Catch and Release Bluefin Fishing

[SandyClaus]

What does everybody do with all their fish?

I'm a single guy. I can only eat/give away so much fish.

So my question is, what does everybody do with all their extra fish?

I've got a 3 day in May scheduled on the Vagabond, a 4 day in July on the Polaris Supreme, and another 4 day scheduled in August on the Independence. And those don't include the fill in trips for thug yellowtail, white seabass, and rockfish.

200lbs of frozen fish is about max for me.

Are the boats cool with releasing them at the rail?

Don't get me wrong, I love my trophy pics as much as the next guy, but I don't need a pic of me catching a super cow that bad if it means the fish is going to waste.

So what do you guys do with your extra fish? What're the protocols on the different boats? Do you land the fish anyways and donate to the boat for dinner/sushi/others who didn't catch any?

 

[michael e. bingham]

Absolutely it's your fish , you paid to be there Let it go if you want or maybe someone on the boat isn't doing so well catching fish and it might be nice to offer up a fish , if not release it, we do it on our boat all the time

 

[jer dog]

What does everybody do with all their fish?

I'm a single guy. I can only eat/give away so much fish.

So my question is, what does everybody do with all their extra fish?

I've got a 3 day in May scheduled on the Vagabond, a 4 day in July on the Polaris Supreme, and another 4 day scheduled in August on the Independence. And those don't include the fill in trips for thug yellowtail, white seabass, and rockfish.

200lbs of frozen fish is about max for me.

Are the boats cool with releasing them at the rail?

Don't get me wrong, I love my trophy pics as much as the next guy, but I don't need a pic of me catching a super cow that bad if it means the fish is going to waste.

So what do you guys do with your extra fish? What're the protocols on the different boats? Do you land the fish anyways and donate to the boat for dinner/sushi/others who didn't catch any?

what you need to do is ask one of the deck hands on your trip,
they will give you the best advice.

 

[45king]

Giving away fish is a chore in itself. I release everything that does not have a name to it. If I’m too tired to process fish then I’m not keeping anything. The tug is the drug for me and as far as bluefin goes, if it’s not getting taken care of like it’s sashimi grade then you won’t get any bluefin from me. Dare throw my fresh fish into the freezer and you might not get any fish ever. Lmao.

 

[clevel]

Once you have enough tuna to keep, clip off or press in the barb on your hook with your pliers and you can release at the rail by slacking your line.

 

[Rmpsocal]

Before I left on my 3-day this past October, I already set the boundary of processing 100# of Bluefin (if I was lucky enough to catch fish). Anyways, the boat caught 114 Bluefin Tuna and 57 of those were over 100#!!!

After I caught my 3rd fish (3 fish total of 330#) early on the 2nd night, I pretty much stopped fishing. Lol. That was the most sleep I’ve gotten on a Bluefin trip ever, and I got back home totally relaxed.

 

[Troy]

Giving away fish is a chore in itself. I release everything that does not have a name to it. If I’m too tired to process fish then I’m not keeping anything. The tug is the drug for me and as far as bluefin goes, if it’s not getting taken care of like it’s sashimi grade then you won’t get any bluefin from me. Dare throw my fresh fish into the freezer and you might not get any fish ever. Lmao.

Agree! I’ve given away thousands of pounds fresh fish over the years and anyone who doesn’t eat it within 48 hours is not getting another delivery. Blows my mind when someone freezes it and tells me two weeks later they finally had it.

 

[GaffnLaff]

I have a rare but trusted buddy that will meet me at Five star and pay most of my packing bill for half of my fish.

 

[fishkilr]

I once gave a fish to the owner of an Italian deli I go to..mentioned here about not getting charged for my next sandwich..
You would have thought I killed someone...

 

[SandyClaus]

Giving away fish is a chore in itself. I release everything that does not have a name to it. If I’m too tired to process fish then I’m not keeping anything. The tug is the drug for me and as far as bluefin goes, if it’s not getting taken care of like it’s sashimi grade then you won’t get any bluefin from me. Dare throw my fresh fish into the freezer and you might not get any fish ever. Lmao.

I once gave a fish to the owner of an Italian deli I go to..mentioned here about not getting charged for my next sandwich..
You would have thought I killed someone...

Yeah, you stepped on a third rail there fishkilr!

I only know about it because I have some fishing friends who also do some commercial fishing

 

[surfgoose]

I release a fair percentage of my hooked bluefin . . . I don't mean to, they just manage to get away. But I am also totally OK with taking a hand-off from another fisherman who is a hot hand on that day if he wants to share. I do that a lot myself when the situation is reversed. And asking the deckhand is a great idea, sometimes someone is ill or injured and would like to have his number put onto a gift fish. I had an injured left (pulling) hand on my last trip and was grateful that another fisherman offered several fish.

And keep all of your bluefin or give it away, being all self-righteous about how and when someone eats it seems really silly to me. My family members in Arizona love to get my frozen bluefin . . . but then, they ARE in northern Arizona and we all know how crazy those people are.

 

[998R]

Private boat yes, cattle boat NO. The school will sink out if you release the fish.

 

[surfgoose]

Yes with albacore. I haven't noticed that with either yellowfin or bluefin. Either they are in the mood to eat or they aren't, and don't seem to care what the others are doing.

 

[plj46]

Private boat yes, cattle boat NO. The school will sink out if you release the fish.

That's a myth.

 

[MattFred1414]

I used to bring some fish to Zia Gourmet pizza in normal heights. Owners are super friendly and may give you some free pizza.

Otherwise I just give everything I can’t eat away.

 

[plj46]

To answer the question.Most give away their fish where it's probably put in a freezer and forgotten about until somebody cleans out their freezer and throws it away.I quit giving fish away a long time ago.

 

[998R]

That's a myth.

Neg. They sink out. I dare you to try.

 

[surfgoose]

998R -- Hmm. Maybe it's YOU they're fleeing!

 

[998R]

998R -- Hmm. Maybe it's YOU they're fleeing!

I’m the bft whisperer. If you know you know.

 

[Jibber805]

I account for the big fish processing bill before I go on the trip. Meaning - it’ll be huge, maybe $700 or so, and I know that’s all on me. I have big ass coolers. I load it all myself w a lot of ice at the processor. I have a big group of friends that are ready and waiting to get free sushi grade bluefin (yellowtail, etc) when we get back, assuming we have a good trip. I start hitting the texts out on the way home driving back to SB from SD so they all know it’ll be there in a big cooler for the next couple days outside on my front porch. I leave a bunch of reused plastic bags outside and occasionally add ice as needed to preserve the quality of these amazing fish.

Its just like Christmas - “tis better to give than to receive”.

The pics I get back of the amazing dinner plates shared amongst friends and family are absolutely worth every penny.

 

[fishkilr]

Private boat yes, cattle boat NO. The school will sink out if you release the fish.

So your saying any lost fish or a lost fish near the boat or a fish thrown back or shook off will sink em out and they stop chewin? Huh..
Maybe confusing with a lost troll fish?

 

[998R]

So your saying any lost fish or a lost fish near the boat or a fish thrown back or shook off will sink em out and they stop chewin? Huh..
Maybe confusing with a lost troll fish?

Definitely. Bft and YFT.

 

[Mr. DRE]

I usually don't have a problem giving it all away. I stopped paying to get it processed and just bring it home and process it myself. Best trip this year limits of BFT with tops at 246, 207 and 176 and limits of YFT. Took an 18 pack of beer, 4 hours and the help of a few friends to process. It was all gone within the week.

 

[AWilliams]

I usually give most everything away while on the boat so I can walk off and leave when we dock. I don't want the hassle of transporting and processing it or wanting to pay for it.

 

[plj46]

Neg. They sink out. I dare you to try.

I have tried it.Not an issue.My boat,sport boat it doesn't matter.