The City Island Boys will tell you Gloucester Bluefin Tuna fishing on Tuna Hunter Fishing Charters is going strong now and will be for the coming weeks.

These folks fought a two-hour battle on the Ken Matsuura titanium reel to boat a 513-lb giant bluefin tuna on a recent tuna charter. This fish pulled all the stops out, making the bow run, the dive, the pect fin caught in the line at one point. Captain and crew and luck prevailed as these guys landed this beauty late in the day.  By the time this fish hit, the guys were all in practice after fighting a smaller bluefin tuna on a standup reel to the boat for a release.  Certainly a full day of tuna fishing!

Seth Michelsen and friends have good luck with bluefin tuna, every time they go for them.  On a recent bluefin tuna charter aboard Tuna Hunter, they succeeded in boating a giant bluefin, plus two smaller bluefin, tagged and released.  That makes for a great day of tuna fishing, plus some tuna steaks for the grill.

The giant was an awesome hit on the kite – what a way to start a good angling battle.  The next fish hit on dead bait, different depths seem to be working, making the hit hard to predict, but worth the captain’s extra efforts.  The final fish was again on the kite. Kite fishing is a standard these days. We have several kites and balloons on board to meet the wind and sea conditions of the day – we have to, to consistently produce fish.

Sore arms for all, but that’s a welcome part of good fishing!

Captain Gary & Karen Cannell

TUNA HUNTER FISHING CHARTERS

captain@tunahunter.com

978-407-1351 captain

978-546-7992 land

http://www.tunahunter.com

Please call us at 978-407-1351

as we are at sea fishing this time of year!

Hello Boston Big Game Fishing Club Members and Friends!

 The Soth Shore Tuna Tounrament  is a little over a week away (Aug. 20-22), so let’s keep our fingers crossed for good weather. 

If you plan to sign up at the Barker Tavern on Friday Aug 20^th, be sure to arrive around 5:00 PM so you can get through Registration quickly.  Here’s a link with directions to the Barker Tavern: http://barkertavern.com/directions.html 

 I will award $10,000.00 to the winner of the SSTT Commercial Division and $5,000.00 to the winner of the SSTT Recreational Division assuming we have a combined total of 40 boats between the two Divisions.  This shouldn’t be a problem but please mention the SSTT to your fishing buddies to ensure that we achieve the minimum 40 boat count.

 The SSTT tournament rules are now posted online at www.bbgfc.com

I plan to include optional Added Entry Divisions for both the Recreation and Commercial Divisions of the SSTT.   The Recreational Added Entry Divisions will be set at $250, $500 and $1,000 and the Commercial Added Entry Divisions will be set at $500, $1,000 and $2,000.  Entering the Added Entry Divisions can result in large monetary winnings but is completely optional.

 The Commercial BFT buyer NAT, plans to be on site in Green Harbor and Scituate during our event and I plan to use their trucks and scales for the Commercial weigh-ins.

The Barker Tavern will serve passed appetizers during Friday’s Reception Party (Aug. 20th) beginning at approximately 6:45 PM.  This will include Scallops wrapped in Bacon, Stuffed Mushroom Caps, Spinach Pie, Beef Satay, Maryland Crab Cakes, Chicken Satay in Peanut Sauce and Palmiers.  There will also be a Fruit & Cheese display.

On Sunday (Aug. 22^nd) beginning at 6:00 PM, the Barker Tavern will serve a Fruit & Cheese Display, Garden Salad with House Dressing, Cheese Tortellini, a Beef Main Entrée, a Chicken Main Entrée, Cookies & Brownies, followed by Coffee and Tea.  Our Awards will begin after dinner.

Please join the Boston Big Game Fishing Club with your family and friends for an exciting weekend of bluefin tuna fishing and exquisite dining at the Barker Tavern.

If you have questions, please feel free to call me at 781-834-2899.

Best Regards,

Steven James

Kite Fishing has been around for years now, yet not all fisherman are taking advantage to this exciting and new to some method of fishing.

The best way to picture how kite fishing works is to visualize how an outrigger works. You have a Separate Line with a Release Clip at the end, which takes you line away from the boat . When you get a bite from a fish the force gets transfered to the clip and your line is released.

The main items you will need to start kite fishing are:

1.) A Fishing Kite

2.) Kite Rod and Reel

3.) Release Clips

4.) Line to fly your kite

 Many different styles of fishing have originated in the hopes of catching sailfish, sharks, and other top water game fish.  Perhaps the most effective of these types of fishing is kite fishing.  Kite Fishing is a technique of fishing that involves flying kites, and using the kites to suspend live baits on the top of the water.  This type of fishing is highly effective for sport fishing off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale, where the Gulf Stream current and the natural reef running along the coastline, coincide.  Sportfishing charter boats have been using this technique for 20 years to hook into the wide array of big game species that swim through our waters.  This article is written in order to teach basic tactics on how to go about kite fishing.  �

For kite fishing, live bait is preferred.  Start off by catching or buying live baits. Only certain types of baitfish will work effectively in the kite.  These baitfish include Pogies, Mackerels, Bluefish and Herring.  There are some other types of baitfish that can be used in the kite, but these types survive the best and produce the best results. 

    Start out by selecting your spot to fish.  When kite fishing, you are mostly immobile.  You will drift whichever way the current is moving, but as far as covering ground with your engines, you can only make small corrections.  So first thing is to select a good area or depth of water to fish.  Off the shore of Fort Lauderdale, one of the best areas is the 90’-120’ natural reef that runs along its coast.  Other good areas are where there is a rip current, a temperature gradient, a color change or over the top of an artificial reef, such as a shipwreck.  These are all good areas to begin fishing, and bear in mind that winds and currents will push you around a bit, so plan ahead.

     Launch your kite from the highest point you can on your boat.  If you are going to fly 2 kites simultaneously, you will want to put a small lead on the lower corners of each kite, depending on which direction you want each kite to spread to.  The weight for this should be about 1/8 ounce for light kites and about ½ ounce for heavy kites.  If weighted properly, the kites should spread apart from each other enough so that when the baits are out, the baits cannot get tangled together.

    Your kites are flying now, and are about 50’-75’ off the back of your boat.  Along your kite line, you should have a small barrel swivel tied every 40’ or so feet along your kite line.  Use a snap swivel and attach your first kite clip to the kite line.  You can buy these kite clips all made up for you at a bait and tackle store.  Set the pressure of the clip release by tightening or loosening the setscrew on the clip.  You want the clip to release with slightly more pressure than the baitfish will likely be able to put on it himself. 

    While the captain is launching the kites, the mate should be setting up the rods and baiting up.  I like to sew my baits on with a wax line bridle.  This gives you the most possible hook exposure and increases your hookup chances.  Use a needle and sew the bait through the back of its neck, just behind the head of the fish.  Don’t go too deep.  About 1/4 of the baitfish’s body is as far as you want to stick that needle.  Catch the loop of the wax line bridal on both sides with the hook and twist it up.  Then stick the hook back underneath the entire bridal, making the hook tight to the body of the baitfish.  Basically, the fish will be angled with his head up when he is dangling, forcing the baitfish to struggle to keep his head below water so he can breath.  This will cause a lot of vibrations which is the desired effect when kite fishing.

    OK, the baitfish is all baited and ready to launch.  Hand the leader up to the captain to put through the pressure release clip.  The captain snaps the line in, and begins to let the kite out away from the boat.  The mate has to coordinate with the captain and let line out from the fishing rod at the same time.  Once the bait is the desired distance from the boat, the mate must make constant adjustments to keep the bait right on the top of the water, struggling.  The bait should be under the water, but the hook, leader and fishing line should all be out of the water.  A lot of captains put a colored ribbon on the snap swivel of the fishing line, which is about 8’ out of the water, just above the bait.  This helps visibility if there is a glare and the bait can’t be found at a quick glance. 

When the big game fish comes up to feed, he will have to stick part of his body out of the water to get the bait.  Indicators that you are about to get a bite are:�
• The bait fish is going nuts and splashing more vigorously than normal
• You see splashes and “boils” on the top of the water around the bait
• You see a sailfish or shark fin out of the water next to the bait
• An unidentified dark spot under the water in the vicinity of the bait
• The pressure release clip just snapped and you don’t see anything

    You will be alerted some way or another that you are about to, or just got a bite.  The best thing to do when you get a bite is to free spool the fishing pole and let the big fish eat the bait and swallow it down.  Wait till the big fish is taking line off quickly before you lock up and begin to wind to set the hook.  This means that either the game fish is trying to swallow and wash the bait down his throat, or he has felt you and knows that something is wrong.  In either case, lock up the rod into strike, tell the captain to “go ahead” with the boat, and start winding as fast as you can to get the slack out of the line.  When you come tight, the line will pop out of the pressure release clip and there will be even more slack to take up.  Keep winding until you come tight on the fish.  When you come tight, set the hook with a couple gentle but firm tugs with the rod.  This will hopefully set the hook into the fishes jaw. 

    Kite fishing is a very exciting way to hook into big game fish.  You get to see the whole bite sequence and the hook up ratio is usually very high.  It takes quite a bit of practice to become proficient with kite fishing technique.  Keep trying though, it will pay off!

The Stellwagon Tuna bite is red hot!

The Bait on Northern Stellwagon is mainly Sandeels and Lures like our Custom Slug-Go Spreader Bars and Custom Rigged Single Slug-Gos  and Daisy Chains have been the ticket (troll these rigs slow!!) Our customers are also reporting many fish holding 50-75′ down and Butterfly Jigs and Braid Jigs are the weapon of chioce for these stubborn fish!

There are tons of Pogies down around the Southwest Corner of Stellwagon and on the Backside of the Cape towards Peaked Hill Bar. The best way to fish this bait is live. You should either slow troll them or fish them off a Kite.

If you can’t net some live bait, lures such as the Braid Lil Speedys are doing a great job mimicking this great bait. Also producing great numbers of fish is our Custom Black Magic Spreader Bar!

For more reports give us a call at the store at 978-281-0858

Good Luck and Tight Lines!

June 11, 2009

A lot of fish have swum under the bow since my last report.  We went from slamming the cod and haddock on Stellwagen to hitting the stripers so hard that, I hate to say, it got boring.  Ok, not really boring, but it wasn’t a challenge.  The good thing is that we have thrown away our wire-line combos.  When fishing for stripers, FISHING, takes precedence.  That is to say, “how do you want to catch fish”.  Casting at breaking fish or jigging to fish on the fish finder brings back memories of fresh-water fishing  styles—but for much bigger fish.  We’ve taken stripers to 46″ in the waters off of Provincetown on freshwater tackle.  Talk about a blast.  Cast sluggos at them when they’re in 40′ of water or less, or jig diamond jigs or butterfly jigs in deeper water.  It’s a blast.  Get out there before the blues chew up your lures!

TUNA!  Can you say “holy mackerel these are big fish”?  I haven’t heard of many fish less than 60 inches being caught.  I’ve seen them jumping out of the water, but the fish being caught are all 70+ inches long.  We landed a 73″ fish on our first trip of the year, and yes, it is the largest tuna I will ever fillet!  It was so close to 73″, if it wasn’t, that my customer’s drool got me filleting the fish!  Two days later, we lost a much bigger fish on a spinning rod.  If you think that last year’s tackle was strong enough for tuna, you may have to think again and upgrade your gear.  These are beasts.  Don’t let them run away from you!  Get their head turned and stay on top of them.

Be patient with the tuna; they’ll come around if you’re in the right place.  You can run all day or be patient (live bait or jig while you’re waiting for surface action).  You’re still fishing.  Get out there and don’t keep any stripers on Stellwagen–it’s illegal if you’re more than 3 miles from shore.  We threw back 6 stripers one day between 40 and 50 POUNDS!  Treat them well; they’ll be inshore soon.

With cod and haddock and Black Rose Fishing Charters, it’s supply and demand….there’s a great supply of fish right now; the bite is still one with fish getting larger, but my customer’s demand is for stripers and tuna.  I can’t say I blame them, but that’s the only reason you don’t see cod trips showing up on my fishing reports calendar on my website.  Check out some of the new videos that I have posted on my site.  It’ll get you excited!

See you on the water; keep smiling.

Capt. Rich Antonino

Black Rose Fishing Charters

http://www.blackrosefishing.com

Phone number 508-269-1882

Specializing in 1-4 person charters for cod, haddock, sharks, bluefin tuna (casting and trolling), and stripers.

Life is too short, so have fun out there while you can.

June 1^st is the official start to the 2009 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Season.

Make sure your permits are up to date for the correct category you plan to fish this year, and all your safety gear is in working condition.

There will be EXTENSIVE VESSEL MONITORING on Stellwagon Bank as well as in Cape Cod Bay and the backside of Cape Cod. Captains are also required to report ALL catches to National Marine Fisheries for correct catch numbers, if you do not report your catches it will only hurt the Angling Category in the long run.

As of right now the Angling category is limited to 1 Fish per Boat per Day from 27”- 47” AND 1 Fish Between 47″- 73″(Curved Fork Length!). You are also allowed 1 Trophy Fish over 73” per Year, not to be combined with any other catch!

Currently the Commercial General Category is limited to 3 Large Mediums or Giants over 73” (Curved Fork Length) per Boat per Day. Boats must be equipped with necessary safety gear (check regulations.)

Currently Longliners are reporting there are Massive Schools of Bluefins in the 150-200lb range 120 miles off the Northern Carolina Coast heading north fast. GET YOUR GEAR READY AND RIG HEAVY!!

Available in 80lb, 100lb, 130lb, and 200lb

After working closely with the owners of Diamond Fishing Products for over a year, we feel that this is the #1 spectra braid available.

Featured in Marlin Magazine!

Diamond Braid

TIP: Instead of a latch needle, make a 24″ loop puller from small wire by bending the wire and pinching it at the midpoint.

About 24″ from tag end, insert wire loop puller into hollow center of line A for 12″. Bring loop puller point out of line A and pick up line B.

Pull loop puller back out through line A, bringing line B with it, so that line B is inside line A.

Insert loop puller 12″ back in line B as done in line A above. Pick up end of line A with loop puller.

Pull loop puller back out through line B bringing line A with it, so that end of line A is inside line B.

Pull ends of both lines to close splice in center. Trim loose ends, and smooth out to bury them inside main line. Finished splice is 100% strong.

The Northern Giant Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus) is considered to be one of the most spectacular Trophy Fish in the world. The Japanese have been known to pay over $100,000.00 for a single fish! These tackle busters can weigh in at over 1500lbs and are one of the fastest swimming fish in the ocean. This requires specialized gear that can stand up to the rigors that the Giants can exert not only on Rods, Reels, Line and Terminal Tackle but also the Boat and Body. Fishing for these Beasts can be some of the most exciting moments in your life, even when fishing is slow! You never know what you are going to see when you fish the waters off New England, the Wildlife off our shores is extremely diverse. One can encounter many species of Whales, Humpbacks are the most prevalent while even the rare Right Whale and the Enormous Blue Whales make occasional appearances. Dolphin and countless Marine Birds also feed in the same areas.