A Wild Ride (11/22)

[Latimeria]

So, I had no plans to fish this weekend since I had a big poker game with some friends up north and those guys can put the beverages away.  I knew my Sunday would be shot, but I kept getting texts that the tuna were around and only 6 miles away.  The more I drank, the more I wanted to fish and my buddy kept sending me texts with intel as the poker game started.  It was at this point, I made up my mind and set a plan in motion.

1) Win enough $$$ for boat gas in the poker game.
2) Sober up to drive home
3) Just throw rods and tackle in the boat and hope everything is in there
4) Go out and catch some tuna for Thanksgiving in the Boma!

By 11:00pm, the walls were spinning, but I won $60 so gas money and number 1 was checked off the list.

I couldn't sleep, but basically laid down on the couch for 4 hours and drink water to flush me clean of booze.  I got home at 4:30am and hooked up the boat.  I told my wife that I was going fishing and she gave me the WTF-Stink eye, but that was because I sabotaged her yoga classes by doing this. 

I'm heading out the inlet at first light and realized that I forgot a lot of things and my camera battery was about dead, but I just wanted a last tuna of the season on the Boma!



I got out the inside ridge and found bullet tuna swarming the area.  I trolled for 20 minutes for nada and decided to make a run.  The water here was 68.8 and I wasn't sure where the warm spot was.  I went to the general area that I got intel on, but didn't see anything that resembled life out there so pulled out my binoculars to try and find where my buddy was hiding since he was out that day.  I saw a few boats way out on the horizon and decided to make the run as I had no live bait and if I was going to do it, it was going to be the hard way on artificial.

I was 14 miles offshore, so not really at the 182 and really not on any spot in general, but there were a few boats drifts and I saw a few bent rods.  I was trolling up to them when my feather rod went off!  The water here was a chilly 67.3!

I was a little bummed it wasn't a yellowfin, but I got a tuna on the boat so was happy!



I set up a drift and started slinging an iron as the fish were boiling everywhere!  My fish finder was lit up like a Christmas Tree!  I watched the other boats next to me toss out a handful of chovie and the water just erupted,  I watched one boat catch about 20 mixed grade yellowfin!  I tried chunking frozen mackerel thinking that this would definitely work, but I couldn't get a bite to save my life!

I finally grabbed my bass stick (BPS 7.6' MH rod with Calcutta 201B loaded with 12# test) and a Cabela's livin Eye jigging spoon.  I could see the marks on the fish finder as I was jigging it and saw the fish shooting up to inspect it.  Well, I managed a few smaller tuna this way and it was a blast on the bass gear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBLYkBQOxPM&feature=youtu.be

I threw on the popper and had some awesome explosions on it, but couldn't manage to keep a fish on to save my life!  I had a pick of fish, but it was just fun to be catching tuna near Thanksgiving in local waters!  The trick was to have live bait though as I was doing it the hard way.

I trolled up 2 skippies and had a double of yellowfin on the troll in which I only got one to the boat and caught 2 yellowfin on the small iron. 
The one that didn't get away.



5 tuna for the Boma (3 YFT and 2 Skippies) on a no-sleep night made me cruise in about noon as I almost fell asleep on the boat out there which wouldn't have been good.   

My two biggest of the day.



The fish ranged from 8 to 11.7 pounds which is small, but super fun on the light gear.  I'll take it!

Just some notes if you go out.

Light line.
Toss a few chovie out at a time to bring them up and instant Bendo.

The same boat that shut off Steve's bite also made their rounds by me and the bastard almost ran me over... real prick move, but whatever.  I had fish in the cooler!

[sasquatch]

Thought I was light enough throwing 15# and #4 hooks. Got bit but pulled the hook every time. Guess 12# was the ticket.

[Jaws]

Awesome Tom!!!

Loved the vid! Had to download that song by the way!!!

[faster u fool]

what a year.