Tuna Report - Sword

Fish On! · 06-25-2007, 08:22 AM

Returned to the Sword yesterday (Sunday) after we grabbed a few fish there on Thurs. Had lines in by 6:00am... hung in there as long as my patience allowed and trolled around until about 2:30pm... nothing.

Tons of whales and the most bait I have ever scene all over the surface... conditions looked ready to explode, but nothing.

The only excitement we got down there was when a monstrer whale decided to body check us... yup, hit by a whale... hard! He hit the hull in the bow, so no damage to either of us, so that was a bonus.

The thought of returning home empty handed was too much to handle, so we decided to swing by Crab Ledge and take the long cut home. Arrived at CL and found a good pocket of life with whales and birds going crazy. Handful of boats trolling around, but nobody seemed to be having any luck here either. Set them out again... a little whale shy at this point!

Trolled for an hour or so and was about to pack it in when the far bird/green machine went down and a few minutes later we had a 44" on board... finally. Certainly not a great fish, but its always amazing how fast even one small fish can turn a day around.

Here's what we've learned...

1) Sometimes fishing is not easy and you have to put your time in

2) Sometimes whales DO NOT get out of the way!

Whatever · 06-25-2007, 09:20 AM

Interesting report.

Hit by a whale? LOL Gotta laugh at that one since no one was hurt.

gman · 06-25-2007, 09:23 AM

Ive never even seen a whale but then again I do live in Jersey LOL

Albatross · 06-25-2007, 11:19 AM

Fish On,

Thanks for the report and glad to hear you hooked up again. Those whales are really a spectical out there. It is so tempting to get right on top of them especially when you are trying to hook that first fish of the day

Glad to hear that everyone was ok after the "bump"......Anyone have any crazy stories about Whales getting really mad and becoming aggressive while trolling for Tuna??

-Brian

chainsaw42 · 06-25-2007, 12:01 PM

i'm sure it's coincidence, but a friend of mine's son works on whale watch boat and they found a dead/dieing whale off race point yesterday evening with a real fresh head wound. it was still bleeding. it was a big humpback. i guess the eviro guys came out and towed it back to truro to perform an autopsy. like you said, i guess they don't always get out of the way.

gman · 06-25-2007, 12:27 PM

could of tied up to her and gone sharkin...only joking, kind of

Fish On! · 06-25-2007, 01:25 PM

ya, I found a dead one a few miles east of the BC... definitely had been a while.

Nope, the one that gave us a bump was just fine, although probably a little pissed... although, he came right back up and started feeding again. Definitely just hit the bow, no props.

I've fished out there for years and although it seems like there are plenty of close calls, this is the only time one has made contact. Definitely makes me a touch more cautious when I'm steaming through the area... seeing this was at only 5 kts!

TODDMANCHU · 06-25-2007, 06:31 PM

I too made my first tuna trip out to the BC Buoy area on Sunday. I heard lots of talk about fish being taken, but only saw some small fish being fought/landed. I have never seen so many feeding whales and huge sand eels. May be there was just so much bait that the tuna spread out. I dont usually fish recreationally for tuna and try to stay away from crowded situations where fisherman are "boat fishing". I could not believe the amount of times I would find my own pod of whales, set a course trolling only to have some yahoo (some in big boats some in small) just cut me off! I dont know if they were just ignorant or *******s. These are probably the same people who are on the bass grounds trolling through the rips with a spinning rod and 300yds of mono attached to a rapala.

Hooper · 06-25-2007, 08:36 PM

About ten years ago, the Whale Watcher out of Barnstable Harbor struck a minkie whale at full cruise (easy 20+ kts) and blew it to pieces before all the tourists and little kids.

Hooper · 06-25-2007, 08:38 PM

double post...

06-25-2007, 08:22 AM	#1
Fish On! NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oak Bluffs, MA Posts: 19	Tuna Report - Sword Returned to the Sword yesterday (Sunday) after we grabbed a few fish there on Thurs. Had lines in by 6:00am... hung in there as long as my patience allowed and trolled around until about 2:30pm... nothing. Tons of whales and the most bait I have ever scene all over the surface... conditions looked ready to explode, but nothing. The only excitement we got down there was when a monstrer whale decided to body check us... yup, hit by a whale... hard! He hit the hull in the bow, so no damage to either of us, so that was a bonus. The thought of returning home empty handed was too much to handle, so we decided to swing by Crab Ledge and take the long cut home. Arrived at CL and found a good pocket of life with whales and birds going crazy. Handful of boats trolling around, but nobody seemed to be having any luck here either. Set them out again... a little whale shy at this point! Trolled for an hour or so and was about to pack it in when the far bird/green machine went down and a few minutes later we had a 44" on board... finally. Certainly not a great fish, but its always amazing how fast even one small fish can turn a day around. Here's what we've learned... 1) Sometimes fishing is not easy and you have to put your time in 2) Sometimes whales DO NOT get out of the way! __________________ Fish On! Ch.78 & 68

06-25-2007, 01:25 PM	#7
Fish On! NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oak Bluffs, MA Posts: 19	ya, I found a dead one a few miles east of the BC... definitely had been a while. Nope, the one that gave us a bump was just fine, although probably a little pissed... although, he came right back up and started feeding again. Definitely just hit the bow, no props. I've fished out there for years and although it seems like there are plenty of close calls, this is the only time one has made contact. Definitely makes me a touch more cautious when I'm steaming through the area... seeing this was at only 5 kts! __________________ Fish On! Ch.78 & 68

06-25-2007, 06:31 PM	#8
TODDMANCHU NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 12	Tuna Trolling etiquette I too made my first tuna trip out to the BC Buoy area on Sunday. I heard lots of talk about fish being taken, but only saw some small fish being fought/landed. I have never seen so many feeding whales and huge sand eels. May be there was just so much bait that the tuna spread out. I dont usually fish recreationally for tuna and try to stay away from crowded situations where fisherman are "boat fishing". I could not believe the amount of times I would find my own pod of whales, set a course trolling only to have some yahoo (some in big boats some in small) just cut me off! I dont know if they were just ignorant or *******s. These are probably the same people who are on the bass grounds trolling through the rips with a spinning rod and 300yds of mono attached to a rapala.

06-25-2007, 08:36 PM	#9
Hooper NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22	Whales About ten years ago, the Whale Watcher out of Barnstable Harbor struck a minkie whale at full cruise (easy 20+ kts) and blew it to pieces before all the tourists and little kids. __________________ Southsider

06-25-2007, 08:38 PM	#10
Hooper NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22	Whales double post... __________________ Southsider

06-25-2007, 09:20 AM	#2
Whatever NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Branford, CT Posts: 623	Interesting report. Hit by a whale? LOL Gotta laugh at that one since no one was hurt.

06-25-2007, 09:23 AM	#3
gman NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,186	Ive never even seen a whale but then again I do live in Jersey LOL

06-25-2007, 11:19 AM	#4
Albatross NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Warwick, RI Posts: 294	Fish On, Thanks for the report and glad to hear you hooked up again. Those whales are really a spectical out there. It is so tempting to get right on top of them especially when you are trying to hook that first fish of the day Glad to hear that everyone was ok after the "bump"......Anyone have any crazy stories about Whales getting really mad and becoming aggressive while trolling for Tuna?? -Brian

06-25-2007, 12:01 PM	#5
chainsaw42 NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 131	i'm sure it's coincidence, but a friend of mine's son works on whale watch boat and they found a dead/dieing whale off race point yesterday evening with a real fresh head wound. it was still bleeding. it was a big humpback. i guess the eviro guys came out and towed it back to truro to perform an autopsy. like you said, i guess they don't always get out of the way.

06-25-2007, 12:27 PM	#6
gman NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,186	could of tied up to her and gone sharkin...only joking, kind of

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