Tuna 2022, let the games begin!

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These were the hot flies for me yesterday. I tied the top one at the CG picnic table the night before so had to fish it. It caught a fish and then a certain captain (cough cough) mangled the eye on the other side extracting it from a tuna’s gullet so I switched to the bottom fly, the head of which I believe I mangled myself. Kept fishing it and it kept hooking fish, not just troll fish but I also hooked 3 on cast & stripped flies, 2 of which I landed. I like that UV cure but don’t think it’s all that durable. Are any brands of UV cure very durable?

It was a good trip that started with a quad hookup not long after lines were deployed on troll. It sort of tapered off from there. Plenty of fish around, but they seemed to disappear from the boat after a few casts. We made presentations that 100% should’ve been eaten and weren’t. Maybe just too many dang saury!
 
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These were the hot flies for me yesterday. I tied the top one at the CG picnic table the night before so had to fish it. It caught a fish and then a certain captain (cough cough) mangled the eye on the other side extracting it from a tuna’s gullet so I switched to the bottom fly, the head of which I believe I mangled myself. Kept fishing it and it kept hooking fish, not just troll fish but I also hooked 3 on cast & stripped flies, 2 of which I landed. I like that UV cure but don’t think it’s all that durable. Are any brands of UV cure very durable?

It was a good trip that started with a quad hookup not long after lines were deployed on troll. It sort of tapered off from there. Plenty of fish around, but they seemed to disappear from the boat after a few casts. We made presentations that 100% should’ve been eaten and weren’t. Maybe just too many dang saury!
You can try Fish-Masks, made by Fish Skull. They're plastic heads with recessed eye sockets to glue eyes to, very durable.
 
Windfinder. Doesn't go quite that far, but the days prior are rough, so there'd be leftover chop/swell for a few days if this materializes.
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But just a few weeks ago, I went on a day that was originally looking really, really rough, and got better and better as time got closer. So I have a glimmer of hope.
I would you check storm surf.com before I started to worry.
 
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These were the hot flies for me yesterday. I tied the top one at the CG picnic table the night before so had to fish it. It caught a fish and then a certain captain (cough cough) mangled the eye on the other side extracting it from a tuna’s gullet so I switched to the bottom fly, the head of which I believe I mangled myself. Kept fishing it and it kept hooking fish, not just troll fish but I also hooked 3 on cast & stripped flies, 2 of which I landed. I like that UV cure but don’t think it’s all that durable. Are any brands of UV cure very durable?

It was a good trip that started with a quad hookup not long after lines were deployed on troll. It sort of tapered off from there. Plenty of fish around, but they seemed to disappear from the boat after a few casts. We made presentations that 100% should’ve been eaten and weren’t. Maybe just too many dang saury!
I coat my UV cure the same that you use after it kinda cures and put a coat of Sally Hansen fast dry. This holds up quit well but then I don't catch as many tuna as you do.
 
You can try Fish-Masks, made by Fish Skull. They're plastic heads with recessed eye sockets to glue eyes to, very durable.
Yeah those are cool, if a little big and burly. It may not seem like much but I hate casting extra weight on top of those heavy ass sinking lines. I have used these which are similar (more laterally compressed) but typically I trim the bottom because I hate the idea of decreasing hook gap. They weigh almost nothing.
 

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Yeah those are cool, if a little big and burly. It may not seem like much but I hate casting extra weight on top of those heavy ass sinking lines. I have used these which are similar (more laterally compressed) but typically I trim the bottom because I hate the idea of decreasing hook gap. They weigh almost nothing.
I don't know.. they seem to be about the same as those Pro Sportfisher. Will give those a try some day though.
 
Think I asked this before but forgot the answer - straight 30lb fluor okay for a leader?
 
Think I asked this before but forgot the answer - straight 30lb fluor okay for a leader?
Yes but it doesn’t hurt to step down to 25 or even 20, which have always worked fine for me, just in case you need to break off for some reason.
 
When I said step down I meant the whole thing, straight leader of one type. No knots, just a Bimini loop. 30 or 35 lb are really really hard to break. I’m not sure if @Jake has hooked anything out there that he wanted to break off and couldn’t, but I’ve seen it happen and it ain’t pretty.
 
When I said step down I meant the whole thing, straight leader of one type. No knots, just a Bimini loop. 30 or 35 lb are really really hard to break. I’m not sure if @Jake has hooked anything out there that he wanted to break off and couldn’t, but I’ve seen it happen and it ain’t pretty.
Please explain the Bimini loop versus, say Perfection - you're tying this into your "leader" and loop connecting it to your fly line? Is the Bimini loop the prefered loop knot for tuna?
 

These should show up for all the world to see because my account is not private. At the old place they just showed up as an embedded thing so you didn't even have to click through. This link doesn't work?
Doesn't appear to. Get to the front page of It, and won't let me view unless I have a FB or IG account.
 
When I said step down I meant the whole thing, straight leader of one type. No knots, just a Bimini loop. 30 or 35 lb are really really hard to break. I’m not sure if @Jake has hooked anything out there that he wanted to break off and couldn’t, but I’ve seen it happen and it ain’t pretty.
Hadn’t really considered that as I am hoping with the 13wt for a striped marlin or a blue fin, and generally just use what I would for tarpon. I also would love to fight and land a mola mola someday, but I agree that 20-25lb might be more appropriate—especially for the peanuts that have made up the majority of the tuna I’ve caught. I’ll try some next tuna trip.
 
Hadn’t really considered that as I am hoping with the 13wt for a striped marlin or a blue fin, and generally just use what I would for tarpon. I also would love to fight and land a mola mola someday, but I agree that 20-25lb might be more appropriate—especially for the peanuts that have made up the majority of the tuna I’ve caught. I’ll try some next tuna trip.
There is a story from our last trip that is just not mine to tell. Weird stuff can happen out there.
Messing with mola mola is supposed to be bad juju but you were probably joking anyway. But just in case anyone were tempted...

Smoked tuna belly is tasty.
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