Tuna 2022, let the games begin!

Really solid day with Nick today, @jasmillo @DimeBrite anh I gave away a lot of tuna tonight.
Thanks for the extra details! Glad you all had a good trip. I’m curious about the given away tuna—coolers too small? Fish too big? Don’t like tuna? Felt bad for some skunkers?
After a good tuna trip I give away plenty but not at the dock. I have a whole list of people...😁
 
Our two 45 size coolers with 1 bag of ice couldn't close completely :) the 65 had more ice and it was filled to the brim as well.
We gave away to family, friends and neighbor.
 
Man, I use ALL the tuna I harvest every year. I have 7 fish in the freezer already from my trip two weeks ago (roughly 40-50lb), and am going to get some more. Already have my first "tuna party" sushi night happening this weekend with friends.

And one place I differ from most: I don't can any. I just don't like canned tuna. I want sashimi, poke bowls, nigiri pieces, tuna tacos, beer battered fish n chips, or seared on salads.
 
Man, I use ALL the tuna I harvest every year. I have 7 fish in the freezer already from my trip two weeks ago (roughly 40-50lb), and am going to get some more. Already have my first "tuna party" sushi night happening this weekend with friends.

And one place I differ from most: I don't can any. I just don't like canned tuna. I want sashimi, poke bowls, nigiri pieces, tuna tacos, beer battered fish n chips, or seared on salads.
You forgot smoked tuna belly.

Unless that’s on the list of things you don’t want, in which case you’re wrong.
 
You forgot smoked tuna belly.

Unless that’s on the list of things you don’t want, in which case you’re wrong.
I like it in small amounts. it's good, but super rich. It's also not something you're supposed to consume a lot of as that's where the heavy metals and other things you don't want to eat much of are.
 
I'm so happy I brought my biggest cooler! It was barely big enough. I gave some away last night to a few neighbors for good relations. They were stoked. My vacuum sealing operation is in full swing.
Nice size to the albacore yesterday. A few made long runs into the backing, and my drag was set tight. I caught one while stripping on the slide, that was a solid grab and run. Hooking three at a time on fly rods was fun, we didn't even tangle too badly. Captain Nick has the fly rod tuna game all figured out.
 
It was a really fun day. The spawn head patterns really did well on the troll. I vacuum bagged all of mine last night. Made for a long day but It was worth it. Up at 4:30 am. Really solid fishing all morning. Back at the dock at 2:45-3. 3 hour drive home, dinner, then trimming and bagging took me until about midnight. I woke up pleasantly sore! I will also give some of mine away. 32 loins and 8 bellies from this trip plus another one booked in mid September means I’ll have plenty for just the wife and me.

I will start consuming some for dinner tonight though!
 
I'm so happy I brought my biggest cooler! It was barely big enough. I gave some away last night to a few neighbors for good relations. They were stoked. My vacuum sealing operation is in full swing.
Nice size to the albacore yesterday. A few made long runs into the backing, and my drag was set tight. I caught one while stripping on the slide, that was a solid grab and run. Hooking three at a time on fly rods was fun, we didn't even tangle too badly. Captain Nick has the fly rod tuna game all figured out.
Can I be your neighbor?
 
that, plus I'm getting a freezer and vac sealer...
I'm going to wait until the catch is secured before the freezer, and Merino's will have to do the processing since minivan life doesn't allow for proper vac sealing/processing 😂
 
Just a reminder that theres an open seat for this Saturday Sept 3rd, contact @Cabezon if interested!
 
Hey so @jasmillo @DimeBrite & @Kfish -- it sounds like most of the fish you caught yesterday were caught on the troll? And a few on the slide? Get any stops going where cast and strip worked? Was there a certain color/colors that seemed to be working better than anything else? (I get that patterns with Spawn heads were producing.) Thanks!
 
Hey so @jasmillo @DimeBrite & @Kfish -- it sounds like most of the fish you caught yesterday were caught on the troll? And a few on the slide? Get any stops going where cast and strip worked? Was there a certain color/colors that seemed to be working better than anything else? (I get that patterns with Spawn heads were producing.) Thanks!
Most were on the troll and we had several on the slides. From my experience casting/stripping I didn't see any follows, maybe the others did I'm not sure.
Nick on the bow had some follows but they refused at last split second.
 
Yeah, Nick had the only confirmed follows and near eat while stopped casting and stripping. Yesterday, they just seemed to get bitey when the 250hp motors fired up. Towards the end we saw a few albacore sporadically hit tossed bait on the surface. I covered a couple "rises" but no strikes on the cast & strip yesterday.
 
Yeah, we all had chances to give it a shot and made some decent casts at boils but nada. I never saw a follow on any of my cast/stripped flies either. I was talking with @Tallguy on the beach coho fishing Saturday, and he gave me the idea of trying much smaller patterns if we got a chance to stop and cast. It was based on the baitfish they were seeing. Things were so hectic with fish being fought and fish boiling that I did not want to take the time to pull out the other rod or even quickly do a fly change though. If my next trip happens and we get the opportunity, I will try and do that.
 
Yeah, we all had chances to give it a shot and made some decent casts at boils but nada. I never saw a follow on any of my cast/stripped flies either. I was talking with @Tallguy on the beach coho fishing Saturday, and he gave me the idea of trying much smaller patterns if we got a chance to stop and cast. It was based on the baitfish they were seeing. Things were so hectic with fish being fought and fish boiling that I did not want to take the time to pull out the other rod or even quickly do a fly change though. If my next trip happens and we get the opportunity, I will try and do that.
I tried the @SilverFly gillplate saury on 8/22 which is the smallest thing I’ve ever tossed at albacore but it is still quite a bit larger than the tiny bait I saw in fish’s stomachs. And, it didn’t work for me that day. After I caught a few tossing a big swim bait into active fish, and folks were catching fish speed jigging, I decided to switch back to something with the colors of the successful swimbait—dark/green/over white—which happened to be a jasmillo swap fly, and that on a 2 hand strip off the bow got me my fly caught fish that day.
 
I tried the @SilverFly gillplate saury on 8/22 which is the smallest thing I’ve ever tossed at albacore but it is still quite a bit larger than the tiny bait I saw in fish’s stomachs. And, it didn’t work for me that day. After I caught a few tossing a big swim bait into active fish, and folks were catching fish speed jigging, I decided to switch back to something with the colors of the successful swimbait—dark/green/over white—which happened to be a jasmillo swap fly, and that on a 2 hand strip off the bow got me my fly caught fish that day.
So maybe speed is the key to soliciting a strike.. I was just doing single hand strips.
 
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