Things I learned on my vacation

**BiggestT** · Jan-07-2009, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by wahoodad

Well, 90# line and a 300+ pound tuna, sunset is only at the end. In reality, even with 130# line.Hooks are pulled, lines are broke.

And yes, every thresher was mouth hooked. What's up with that?

You were fishing them with nose hooked live bait. Presumably the hooks were circle hooks sized in proportion to the sardines. That makes it awfully hard to snag them on the tail strike. Did anyone 'inexplicably' have their baits just knocked off? If so, those were thresher swats. Once you've got them mouth hooked on heavy gear, you get their head and you can steer them so that the tail will do much of the work for you. If you tail hook them, they go deep and eventually will die on you as they're ram ventilators. Then they're a bitch to pull up through the water column. Your's probably stayed up on the surface, jumped and punked around and were eventually steered to the boat. It's just angling strategy. Know the bite and fight characteristics of your quarry and rig accordingly.

**glenn** · Jan-07-2009, 09:28 AM

Great report David. Question, would a taped on torpedo sinker work as well as a toothpicked slider?
Thanks in advance.

**wahoodad** · Jan-07-2009, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by glenn

Great report David. Question, would a taped on torpedo sinker work as well as a toothpicked slider?
Thanks in advance.

No, it had to be a slider, and not a rubber band stop or carolina keeper either. It was ok to let it go to the hook knot.

**spike** · Jan-07-2009, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by wahoodad

No, it had to be a slider, and not a rubber band stop or carolina keeper either. It was ok to let it go to the hook knot.

With Sardines, how did they figure out it was working?

**WreckinBall** · Jan-07-2009, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by wahoodad

New Year's day, fish boiling around, but we aren't hooking squat. Finally the kite goes, and Marilyn hands the fish off to her husband Bud. Bud fought this fish a long long time. Uphill tide, so I was fishing a bait on 90# FC again, and a big deep boil occurs near the surface, not far from the boat or where I think my bait is. I'm bit! I wind until I cannot physically wind anymore, and it's game on. Seemed normal at first, no big deal, then the afterburner kicked in. I told Kevin I have a hundred yards left, better get the backup. 50 yards, hook it on. I see silver, here we go, push the lever to full, and drop it in. Ok, fish still not slowing down, get the second backup on, but I finally stop it with as big a bend in the rod I can muster. I'm gaining line back, and I see my rod. I get it on the boat, and wind like heck, I'm gaining on him. I actually get the fish within 150 feet, making huge circles around the boat, but I can't make a stand.
Then it takes off again. All my line gone, backup, second backup, and it is so far out there I think the Red Rooster 3 is going to run over my line. We are yelling, waving our arms, calling on the phone, finally Andy turns off. Whew!
Now at this point, I know I'm screwed. I have now been on the fish over 3 hours, we only have one more backup, after that, we would have to pull the anchor.
Thing is, we have the school and life around us. If we leave, we lose all that. At this point, I am bumming hard. The tail beat with two backups out there is the hugest tail beat I've ever seen.
I had to make a stand, push the drag up on the backup, and stop the ba$tard. Well, the amount of chewing he had done on the line was simply too much. And I lost it. :?

I was quiet, didn't say anything to anybody, just reeled in, put the rod away, grabbed another rod, pinned on a bait, and lobbed a sardine out. I was bit in just a matter of minutes.

Sorry you lost that one David, but it made a heck of a read. Thanks for tellin' the tale.

Maybe if you get that one, you don't get the 316...who can say?

**BOATSODA** · Jan-08-2009, 01:55 AM

Great job David, always look forward to your posts

**T.O.T.W.** · Jan-08-2009, 07:28 PM

Hey Dave,

Great read. Thanks for taking the time to put it all out there.

I think I read a post a while ago that you were experimenting with the nail-knot serves as opposed to crimps. What's your take on them? Did you use the nail knot connection this trip?

Thanks,

Chris

**OFN** · Jan-08-2009, 07:53 PM

Epic story :-) thanks for a great report.

**bajabaron** · Jan-10-2009, 07:04 AM

Thanks for the details, David. Sounds like it was a trip of a lifetime and it's a lesson to all of us that when you lost probably one of the strongest fish you've ever hooked in your illustrious career, you just threw out another bait and whipped a 300 pound tuna's butt. That's karma. I emailed Brad to let him know that you were having an epic trip and he wanted to send HUGE congrats!