Shh, guys, some of us are tuna fishing tomorrow
Tuna 2026
- Thread starter Kfish
- Start date
I’m looking forward to the report! Was supposed to be my big day out…
The boats I keep in touch with sounds like they did much better today.
23 in the boat, 3 for me, 1 on the strip which was a goal of mine. I’ll post a full update as soon as I can!
Mike is a good charter captain. I think he really looks forward to Tuna season more than his regular bottom bounce trips.
Totally nailed it on the day. Right after the full moon doldrums and right before the wind and waves party.
Yes he is. He even let me bring a fly rod on an overnight trip about 10 years ago. We we're doing well on the 2nd day, and I was just reaching for the bugstick when I heard a "whoosh" and saw 3 black fins headed straight at us. My buddy was busy fighting a tuna and didn't see the lead orca eat his fish. The look on his face was priceless. Almost worth the tuna bite shutting down.
Less abridged report, 9/1 out of Westport. With apology for lack of photos - @Cabezon will probably post a few.
I jumped on an open seat with @Cabezon when he posted it a few months ago. Got great deals on new to me (hell, basically new in general) 12 wt rod and reel (thanks again @Evan B )! Tied only about 10 flies over this blur of a summer, fished two of them, only one seriously.
We met at 5:30, were motoring out by 6. The weather was fine - not gorgeous, but not bad. It was about a two hour run out.
There’s little ceremony when the boat finally drops out of gear after the 2+ hour run out - suddenly it’s quiet and Calvin the deckhand is already tossing a cedar plug out the back. It’s hardcore, remote, challenging, and expensive fishing, and the crew doesn’t fuck around (nevertheless both captain and deckhand had great senses of humor and were fun to fish with).
We trolled for good bit of time (one hour? Two??) with no action, searching for the fish. Anyone who’s been on a few guided trips knows that feeling in the interim before the first fish. (Is this normal? Is there something I can tweak? How do I make sure to manage my mood and expectations if we don’t ever get that first bite?) Anyone with an ounce of sense also knows to keep these questions to oneself other than asking for tips on technique - the crew knows how to get you onto fish, trust the process.
@Cabezon suddenly hooked up that hour(?) or so in, and two seconds later I hooked up on the slide. This was a mixed gear and fly excursion, so the deckhand started throwing live bait into the water immediately, and then the live bait rods went into the water. My fish was perfect for a first tuna - probably in the peanut size category although I’m bad at estimating weight. It took me on a couple runs but I got it boatside and gaffed without breaking too much of a sweat. I then moved onto the bow to cast and strip. The bait rods back aft were murdering fish left and right, but no further bite for me.
It was a good first bait stop. There were four of us, so the captain and deckhand also did a bit of catching with the live bait rods to get our numbers up and keep the fish engaged.
Once that stop ran its course, with maybe 6-10 fish boated, we trolled again. Not quite as long as before - and this time my rod was the first to go off. Oh shit - everything I knew about fighting tuna from that first fish went out the window - this one was bigger. I was down to about 25% of my backing before I even had time to think and crank the drag down further. Super cool when a fish takes that much line, but that’s all line you have to earn back against an angry tuna. I finally sealed the deal about 5 minutes(?) later, then headed up to the bow to fish, with a casting arm that barely worked.
I was advised to let my fly sink much longer than I had been. The correct method is to cast upwind so that the boat doesn’t drift over your line, then wait uncomfortably long as it sinks into the depths despite the tuna racket coming from back aft, and then start your retrieve. I had been second guessing bringing my stripping basket, but I was very glad to have it on the bow given the various cleats and line catchers.
The action had quieted down a bit on the aft deck, and I was starting to think about reeling in after a few more casts, and then bam - hooked one on the strip! Mercifully this was another in the smaller size class. I did the complicated dance from the bow back toward the stern and got it boatside and gaffed.
That was my last fish of the day, and I think our last good bait stop (were there two or three?). The last third of the day was spent trolling without much more action - somewhere in there @Cabezon hooked and lost one on the troll.
I’ve tried to convey through the various parentheticals and question marks above how surreal it is to fish out there. I lost track of time and space motoring out there and didn’t really regain it until we were back at the dock. It was a wild and fantastic experience that I hope to repeat next year - what else am I gonna do with this 12wt?
Thanks again to @Cabezon for welcoming another newbie into the fold, and to @Evan B for the gear hookup. Best of luck to those of you who have trips coming up later this month - if they go poorly or get canceled, I’ve got tuna loins to spare.
I jumped on an open seat with @Cabezon when he posted it a few months ago. Got great deals on new to me (hell, basically new in general) 12 wt rod and reel (thanks again @Evan B )! Tied only about 10 flies over this blur of a summer, fished two of them, only one seriously.
We met at 5:30, were motoring out by 6. The weather was fine - not gorgeous, but not bad. It was about a two hour run out.
There’s little ceremony when the boat finally drops out of gear after the 2+ hour run out - suddenly it’s quiet and Calvin the deckhand is already tossing a cedar plug out the back. It’s hardcore, remote, challenging, and expensive fishing, and the crew doesn’t fuck around (nevertheless both captain and deckhand had great senses of humor and were fun to fish with).
We trolled for good bit of time (one hour? Two??) with no action, searching for the fish. Anyone who’s been on a few guided trips knows that feeling in the interim before the first fish. (Is this normal? Is there something I can tweak? How do I make sure to manage my mood and expectations if we don’t ever get that first bite?) Anyone with an ounce of sense also knows to keep these questions to oneself other than asking for tips on technique - the crew knows how to get you onto fish, trust the process.
@Cabezon suddenly hooked up that hour(?) or so in, and two seconds later I hooked up on the slide. This was a mixed gear and fly excursion, so the deckhand started throwing live bait into the water immediately, and then the live bait rods went into the water. My fish was perfect for a first tuna - probably in the peanut size category although I’m bad at estimating weight. It took me on a couple runs but I got it boatside and gaffed without breaking too much of a sweat. I then moved onto the bow to cast and strip. The bait rods back aft were murdering fish left and right, but no further bite for me.
It was a good first bait stop. There were four of us, so the captain and deckhand also did a bit of catching with the live bait rods to get our numbers up and keep the fish engaged.
Once that stop ran its course, with maybe 6-10 fish boated, we trolled again. Not quite as long as before - and this time my rod was the first to go off. Oh shit - everything I knew about fighting tuna from that first fish went out the window - this one was bigger. I was down to about 25% of my backing before I even had time to think and crank the drag down further. Super cool when a fish takes that much line, but that’s all line you have to earn back against an angry tuna. I finally sealed the deal about 5 minutes(?) later, then headed up to the bow to fish, with a casting arm that barely worked.
I was advised to let my fly sink much longer than I had been. The correct method is to cast upwind so that the boat doesn’t drift over your line, then wait uncomfortably long as it sinks into the depths despite the tuna racket coming from back aft, and then start your retrieve. I had been second guessing bringing my stripping basket, but I was very glad to have it on the bow given the various cleats and line catchers.
The action had quieted down a bit on the aft deck, and I was starting to think about reeling in after a few more casts, and then bam - hooked one on the strip! Mercifully this was another in the smaller size class. I did the complicated dance from the bow back toward the stern and got it boatside and gaffed.
That was my last fish of the day, and I think our last good bait stop (were there two or three?). The last third of the day was spent trolling without much more action - somewhere in there @Cabezon hooked and lost one on the troll.
I’ve tried to convey through the various parentheticals and question marks above how surreal it is to fish out there. I lost track of time and space motoring out there and didn’t really regain it until we were back at the dock. It was a wild and fantastic experience that I hope to repeat next year - what else am I gonna do with this 12wt?
Thanks again to @Cabezon for welcoming another newbie into the fold, and to @Evan B for the gear hookup. Best of luck to those of you who have trips coming up later this month - if they go poorly or get canceled, I’ve got tuna loins to spare.
“If you give a mouse a cookie…”Oh I can think of many other exciting uses for your 12 weight!
This is awesome, headed out for an overnight fly trip here in 2 weeks I might of had a spot open up on the boat last minute but not 100% sure. Excited to get into some Tuna but really hoping to get a mako or something super random with everything that is being landed in Ilwaco right now!