Rather than hi-jack the excellent thread on Bluefin Tuna but realising there is great interest on this topic, some members of SD might be interested in a quick write-up from me;
My friend Mark and I boarded his excellent fishing machine "Imelda" and slipped the mooring at 08:30 hrs this morning (a bit late but neither of us are spring chickens and both need our sleep - especially in this heat - it is draining)
We fueled up (120 liters of petrol for £40)* at the dock and headed out
A couple of miles out and we set the gear, Light lines, a couple of heavier rods with teasers 2 yrds above the lures and my 15# Fly-Rod - a Tony Fordham "The Yellow-Fin" custom-made Broomstick coupled with a Tibor "Pacific" reel (which as the blurb states - "With a drag powerful enough to stop a submarine") It is a comfort to know it has 600 meters of 35lb gel-spun backing.
(on the right in picture below)
Yellowfin will always "Sound" when hooked. Therefore if you don't have much line never fish for them if your line capacity is less than the depth in which you are fishing.
(Other species such as Long-tail Tuna don't do that and stay near the surface.)
We went to a few well known marks. No takers. I spotted some flotsam/jetsom and said to Mark "5 degrees to port 200 yrds.
We were into fish (how does that work? I have no idea but it did - I will take the plaudits)
After a few hits from smallish fish but no hook-up , we brought the tackle in , rigged up the 7# and circled back and stopped the boat.
An hour or so of hard work casting, stripping in as fast as possible (still not fast enough) and getting fly-line tangled round anything and everything on the deck, including one's feet, we started to connect.
35 degs C and 78% humidity .. More than an old fellow like me can suffer for too long without the apparent breeze provided by a boat under power.
Small Long-Tail Tuna (some call them Black-Fin) IUCN Category: "Least concern"
These were not massive fish, but let me tell you the they are most wonderful sport on a 7wt fly rod a man could desire and wonderful for the table
Each brain-spiked, (Ike-Jime) bled and gutted within a couple of minutes the put on ice.
Back to the Marina, Wash the boat down, fresh water through the engines. A couple of cold beers - and here is where the payback is for the price of fuel - £15 a pint. I kid you not!
See below "Ike Jime" Simply the best way to kill fish - I do it with trout in the UK. The most humane method possible and makes a massive difference to the meat.
(We bleed deer after all eh?)
www.aftco.com
* It is the price of fuel that makes Offshore game-fishing so expensive in the ROW. Oil comes out of the ground here so the relatively low price of fuel is one of the benefits.
Or to put it the correct way, it just shows how much TPTB are stealing from us in "the West" with taxation racketeering. A pox on them all..
I have done 1000's of miles fishing in the Indian Ocean over the last 15 years or so. It has helped immensely with my sanity. I am fully aware it is something could never do to anywhere near the same extent elsewhere.
Ade
My friend Mark and I boarded his excellent fishing machine "Imelda" and slipped the mooring at 08:30 hrs this morning (a bit late but neither of us are spring chickens and both need our sleep - especially in this heat - it is draining)
We fueled up (120 liters of petrol for £40)* at the dock and headed out
A couple of miles out and we set the gear, Light lines, a couple of heavier rods with teasers 2 yrds above the lures and my 15# Fly-Rod - a Tony Fordham "The Yellow-Fin" custom-made Broomstick coupled with a Tibor "Pacific" reel (which as the blurb states - "With a drag powerful enough to stop a submarine") It is a comfort to know it has 600 meters of 35lb gel-spun backing.
(on the right in picture below)
Yellowfin will always "Sound" when hooked. Therefore if you don't have much line never fish for them if your line capacity is less than the depth in which you are fishing.
(Other species such as Long-tail Tuna don't do that and stay near the surface.)
We went to a few well known marks. No takers. I spotted some flotsam/jetsom and said to Mark "5 degrees to port 200 yrds.
We were into fish (how does that work? I have no idea but it did - I will take the plaudits)
After a few hits from smallish fish but no hook-up , we brought the tackle in , rigged up the 7# and circled back and stopped the boat.
An hour or so of hard work casting, stripping in as fast as possible (still not fast enough) and getting fly-line tangled round anything and everything on the deck, including one's feet, we started to connect.
35 degs C and 78% humidity .. More than an old fellow like me can suffer for too long without the apparent breeze provided by a boat under power.
Small Long-Tail Tuna (some call them Black-Fin) IUCN Category: "Least concern"
These were not massive fish, but let me tell you the they are most wonderful sport on a 7wt fly rod a man could desire and wonderful for the table
Each brain-spiked, (Ike-Jime) bled and gutted within a couple of minutes the put on ice.
Back to the Marina, Wash the boat down, fresh water through the engines. A couple of cold beers - and here is where the payback is for the price of fuel - £15 a pint. I kid you not!
See below "Ike Jime" Simply the best way to kill fish - I do it with trout in the UK. The most humane method possible and makes a massive difference to the meat.
(We bleed deer after all eh?)
The Complete Guide to Ike Jime
The how and why you should Ike Jime your next catch. From Trout to Tuna, this method will help you bring the highest quality seafood to your dinner table. Learn More.
www.aftco.com
* It is the price of fuel that makes Offshore game-fishing so expensive in the ROW. Oil comes out of the ground here so the relatively low price of fuel is one of the benefits.
Or to put it the correct way, it just shows how much TPTB are stealing from us in "the West" with taxation racketeering. A pox on them all..
I have done 1000's of miles fishing in the Indian Ocean over the last 15 years or so. It has helped immensely with my sanity. I am fully aware it is something could never do to anywhere near the same extent elsewhere.
Ade
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