Tuna 2022, let the games begin!

[jasmillo]

Did the stringer pull out leaving the hook in the fish? Or did it just break? I seem to be able to leave way too many fish that I loose in many ways in the ocean. Got to work on that myself, but I’ve been lucky enough to have great fly guys on my trips to carry my short comings.

The stinger pulled out. Other two I lost trolling just came off. I caught my fair share of fish so I ended up content. I should have had more or at least had them faster! There were a couple of occasions where I missed a fish but hooked up shortly after. Like the trout set fish. In those cases, the missed hookup probably did not cost the boat fish. I would not have hooked up to the second fish because I would have still been fighting the first. It cost my pride some points though. I know I was thinking ”what jackass tied that fly” as I stood there with a dumb look on my face inspecting my pristine fly sans stinger apparatus. Or Mr. Clayton bellowing in my ear…”oh, you know better than that” on my trout set. ha. He was 100% right, I do and have no excuse .

 

[SilverFly]

The stinger pulled out. Other two I lost trolling just came off. I caught my fair share of fish so I ended up content. I should have had more or at least had them faster! There were a couple of occasions where I missed a fish but hooked up shortly after. Like the trout set fish. In those cases, the missed hookup probably did not cost the boat fish. I would not have hooked up to the second fish because I would have still been fighting the first. It cost my pride some points though. I know I was thinking ”what jackass tied that fly” as I stood there with a dumb look on my face inspecting my pristine fly sans stinger apparatus. Or Mr. Clayton bellowing in my ear…”oh, you know better than that” on my trout set. ha. He was 100% right, I do and have no excuse .

It's easy to do. I trout set on a visual drive-by. At least I think it was a drive-by. Didn't even feel a tick, but maybe I yanked it away before it ate.

Weird but definitely of my better days. Fished the small white squid that's been a consistent producer. Usually 50/50 troll to retrieve or slide fish. Yesterday I had zero troll, and maybe one slide hookup. Ended up landing 6 out of 8 retrieve grabs.

 

[SilverFly]

More likely fin than Bryde's just based on what's more common out there. Sei would probably be more likely (less unlikely?) as Bryde's. Any pics of the dorsal fins? They're all quite different.

Forgot about Sei as a possibility. Heres a screen capture from the whale video I'm cleaning up. Not the greatest but the best I could do stopped with tuna biting.

 

[Jake Watrous]

A bit blurry and pixelated, so I cleaned it up a bit.

 

[adamcu280]

Forgot about Sei as a possibility. Heres a screen capture from the whale video I'm cleaning up. Not the greatest but the best I could do stopped with tuna biting.

View attachment 35597

That's a fin whale. The indicator is the leading edge of the dorsal fin meets the back with a long smooth transition like a ski jump. Sei and Bryde's both have a much more abrupt/vertical leading edge.

 

[Bagman]

Better than having to break off a pinneped! Actually shocked we only hooked one out of the feathered entourage that was picking off the carking scraps. Just glad it wasn't an albatross. As much as I'd like to see one up close, I'd imagine it would be like untangling a pissed off pterodactyl in the boat.



Al, I have my off days too. Last trip in Sept, I lwent 1 for 4 on the flyrod. Other than the old leader material you were using this year, you seem to do just fine.

I already went out and bought some new leader 20lb, and 30lb maxima green. I’m hoping once I get these thumbs fix I can relax a little more and work the fish a little and not try and horse them as much as I am.

 

[jasmillo]

That's a fin whale. The indicator is the leading edge of the dorsal fin meets the back with a long smooth transition like a ski jump. Sei and Bryde's both have a much more abrupt/vertical leading edge.

@SilverFly what encounter was that video from. The big whales that swam in front of the boat?

We definitely saw Humpbacks on the way out. We than saw the bigger whales about 2/3rds through the trip that I was 95% sure were Fin whales (the very big ones that swam in front of the boat and got close). We then saw some smaller whales that seemed similar to Fin whales but not quite the same. Dorsal shape seemed different and size was much smaller. I’m far from an expert though so did not have a guess. I was useless getting pics and videos yesterday unfortunately.

 

[SilverFly]

@SilverFly what encounter was that video from. The big whales that swam in front of the boat?

We definitely saw Humpbacks on the way out. We than saw the bigger whales about 2/3rds through the trip that I was 95% sure were Fin whales (the very big ones that swam in front of the boat and got close). We then saw some smaller whales that seemed similar to Fin whales but not quite the same. Dorsal shape seemed different and size was much smaller. I’m far from an expert though so did not have a guess. I was useless getting pics and videos yesterday unfortunately.

Jason, those were the two big ones that rudely interrupted the bite we had going.

Makes me wonder if the albacore were feeding with the whales. Last year I saw an aerial video of bluefin picking off essentially "table scraps" from a Brydes whale feeding on anchovies. The tuna were literally tail-gating (or "fluke-gating"?) the whale.

 

[Cabezon]

Those whale and other wildlife encounters sound amazing. Your success has led me to reconsider the timing of my tuna trips on future. I have gone for mid-August dates because the weather is more consistent. But these trips at the end of September and into October seem to always have some surprises. I may want to space the trips out to include this late season (and I will be retired by then, I won't be constrained by work...).
Steve

 

[Tallguy]

I sort of guess Minke for the smaller late afternoon whales. Several of them close together, 20' class, not the same species as the really close fin whales.

Hearing the power of their breath at close range was cool. Serious whoosh

 

[SilverFly]

Hearing the power of their breath at close range was cool. Serious whoosh

Not something I will forget anytime soon. The volume, power, and resonance of that breath was unlike anything I've heard in a living thing. The only analogy of similar magnitude I can think of is a steam locomotive. Even that falls short.

 

[Matt B]

So were the fish still full of saury or what?

 

[adamcu280]

I sort of guess Minke for the smaller late afternoon whales. Several of them close together, 20' class, not the same species as the really close fin whales.

Hearing the power of their breath at close range was cool. Serious whoosh

Minkes are definitely much smaller than fin whales! They're usually pretty solitary, or at least I've never seen them hanging out close together (loose aggregations, yes, but nothing I'd call "close" or within a body length or two).

Unlike the visibly towering blow of a fin, humpback, or virtually any other rorqual, a Minke blow is almost always invisible. You can hear them and definitely smell them though! Minkes are affectionately known as "stinky Minkes" because they have particularly nasty breath.

I've seen yellowfin feeding alongside Bryde's a few times in Hawaii.

Minke or not... Doesn't matter. Sounds like a great day out there!

 

[adamcu280]

Depending on the depth, another potential option could be Cuvier's beaked whale. They're about 20' long and often hang out in "close" groups.

Any distinctive colors or fin shapes? Blow visible and if so, what shape? I know you were all focused on fishing but I gotta ask!

 

[SilverFly]

So were the fish still full of saury or what?

Not that I saw. Maybe someone else saw intact stomach contents,

 

[SilverFly]

Depending on the depth, another potential option could be Cuvier's beaked whale. They're about 20' long and often hang out in "close" groups.

Any distinctive colors or fin shapes? Blow visible and if so, what shape? I know you were all focused on fishing but I gotta ask!

No idea about depth but we were well off the continental shelf. How deep can those beaked whales dive?

 

[adamcu280]

No idea about depth but we were well off the continental shelf. How deep can those beaked whales dive?

View attachment 35686

Deepest known dive is 2992m, recorded by my colleagues off San Clemente island in 2014. In addition to being the deepest divers of any marine mammal, they can also hold their breath for almost four hours!

According to your map you were definitely in beaker territory!

 

[JayB]

@SilverFly what encounter was that video from. The big whales that swam in front of the boat?

We definitely saw Humpbacks on the way out. We than saw the bigger whales about 2/3rds through the trip that I was 95% sure were Fin whales (the very big ones that swam in front of the boat and got close). We then saw some smaller whales that seemed similar to Fin whales but not quite the same. Dorsal shape seemed different and size was much smaller. I’m far from an expert though so did not have a guess. I was useless getting pics and videos yesterday unfortunately.

Glad things worked out for you guys on the make-up trip! Crossing my fingers for good weather next year.

 

[Nick Clayton]

I came down with a brutal stomach bug while on the water yesterday. Took today off, and naturally comething cool happens out there.

Possibly the first one ever caught in WA waters

 

[Bagman]

I came down with a brutal stomach bug while on the water yesterday. Took today off, and naturally comething cool happens out there.

View attachment 35812

If that doesn’t make you feel even worse I would really be surprise. hope you get to feeling better.