10/10 Offshore: Sticking it Out

A guest post from our friend (nut) JJ:

The past few days have been by most standards automatic for the tuna fishing. There is currently a massive body of fish hanging around Stellwagen Bank. While they have been showing in the mornings on halfbeaks, it has been mostly a jig bite. Friday, I had the opportunity to fish with Captain Rich for a busman's holiday. It was a tough morning, with a quick hook-pull the only strike. We struggled to find feeding fish after this hookup. While there were certainly fish around us, they were just very switched off.

Rich and I began swapping fishing stories, speaking about our personal tuna philosophies. A theme we hit often was the importance of sticking it out on these fish. Sometimes, you have to wade through hours of boredom and remain vigilant in order to earn that fish. There is a reason why these animals are regarded as the most difficult quarry in our fishery. We both talked of our intense passion for these fish, how we fish all day for one strike. It really is a remarkable addiction and a truly fulfilling experience when you do get that strike. The runs are blistering, the violence of their headshakes, and the reminder of their power when they finally dig in on the spiral. I never cease to be reminded that these animals have the highest level of hemoglobin per unit of blood of any creature on earth. Their power and tenacity is truly unparalleled.

Around 1pm we got a call from Captain Derek of First Light Anglers that he was on feeding fish. We made our way over towards his numbers and began marking fish almost instantly. It wasn't long until I got tight. Fishing a highly specialized fighting blank, Rich and I were able to have the fish boatside in 10 minutes. A quick gaffshot and the fish was on the boat. The size of this fish was suprising, in the spiral the tuna looked staggeringly long. We put the tape measure to it and realized this was the first >60" tuna taken aboard the McKee!

While we were both in a timecrunch and had to run back after this fish, had we wanted to we could have hooked quite a few more. The volume of tuna in Massachusetts Bay is the greatest it has been all year. The fish have been showing consistently in the mornings and sporadically through the afternoon. However, the jig bite remains very strong. Even when the tuna are not showing on the surface, they are consistently being marked right around the thermocline at 50'.

Interesting Photos from Sept/Oct

Carlton's unweighted sluggoShock n' awe to catch a hawg on such a windy day


Urban fishing at its best


Capt Sluggo puts his mojo to work


Wonder what it would be like to catch a big tuna

Um er...thats a big fish i gots me.

Supposed to be better than this...

Early October is supposed to be a sure thing around Boston Harbor. We have grown accustomed to finding life teeming wherever we go. Not so this year. The bait, birds, and fish are not nearly as widespread as in past years. There are big bass and bluefish keyed on the large bunker inside the harbor but other than this, there is a distinct lack of active smaller fish. Many have talked of changing patterns but I am concerned.

We are catching fish on each trip (and there are good numbers of bluefin tuna offshore) but are not finding the wide open bites that last for hours. We will be out there trying through the end of October. Here's to hoping the weather stays nice and the fish find us.

John

Fall in Boston

The seasons have definitely changed. Fall is here. The temperatures have cooled off and the north winds have arrived. When we can get out (it has been VERY windy occasionally) the fishing has been good. As many are reporting, the typical fall surface action is way down this year but the fish are still around. We are working structure, rips, and the sporadic surface feed and have been rewarded with a number of good bass in the high 30" range on fly and spin.

We do have a few dates still available during the next couple weeks so please let us know if you want to get one more fix before the season is over.

Cheers,

John