The CHART program forbids live bait, so it’s all artificials fished with spreader bars. Aside from bluefin, wildlife abounds in these waters. Shearwaters glide above the whitecaps following schools of mackerel. Minke, pilot and fin whales are common sights. Porpoise cruise and leap between the cat’s hulls while underway. 

It’s all cool breezes and hot tea until—zzzzzzzzz!—the left long goes off. Then it’s choreographed chaos. Andy hastily clears the spreader bar. Jury descends from the bridge, belting joyful obscenities, acting as if it’s his first fish of season.  

Helpful Links

• Visit Plymouth: visitplymouth.co.uk
• Cefas CHART program: cefas.co.uk/impact/programmes/chart
• Fortuna Charters: fortunacharters.com

The post British Blues appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Spend much time on the waters of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast and the origins of that moniker should be pretty clear. The waters here are some of the clearest in the Mid-Atlantic. The Crystal Coast, what can be described as the Southern Outer Banks, is a designation for roughly 85 miles of beaches (56 of which are protected) and coastal towns from the New River north to Cape Lookout. This includes Beaufort, Morehead City and the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

There’s no shortage of fishing opportunities on the Crystal Coast. Many are seasonal, but whatever the season, there are fish to be caught. While many destinations require bringing or hiring a boat, the coast of North Carolina boasts some of the world’s best surf fishing. Among the many species taken on beaches here, the two high-status game fish are red drum and striped bass. Very large reds prowl along the beaches in the fall. How big? Consider the IGFA all-tackle world record that angler David Deuel landed on an Outer Banks beach in November, 1984 — a fish weighing an extraordinary 94 pounds, 2 ounces.

Those without a boat can also hit the piers that jut out 1,000 feet from the beach into the ocean — the Bogue Inlet Pier (at Emerald Isle) and the Oceanana Fishing Pier (at Atlantic Beach). In addition to the many species that surfcasters catch, pier anglers target red drum, cobia and kingfish spring through fall, as well as croaker, bluefish, flounder and more.

Yet another land-based fishery involves wading in inshore waters, but these waters are much more accessible to those with skiffs or kayaks. Kayakers can access Back Sound and Bogue Sound from Fort Macon State Park and several spots around Harkers Island.

Located near the easternmost protrusion of the Outer Banks, the Crystal Coast offers a relatively easy run to the Gulf Stream and blue water often teeming with prized game fish. The list of summer-time targets includes marlins (blues and whites), sailfish, mahi, wahoo, tunas (yellowfin and blackfin) and more coastal species such as cobia, snapper, amberjack and kingfish.

One of the most exciting cold-weather fisheries here sees larger charter and seaworthy private boats running out to fish just a few miles off the Outer Banks for huge bluefin tuna. Bluefin approaching the grander mark have been taken on sport-fishing boats, and tuna larger than 1,000 pounds have been caught commercially. The past season, in fact, was one of the best ever, and included not only giant bluefin but those of a more modest size (relatively speaking). While not as coveted as bluefin, blackfin tuna can be caught in numbers here at times and in the winter will run 25 to 30 pounds — large for the species.

Tournament fishing is big on the Crystal Coast; you’ll find offshore, inshore and surf events here. Notably this includes one of the fishing world’s premier tournaments, the Big Rock Blue Marlin, as well as other billfish tournaments in the summer. The fall schedule includes plenty of events for king mackerel.

Planning a Trip

When to Go: Everyone wants to be here in the summer. That translates into lots of visitors, higher rates, busier roads. But it is a wonderful time of year to enjoy the beaches and offshore variety, along with calmer seas. Just book far in advance, as much as a year ahead. On the other hand, fall and winter offer special fisheries — big drum in the surf and then giant bluefin just offshore — at a time when visitors find things considerably more laid-back and less crowded here. Certainly, things get windier in mid-fall and winter; those who want to fish beyond the inlets would be wise to plan to stay at least a week, looking for a calm day or two.

Where to Go and How to Get There: The closest major airport is in New Bern (EWN), just over 30 miles away, served by a number of major carriers. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is just under three hours by car. More distant air options include international airports in Norfolk, Virginia (NIA), or in Charlotte (CLT), about a 4- or 5-hour drive, respectively. Many choose to drive to the Southern Outer Banks. From Atlanta, figure nearly eight hours drive time; from Boston, about 13 hours.

What to Expect: For visiting anglers, the infrastructure is generous, with plenty of inshore guides, offshore charter, launch sites and marinas. Also, take advantage of local bait and tackle shops, often the best source of information, especially for surf and jetty anglers. Private boaters fishing offshore will need a boat large and seaworthy enough to negotiate Bogue and Beaufort inlets; like all inlets, they can be tricky. Check the shoaling alerts online for up-to-date information when planning routes.

Crystal Coast accommodations are many and varied from budget (hard to find in high season) to five-star. Check with various local real estate brokers since they handle vacation rentals for the many amazing ocean-front homes along this coast.

Families who join anglers here need not be bored. Besides enjoying the endless Cape Lookout National Seashore beaches, visitors can paddleboard and kayak inshore waterways and marshes; climb to the top of the iconic Cape Lookout Lighthouse (Wednesday through Sunday); make historical visits to Beaufort’s North Carolina Maritime Museum and to Fort Macon; see the famed wild horses of Shackleford Banks Island; hike the Croatan National Forest; and plenty more.

Helpful Links

• The Crystal Coast
• Crystal Coast Visitors’ Guide

The post North Carolina’s Crystal Coast is a Gem appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

You might catch a giant bluefin tuna in many locations, as disparate as the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana or the coast of Ireland. But no single area in the world concentrates huge bluefin like Nova Scotia (NS) and Prince Edward Island (PEI) in Canada’s Maritimes. Here, the cold waters of the northwest Atlantic attract great schools of forage, including the herring and mackerel on which tuna feast and fatten. Those same chilly waters discourage smaller bluefin, which have to work hard to stay warm. Bluefin are among the few fishes that can heat their bodies for more efficient predation. The giants’ larger body mass makes it easier for them to remain and feast in the cold, food-rich waters of the Maritimes.

A glance at the IGFA record book tells the story: Of the eight line-class world-record bluefin tuna weighing more than 600 pounds, six were caught off NS or PEI. That includes the remarkable 1,496-pound all-tackle world record bluefin that Ken Fraser caught in 1979.

While that record has remained intact for well over four decades, many bluefins approaching that size have been caught. “Our largest Nova Scotia giant bluefin tuna was caught by Graeme Weiss, of San Diego, in 2013,” says Capt. Josh Temple, who has guided anglers to NS giants for 14 consecutive seasons. “We estimated it at 1,400 pounds, and we have encountered larger fish than that one, which earned their freedom during the fight.”

Temple says there’s no doubt fish even larger than 1,496 pounds are swimming in NS waters, noting that Ken Fraser, who caught the world record and is a friend of Temple’s, “will be the first to tell you he’s seen them bigger.”

Temple cites the first day of his first season in NS 14 years ago, as the day that hooked him. After catching and releasing several giants (he says by NS standards, a giant is at least 700 pounds), “we spent the rest of the day hand-feeding bait to hundreds of giant bluefin. All of this in water less than 60 feet deep and less than 500 yards off the shore, within sight of my pickup, parked at the wharf.”

The focus on NS and PEI by enthusiasts around the world hasn’t ruined the fishery. On the contrary, says Temple, “Thanks to exceptionally well-developed and implemented management frameworks internationally and nationally, giant bluefin populations across the Atlantic have rebounded significantly” and nowhere have the benefits of that been more consistent than around NS. The fact that, “Ninety percent of the giant tuna caught by rod-and-reel in NS are released is a statistic that has surely contributed to the health and sustainability of their numbers in these waters,” he says.

Planning a Trip

When to Go: The giant season in Nova Scotia starts at some point in July and runs into October. Last-minute bookings with top charters are unlikely; best to book the winter prior to your intended trip. If you want the entire tuna trip planned and organized for you, consider signing up for the Sport Fishing Expedition in Nova Scotia.

Where to Go and How to Get There: While you’ll find some charters based in various ports in the province, Ballantyne’s Cove on the Northumberland Shore of Cape George, near the town of Antigonish on the northern end of the island, hosts a concentration of operations. You can drive here — as a reference, plan on 1,000 miles from New York or a bit less than half of that from Bangor, Maine. Those flying in will generally book to Halifax’s Stanfield International Airport. Some operators will arrange transportation from Stanfield to the harbor, or visitors can rent a car.

What to Expect: A number of charters operate from Nova Scotia ports, typically in downeast-style boats designed for fishing in these waters. Typically, they supply the heavy tackle needed to battle big bluefin from a fighting chair. This is catch-and-release fishing, so don’t plan on filling coolers. Figure on $1,700 ($2,300 Canadian), give or take, for a full day of fishing.

What to Bring: Many boats offer stand-up fishing; check with your skipper to see what he offers, and/or about bringing your own stand-up gear. Of course, a good camera and set of foul-weather gear are essential, though summer days are often dry and in the 70s F. By fall, expect 50s and 60s.

Where to Stay: You’ll find a variety of hotels, suites and cabins in the area. Many charter skippers offer or will arrange accommodations for clients.

What Else: As far as fishing goes, Temple says, “For most anglers, NS has a lot of great pelagic fishing left to discover. We’re also catching — seasonally — marlin, yellowfin, bigeye, [true] albacore and even wahoo and dorado along the continental shelf off southwest Nova Scotia, as well as good numbers of giant blue swordfish.”

Besides fishing, the Northumberland Shore is known for having the most “warm-water ocean beaches in Atlantic Canada.” You can explore the works of many skilled artisans here and eat lobster till you burst.

Helpful Links

• Places to go
• Search “bluefin tuna” for several charters
• Northumberland Tourism
• Bluefin Charters
• Tuna Charters Nova Scotia
• Sport Fishing Expeditions

The post Big Bluefins in the Maritimes appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Best Time for California Yellowfin Tuna

Captain Andy Cates, of the Red Rooster III, says the season kicks off in September with 8- to 10-day trips to the lower banks including Potato Bank, Finger Bank and Morgan Bank. This is the land of giants, with the majority of yellowfin tuna weighing 200 to 300 pounds. “If you get a bite, it’s a big one,” Cates says.

The captain compares early-season fishing to big game hunting. He says anglers prepare for weeks for a shot at a true trophy. By January, the water on the lower banks cools down and the big tuna disappear. “We have no idea where they go,” Cates marvels.

That’s when he turns his attention to longer 15- to 18-day trips to the Hurricane Bank. Cates describes Hurricane Bank’s fishing as “action packed.” The bulk of the action is on 90- to 150-pound yellowfin. “Lucky anglers can get eight to 10 bites a day,” he says. 

The main goal of long-range anglers is landing a 200- to 300-pound cow yellowfins. Cates says February through April is the best shot at a trophy. In addition to tuna, Hurricane Bank offers top-notch wahoo fishing.

Cooler Water Temperatures Scared off Sharks

With the season wrapping up, Cates reflects on the trends he observed. “The water stayed cooler, so the fishing was better,” he says. Cates explains the cooler water discouraged sharks and presented a better opportunity to catch a tuna. 

In the beginning of January, Cates explained that the water temperature was in the mid-70s. As the season progressed, the temperature dropped to 72.5 degrees and the sharks disappeared. “It was absolutely brilliant fishing,” Cates remembers.

Hooks and Plugs for Tuna

Going toe to toe with a 300-pound yellowfin tuna requires the most advanced tackle. Cates says, “Lightweight and powerful rods and reels we use make it possible for anyone to land a cow.” The key connection is the hook, and Cates prefers the Trokar 619 series for strength and performance.

The hot lure for trolling for wahoo is the Nomad DTX. Cates laughs, “Everyone on the back of the boat has a DTX.” For the optimal action, anglers tie the swimming plug directly to the mainline. “Using wire makes the lure come out of the water,” he says.

Bluefin Tuna Fishing Heats up in June

As we interviewed Cates, he was preparing Red Rooster III for the last 15-day trip to the banks. When he returns, he expects San Diego bluefin tuna fishing to heat up. “Bluefin fishing is spotty right now but it should get better in June,” he says. 

Cates says the best bluefin action is at night, so he plans to bottom fish during the day and tuna fish at night. “We’ll catch 50- to 200-pound bluefin only 50 miles from San Diego,” he says. 

As for next season on the Mexican banks, Cates is hopeful. “If everything sustains and we don’t get a lot of warm water, I expect next season to rival this year.”

The post California Tuna Fishing Heats Up appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The huge bluefin tuna of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada’s Maritimes provide a once-in-a-lifetime fishing experience. Any serious offshore angler looking to catch a torpedo-sized tuna has to make the trip to Canada’s eastern waters. Here, the largest tuna in the world congregate and feed heavily on herring and mackerel in the summer and early fall months.

The up and down Canadian bluefin tuna fishery is riding high today in a big way. 

The 1930s are when recreational anglers first started exploring Nova Scotia’s bountiful waters, drawing anglers from all across the globe. The community of Wedgeport held tournaments in the south of the peninsula, taking advantage of nearby waters full of tuna off the Tusket River. In 1949 — a banner year — 72 bluefins were caught during the International Tuna Cup Match, totaling 30,161 pounds. 

Recreational sport fishing for giant bluefin tuna was ramping up farther north during the 1960s and ‘70s, in areas such as the Gulf of St. Lawrence or St. George’s Bay. Record catches occurred in rapid succession in the 1970s. First, a 1,064.5-pounder, caught in 1970. Then, 1,129-pound and 1,191-pound bluefins in 1976. In 1979, angler Ken Fraser landed the all-tackle record, a 1,496-pounder, not far from the strait that intersects Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island. The 1980s continued a time when hardcore anglers caught bluefin tuna in high numbers.

But there were also some desolate times. From 1987 to 1995, for reasons not really understood, the tuna just stopped coming to nearshore areas in and around Nova Scotia. Many anglers have their own explanations, with some hypothesizing the tuna moved farther offshore during these periods. 

The numbers of giant bluefin returned to Nova Scotia in the 2010s at historic levels. Shallow waters of the Northumberland Strait, between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, attracted massive schools of giants once again. Plus, recreational anglers were able to target the bluefins. Throughout Canada’s bluefin tuna fishing history, there were periods when recreational anglers were shut out of the fishery, leaving limited numbers of catches available to only commercial fishing. 

“Thanks to exceptionally well-developed and implemented management frameworks internationally and nationally, giant bluefin populations across the Atlantic have rebounded significantly,” says Capt. Josh Temple, who has guided anglers to giant bluefins for 14 seasons. “Ninety percent of the giant tuna caught by rod-and-reel in Nova Scotia are released is a statistic that has surely contributed to the health and sustainability of their numbers in these waters.”

Long and short, the giant bluefins are back. And have been for well over a decade now. 

Nova Scotia Tuna Fishing Expeditions

Sport Fishing Expeditions, a new fishing travel option, allows anglers to target them without having to navigate the confusing — but often necessary — regulations that Canada imposes on the region to keep the bluefin tuna population healthy. The Nova Scotia Sport Fishing Expedition offers an adventurous fishing experience that covers everything other than the plane flights.

Planned for September 13 – 17 in 2023, the five-day dream trip offers fishing with some of the best captains in the area. But it’s limited to 16 anglers. Anglers will fish off seaworthy downeast-style vessels built to fish the waters off Nova Scotia comfortably. Each boat is fully outfitted with the latest electronics and heavy-duty tackle. The expedition includes all charter fees and tips, plus accommodations at cozy seaside cottages near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Meals and beverages, a one-year subscription to Salt Water Sportsman, and a memento video of your fishing trip are also included.

Fly in and out of Halifax Stanfield International Airport on the 13 and 18, with transportation provided to and from expedition headquarters at Ballantyne’s Cove. Days two to five are all about fishing, while getting coached by expert instructors. The final evening ends with a group dinner at the famous Brownstone in Antigonish.

This trip to beautiful Nova Scotia is meant for anglers that want to test their fishing skills against the biggest bluefins on the planet. Captains employ a variety of methods for area giants, but chunking or trolling are common tactics. Sport Fishing Expedition’s knowledgeable captains provide on-the-water instruction in a variety of techniques. As part of your preparation and instruction, anglers will learn about the various options for rods, reels, line, and hooks, as well as the fighting chair and harness. You’ll also learn knot-tying, baiting the hook, proper drag settings and deck management. To sign up for the trip, visit the Sport Fishing Expeditions website.

The post Bluefin Tuna Fishing in Nova Scotia: Sport Fishing Expeditions Preview appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.