Back to Hoover Diana to wrap our trip up around 2 AM before steaming home. On the first drift we decked 11 Yellowfin tuna. The seas are super calm and tuna are everywhere but tonight is different. The bite is mixed and tuna are circling the boat, 15ft off the hull, circling in the lights but, they are not taking baits with abandon. We watch dozens clear the Gulf, flying through the air as the night before but, they are very selective on what they are feeding.
We knocked out a lot of fish but it was more of a mental grind. Seeing them visually in the lights, so close, so massive...selectively feeding. A few of us witnessed a 100lb class tuna chase down a flying fish. Just off the port bow as this flying fish reenters the water, the pursuing yellowfin tuna nails it and it swims by, with this flying fish riding on it's lips, swimming aft at speed. Scenes like this played over and over around the boat.
Many opt to run chunk baited lines in the lee as the Dolphin Express drifts slowly off the Hoover Diana. Everyone aboard is sore, tired and the pace has changed into more of a wait on watch as the tuna show goes on into the night.
I scored my 4th and final Yellowfin this night. Over the course of the two nights, I hooked 10 fish solidly and lose 6 of them. 3 lost on the first night with 3 more lost on the second night.
Dozens of blow-ups by tuna that miss my topwater altogether. There are times I'm on the bow casting alone and other times, I'm standing elbow to elbow with The Crew (Us and Dolphin Express) folks.
With fish in this size category, the loss rate can run a bit higher than chasing smaller class tuna. It's just the name of the game at times.
I hooked my largest Yellowfin tuna to date only to lose it after a solid 30 minute battle. Fish hit and proceeded to unwind 3/4 of my my spool straight down. I managed to work this fish up 120FT down or so. I'm fishing a 40 yard wind on leader and it's holding where my braid and leader meet on the blank. It's circling and I'm trying to get lift, gaining a few feet only to have it take the line back. Over and over we go.
Another tuna is hooked on the opposite side of the bow and decides to come around the pulpit to my side. It crosses my line - stretched tight vertically. Timmy releases the drag on the interfering tuna and we get our lines uncross but moments after we free ourselves - my line parts.
Not sure if it was our momentarily wrap and or a barracuda, chasing my Frenzy flying fish riding up and down above the tuna and hook, as I battle this fish?
We knocked out a lot of fish but it was more of a mental grind. Seeing them visually in the lights, so close, so massive...selectively feeding. A few of us witnessed a 100lb class tuna chase down a flying fish. Just off the port bow as this flying fish reenters the water, the pursuing yellowfin tuna nails it and it swims by, with this flying fish riding on it's lips, swimming aft at speed. Scenes like this played over and over around the boat.
Many opt to run chunk baited lines in the lee as the Dolphin Express drifts slowly off the Hoover Diana. Everyone aboard is sore, tired and the pace has changed into more of a wait on watch as the tuna show goes on into the night.
I scored my 4th and final Yellowfin this night. Over the course of the two nights, I hooked 10 fish solidly and lose 6 of them. 3 lost on the first night with 3 more lost on the second night.
Dozens of blow-ups by tuna that miss my topwater altogether. There are times I'm on the bow casting alone and other times, I'm standing elbow to elbow with The Crew (Us and Dolphin Express) folks.
With fish in this size category, the loss rate can run a bit higher than chasing smaller class tuna. It's just the name of the game at times.
I hooked my largest Yellowfin tuna to date only to lose it after a solid 30 minute battle. Fish hit and proceeded to unwind 3/4 of my my spool straight down. I managed to work this fish up 120FT down or so. I'm fishing a 40 yard wind on leader and it's holding where my braid and leader meet on the blank. It's circling and I'm trying to get lift, gaining a few feet only to have it take the line back. Over and over we go.
Another tuna is hooked on the opposite side of the bow and decides to come around the pulpit to my side. It crosses my line - stretched tight vertically. Timmy releases the drag on the interfering tuna and we get our lines uncross but moments after we free ourselves - my line parts.
Not sure if it was our momentarily wrap and or a barracuda, chasing my Frenzy flying fish riding up and down above the tuna and hook, as I battle this fish?
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