Question for the west coast tuna guys..?

off the hook · Dec-01-2005, 04:45 PM

Do you guys troll for yellowfins & longfins..?What do you use In your spreads...?Ive seen all the chunking on TV & the long range...But wanted to know about the trolling...

On the east coast we troll 99% of the time with big spreads...8 to 12 rods..Witchs/ballyhoo combos...Naked ballyhoo...tuna feathers/ballyhoo....Bird & green machine combo.....Spreader bars..Daisy chains/ballyhoo...Islanders/ballyhoo...& The DEATH FROM ABOVE planer rod with a spoon or witch/.ballyhoo.....Some times a few huys will fly a kite with mold craft squid danglers or yummie flying fish....Alot of the charters will pull dangler or green stick rigs....

Stanley · Dec-01-2005, 04:49 PM

I generally troll small tuna feathers until I find the fish, then throw live bait (sardines and/or anchovy). But there's a lot of guys that know a lot more than I do that will chime in.

**Ali** · Dec-01-2005, 05:49 PM

See above.

99% of us private boat guys troll jigs once we are in the zone. When the boat gets bit, we give a 10 count while throwing out live bait.

We try to switch the fish over to sardines and we chum to keep them at the boat as long as possible. Sometimes they charge the boat and stay for hours. Sometimes you pick up one on bait. Sometimes none.

I would say 2 fish per stop is about normal.

We are also looking for Kelp Paddies while we troll and keeping an eye out for marlin. The Kelp paddies are like your sargassum lines. They can hold EVERY pelagic we get out here.

Some days we just run around looking for kelps when the troll is not effective.

But... Our fish average 20# and we don't have a shot at Blue Marlin, Big Tuna or Dorado...

Grass is greener I guess....

**Surfdoc** · Dec-01-2005, 06:04 PM

As has been stated....

We try to keep the trolling simple.. small jets and cedar plugs for Albi's
Larger lures for Yellow Fin Tuna..

The trolling is just to locate the school then we turn to live bait... As Ali said.. finding a nice Kelp Paddy is sometimes the key for a good day.

Stanley · Dec-01-2005, 06:37 PM

So Off the Hook,
What's your live bait situation back there? Species? Cost? (We pay anywhere from $20 to $35 per scoop) How used? Do you even use live bait for the tunas? Another question, What are you paying for fuel? Let us know.

Fishin Fool · Dec-01-2005, 06:58 PM

Stanley:
We don't live bait for tuna as a rule here, when we chunk, we generally use flats of butterfish.

On the troll we use Balleyhoo, Spanish Mackeral (For Marlin) and assorted Artificials. We also have been known to bridle small tuna or albecore for BIG BLUE MARLIN..

Fuel prices go up and down like a yo yo, right now it's $1.97 at the pump and $2.55 at the dock. Diesel is still higher than High Test, why I don't know.

Dos Locos · Dec-01-2005, 07:31 PM

G.G. hit it right on the head.

off the hook · Dec-01-2005, 07:35 PM

Lucian hit the nail on the head....The live bait we use Is for flounder , cobia, & striper.....We sometimes take menhaden offshore with us for bailing mahi...75% of the live bait we use we catch with cast nets or bait rigs for larger baits like spot & crokers....We also use ells & fidler crabs Ells for cobia & striper..The crabs for tog tog & other species on the bridge tunnel or one of thousand wrecks we have....(AKA THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC)Aother big season for us IS spade fish man It gets crazt that time of year...

Inshore we have a huge selection of game fish...

1.striper
2.gray trout
3.spec. trout.
4.red drum
5. black drum
6.cobia
7.flonder
8.spanish mac.
9.king macs
10.spade fish.
11.amber jack
12.tog tog
13.sheapshead
14.seabass
15.spot
16.croker
17.tarpon
18.triger fish
19.blue fish
20.sharks
21.bonita or false albies.

offshore
1.yellowfin
2.bluefin
3.blackfin
4.longfin
5.big eye
6.mahi
7.wahoo
8.blue marlin
9.white marlin
10.sailfish
11.spearfish
12.swordfish
13,mako
14.hammerheads

Dos Locos · Dec-01-2005, 07:53 PM

Do you guys ever catch the Yellow Speckled Finless Brown Trout out there? It's primarily an inshore species..............

off the hook · Dec-01-2005, 08:02 PM

you mean the brown fin tuna...?:Emoticon_

JiGGZ · Dec-01-2005, 08:08 PM

:QUOTE=Dos Locos]Do you guys ever catch the Yellow Speckled Finless Brown Trout out there? It's primarily an inshore species..............[/QUOTE]

**Ali** · Dec-01-2005, 09:43 PM

Wow!

Youz guyz have some serious diversity out there.

We have Tuna, Tails, Dodos, Striped Marlin and Makos for offshore.

We need to do some cross country trip exchanges!