It is really good smoked IMHO but for sashimi you just want to trim the skin off leaving as much fat as possible, same as most any way you’re going to prep it I think. Then slice into delectable sized pieces to gobble up.
Tuna 2024
- Thread starter SilverFly
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Think I'm about to hang it up for the year. The tuna water is closing up, but should be reachable for some this weekend. Unfortunately, the forecast is too flimsy and has a big swell with quite a tide exchange on the bar, so just not seeming worth it for me.
Was a pretty crazy year - first trip out was the fastest action I'd ever seen. Honestly, too fast. We all three agreed the trips are more fun when we get to hunt. There was no hunt that day, only reeling in/processing fish. Was cool to see it, but I know now that a wide open bite isn't a great way to start a day when you intended to spend a day off shore.
Had a couple trips that were a lot more challenging, but they make you appreciate those good days.
Last trip out was pretty magical. Saw so many whales, dolphins, Risso's dolphins (a new one for me), lots of birds, a glassy ocean, a massive school of yellowtail that sacrificed one of its own to us, and some run n gun action to jumping tuna. Way more fun and satisfying than the first trip I described above.
Now, I stew and think about next year.
Was a pretty crazy year - first trip out was the fastest action I'd ever seen. Honestly, too fast. We all three agreed the trips are more fun when we get to hunt. There was no hunt that day, only reeling in/processing fish. Was cool to see it, but I know now that a wide open bite isn't a great way to start a day when you intended to spend a day off shore.
Had a couple trips that were a lot more challenging, but they make you appreciate those good days.
Last trip out was pretty magical. Saw so many whales, dolphins, Risso's dolphins (a new one for me), lots of birds, a glassy ocean, a massive school of yellowtail that sacrificed one of its own to us, and some run n gun action to jumping tuna. Way more fun and satisfying than the first trip I described above.
Now, I stew and think about next year.
SilverFly
Legend
Pat, I just pack in non-iodized or sea salt and put i the fridge for a couple hours. Then rinse off, pat and air dry. Once the pellicle forms then into the smoker. Depending on temp (I'm using a Big Chief) usually only 3-4 hours. Should look something like this:
This stuff is super soft, greasy, freakin delicious. Cracker crack.
SilverFly
Legend
The hunt is the one aspect of this fishery that makes me want my own boat. Not gonna happen, but if I had sufficient resources and time to commit, I'd be out the every chance.
Porter2
Legend
Yes, but do we?
. There’s always the last time. You got that to look forward to. Think the dark evening already at 330pm has me bummed a bit. 
Feel like I’m in Finland.
Well, ran the last tuna trip of 2024 yesterday. There's still a few fish around, but haven't seen the volume in a few days of searching far and wide, and after a season of very few weather cancellations we didn't have the typical bunch of reschedules booked in October that we normally do.
Pulled the boat this morning and did the big post season cleaning. Just got home for the first time in quite a while, and of course got my sound boat plugged into the battery charger. It was an incredible ocean season but I'm beyond ready to go chill out on some water that isn't trying to kill me lol.
Pulled the boat this morning and did the big post season cleaning. Just got home for the first time in quite a while, and of course got my sound boat plugged into the battery charger. It was an incredible ocean season but I'm beyond ready to go chill out on some water that isn't trying to kill me lol.
Thank you, Nick, for being the generous, positive, hard-working captain that you are. Yours is the first boat to leave the dock and often the last to tie up at the end of the day. Enjoy some time becoming reacquainted with the family... And sleeping in.
Steve
Thanks again for a great tuna season! It was great having you at the helm again this year.
You should get some rest though. Maybe a month or three. Ok, ok.. I’m being selfish. I’d just really like to sore lip a few PS SRC this fall/winter before you get your fishy hands on them
.
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
Didn't see this covered here, but looks like Oregon has a new record
www.oregonlive.com
Massive bluefin tuna caught off Oregon coast
George Stavrakis of Sherwood caught the massive tuna on Sunday about 25 miles west of Garibaldi.
www.oregonlive.com
SilverFly
Legend
#@&*#!^%$#@!!!!Didn't see this covered here, but looks like Oregon has a new record
Massive bluefin tuna caught off Oregon coast
George Stavrakis of Sherwood caught the massive tuna on Sunday about 25 miles west of Garibaldi.
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SilverFly
Legend
I mostly jest, but have to admit being a tad jealous. Really though, I salute Mr. Cooper for investing a ton of time and resources to exploring what is currently a huge unknown in our waters. Yes, we know there are some BFT out there, but really we have no idea if we have an actual BFT fishery.
Short of encountering patches of busting BFT on our albacore commutes (which can and does happen on rare occasion), we just don't know. From everything I've heard and read, we're not going find out on the albacore grounds. Let alone using albacore gear and tactics. Hopefully his success will inspire others to put some effort in closer to shore, with appropriate gear and tactics.
Maybe it's lottery odds, or maybe we're missing out on the real PNW offshore show. Fingers crossed it's the latter. The big fish like this are incredible, but I keep hoping the standard SD charter grade fish are what show up here in real numbers. Is a 40-50# BFT too much to ask?
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Always good to see your grump morning face under the marina lights on tuna trips Nick
See you out in the sound this winter chasing cutts!
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
I know how much my 1st albacore beat my butt 10 years ago (was told it was oversize by the way).I mostly jest, but have to admit being a tad jealous. Really though, I salute Mr. Cooper for investing a ton of time and resources to exploring what is currently a huge unknown in our waters. Yes, we know there are some BFT out there, but really we have no idea if we have an actual BFT fishery.
Short of encountering patches of busting BFT on our albacore commutes (which can and does happen on rare occasion), we just don't know. From everything I've heard and read, we're not going find out on the albacore grounds. Let alone using albacore gear and tactics. Hopefully his success will inspire others to put some effort in closer to shore, with appropriate gear and tactics.
Maybe it's lottery odds, or maybe we're missing out on the real PNW offshore show. Fingers crossed it's the latter. The big fish like this are incredible, but I keep hoping the standard SD charter grade fish are what show up here in real numbers. Is a 40-50# BFT too much to ask?
Tangling with a BFT even close to half that weight would be more than I think most of us could handle.. without a AED nearby...
I can only relate to BFT through what I've seen on TV shows. So, not anything. But, are you suggesting there's a possibility that closer to shore with the larger gear might be a viable rather than a wish ?
Theres some indication that the original coastal peoples of the PNW used to catch them from land. I’ll try to find the source info.
Here’s a tidbit in the meantime:
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
Thanks for that. Having lived on all 3 coasts, I've always been interested in what the original inhabitants ate and did for a living
SilverFly
Legend
Having experienced speed and raw power of a 700# Mako, I've gotten over my desire to tangle with anything else that would be hours of back breaking torture. Sure, casting a fly (or jig) into a foamer of 100+ pound tuna would be heart stopping, but feeling the hookup and part of the first run would be enough for me. What I'd love to see is the standard grade, sub 100 pound, show up here in real numbers. Challenging for sure, but do-able, with the right fly gear.
That's the thing, bluefin tuna were historically natural visitors to PNW waters. We think of them as "exotics" only because they've been overfished to a tiny fragment of their former biomass.
Here's another source I've posted before. Totally blew my mind the first time I read about giant BFT being speared, at night, from dugout canoes inside Nootka Sound:
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