With a broken rib and good spirit I made it to the Cape to tangle up with one of the meanest fighter of the Ocean,
We started our day a bit late as most of the action has been happening after coffee hours,
Met with Captain Eric, Jason and Justin in Green harbor,
The weather man was calling for 3 to 5 feet with some nasty condition but we made the call to go ahead, I personally like these conditions.
We start seeing birds and a lot of birds with the occasional Tuna between the bass,
Things start to look better after the tide start moving and all of a sudden a school of tuna interrupted right in front of the boat,
Jason and I casted on them with no taker until I made another cast and saw the fish boiled on my Moutoukenmaru lure 10 feet away from the boat,
I set the hook and saw the fish disappear to the abyss,
Finally after 3 trips I am on, I had problem cracking the reel as the pain from my Rib start to get worth and worth but made a commitment to myself to finish the job,
I took my time, after 44 minutes the fish made it to the gaff and it measured 69’ x 45 ½’ estimated at 180lb,
Right after that Justin hooked up another fish right at the boat side, it was his first tuna ever, unfortunately the fish shaved the line after 55 minute and gained it is freedom.
It was a great fight and I give Justin a lot of credit for the way he handled the fight,
From my observation I notice that some of the anglers are not aware at when the fish hits the lure,
I suggest all anglers to focus on the lure during the whole time while retrieving, this allow you to react faster and set the hook on the side when the tuna turns,
Most of the lost fish are due to swallowed lure and line shaving; I strongly suggest a fluorocarbon leader not less then 150lb as a shot leader for popping set up.
Tackle used:
Rods: Tokara 60, Sevenseas Big Pop 78 Powerful
Reels: Shimano 10000FA with 20000 spool and 16000 spool
Line: YGK Ultra Castman PE8, Jerry Brown 130lb Hollow,
Lure of choice: Moutoukenmaru 23F-MG, Souls Hibiki , Kanade and Matic, Daiwa Dorado Slider.
I thank Capt Eric, Jason and Justin for the wonderfull time i had.
Enjoy the pictures,
Sami
Tight lines