2025 Tuna and Exotics

Tuna fishing was a blast. I think more than half the fish were on the slide or casting (casting is a generous term, with the wind and the bouncing, it was really get the line out 5 feet from the boat and let it sink then strip). With the boat drifting so fast in the wind, it paid off to not be agile - it seemed like all the bait stop boils and grabs were off the stern. The energetic people (@adamcu280) going up to the bow were away from the fish.

And I even won a brand new fly rod on this trip - since I blew up both my 12 wts on two fish in a row, in probably less than 20 minutes. First one was on the only peanut caught on the trip. Urgh. Ok, that was just a strange sequence of events, really under estimated how strong a peanut can be right next to the boat. This is why I have a backup. 10 minutes to rig up again, back in action! Fish on, nice one. And a few minutes later while trying to circle the fish to the gaff - crack! (Adam, the noise a rod makes when it busts in half is "crack" not "crunch"). Both my 12 wts down. Luckily it was such a great day fishing I could laugh at my incompetence! @Matt B - Glad I didn't find out how many broken rods it took not to be funny - and have to admit I was kind of sort of a tiny bit hoping not to hook a fish once I was borrowing a boat rod because I was worried about breaking another rod.

Ride in and out was rough, turned me green each time. And the drive home after got a little ugly the last 45 minutes - I was to tired and then managed to rub sunscreen into my eyes. Next year I'm staying the night in Westport after fishing. But all in all, it was a great day fishing with @Phil K, Matt and Adam! Would love the chance to fish with those guys again anytime! And Chance was a great deck hand (and captain).

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Nick Clayton said:
When on the troll, well, most here know my thoughts on this, even if nobody believes me :)
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I actually can’t remember. I think it’s gotta be “doesn’t really matter,” or “purple and black.” “Seahawks” was popular a season or two ago but seems not to be the flavor du jour for anglers.
Please repeat your thoughts on fly patterns for trolling for the forgetful among us.
 
Matt B said:
I actually can’t remember. I think it’s gotta be “doesn’t really matter,” or “purple and black.” “Seahawks” was popular a season or two ago but seems not to be the flavor du jour for anglers.
Please repeat your thoughts on fly patterns for trolling for the forgetful among us.
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I know that a larger Hawks fly of mine made the rounds a couple of years ago with several people I think. I remember tying it larger almost as a joke (same with the colors)....and it worked....VERY well.
 
Matt B said:
I actually can’t remember. I think it’s gotta be “doesn’t really matter,” or “purple and black.” “Seahawks” was popular a season or two ago but seems not to be the flavor du jour for anglers.
Please repeat your thoughts on fly patterns for trolling for the forgetful among us.
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My little 2” seahawks fly (as pictured w the carp sticker) got the most action for me on troll and “cast” but was lost in the line of duty.
 
When I was with Evan earlier this year, my orange and peach squid was what got bit for me....then again, the cedar plug we had employed got lots of action too.
 
clarkman said:
I know that a larger Hawks fly of mine made the rounds a couple of years ago with several people I think. I remember tying it larger almost as a joke (same with the colors)....and it worked....VERY well.
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Yeah I have a few in my box that I considered deploying (probably inspired by that) but I’m only a fly switcher out there on the tuna grounds if I see fish refuse my fly, or if it is not swimming right or if it got damaged badly.

Do you remember if that had a spawn head?

I need a good up-eye tuna hook without any offset like Octopus style, for trailing hooks to use with shanks and spawn heads. Gotta keep that hook gap open. That’s one thing I’m pretty big on in fly design for tuna—a wide open hook gap. I do have some longer shank Ahrex streamer hooks that do a better job of it with a spawn head and no shank/trailer design, just glued on the front of the hook.
 
Matt B said:
Do you remember if that had a spawn head?
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I think it did. or at least on of those clear heads you pop over the front and tie in. It's gotta be somewhere around, I'll see if I can find it.
 
I wonder if the larger spawn heads cause cavitation on the troll…
 
Matt B said:
I wonder if the larger spawn heads cause cavitation on the troll…
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I suspect not, even at higher troll speeds, but just a non-edumicated hunch. All I know is those heads have to be pushing a lot of water, and I've seen flies with tied with those things catch a lot of tuna.
 
dbaken said:
Tuna fishing was a blast. I think more than half the fish were on the slide or casting (casting is a generous term, with the wind and the bouncing, it was really get the line out 5 feet from the boat and let it sink then strip). With the boat drifting so fast in the wind, it paid off to not be agile - it seemed like all the bait stop boils and grabs were off the stern. The energetic people (@adamcu280) going up to the bow were away from the fish.

And I even won a brand new fly rod on this trip - since I blew up both my 12 wts on two fish in a row, in probably less than 20 minutes. First one was on the only peanut caught on the trip. Urgh. Ok, that was just a strange sequence of events, really under estimated how strong a peanut can be right next to the boat. This is why I have a backup. 10 minutes to rig up again, back in action! Fish on, nice one. And a few minutes later while trying to circle the fish to the gaff - crack! (Adam, the noise a rod makes when it busts in half is "crack" not "crunch"). Both my 12 wts down. Luckily it was such a great day fishing I could laugh at my incompetence! @Matt B - Glad I didn't find out how many broken rods it took not to be funny - and have to admit I was kind of sort of a tiny bit hoping not to hook a fish once I was borrowing a boat rod because I was worried about breaking another rod.

Ride in and out was rough, turned me green each time. And the drive home after got a little ugly the last 45 minutes - I was to tired and then managed to rub sunscreen into my eyes. Next year I'm staying the night in Westport after fishing. But all in all, it was a great day fishing with @Phil K, Matt and Adam! Would love the chance to fish with those guys again anytime! And Chance was a great deck hand (and captain).

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Doug, If it helps, I've broken something like 5 tuna rods over the years. I'd say it's been a while, but don't want to jinx myself.
 
SilverFly said:
I suspect not, even at higher troll speeds, but just a non-edumicated hunch. All I know is those heads have to be pushing a lot of water, and I've seen flies with tied with those things catch a lot of tuna.
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If they did, that could be an additional attractant. Maybe if we give the fly extra action with the ol’ troll twitch, it could cause brief spurts of cavitation?

I swear I have hooked an inordinate number of troll fish when I go to move the fly a bit with the troll twitch move. Way more than one might think if it were a linear association. I think it can work. Especially soon after kicking the motors on after a stop. But also after long periods of no action.
Down in Costa Rica all the deckhands were putting extra action on troll lures while trolling for yellowfin.
 
SilverFly said:
Doug, If it helps, I've broken something like 5 tuna rods over the years. I'd say it's been a while, but don't want to jinx myself.
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Sadly, that is comforting. Though I was thinking of myself as a sort of record setting tuna fisherman until your post :).
 
SilverFly said:
Doug, If it helps, I've broken something like 5 tuna rods over the years. I'd say it's been a while, but don't want to jinx myself.
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I'd offer to let you borrow my extreme heavyweight glass, but I don't really want you to accept that challenge. :LOL:
 
clarkman said:
I'd offer to let you borrow my extreme heavyweight glass, but I don't really want you to accept that challenge. :LOL:
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I’d like to see someone try to break that one piece tuna tamer. Guess I’ll give it a go in a couple of weeks
 
PhilR said:
I’d like to see someone try to break that one piece tuna tamer. Guess I’ll give it a go in a couple of weeks
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just don't loan it to @SilverFly :LOL: ....and his sorcery ways...
 
Matt B said:
The large hook helps keel the fly well. They tracked and swam nicely. But maybe they are too large? Given the size of the hooks used on swim baits and trolling lures and what not for tuna I wasn’t too concerned, but flies are not giant swim baits. I know @Nick Clayton likes those Ahrex and similar 2/0 hooks that are a good bit smaller than these. Maybe I ought to stay small, IDK, any thoughts from the gallery
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I've seen waaaaaay more fish lost when hooked on troll gear with large hooks than I've ever seen on small hooks when fishing live bait. Like not even close. Fish lost when fishing bait almost exclusively come from deep hooked fish when people don't notice the bite, or hook set fish that are hooked in the top of the jaw. Big hook tends to equal a big hole when the old tuners are shaking their head back and forth. It's much easier for them to work those larger hooks free.

Don't have any first hand experience with those hooks you were using, so I can't speak to it directly, but personally it's short shanked, wide gap 1/0-2/0 hooks for me unless I absolutely need something longer for a pattern.
 
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