Fresh Tuna

In the summer, down in the Keys on the ocean side, one might be able to find large groups of tuna feeding on the surface. If you have the opportunity to chuck a popper or a fly in this group of frenzied feeders, then you might have a hell of a time. When I learned that there was an opportunity for me to be involved with this nonsense, I said, “Yes.” The method for ensuring success is pretty straight forward; cast-net some pilchard, put them in a live well, drive offshore to a place that has tuna holding, throw the pilchard out of the back of the boat, then throw your pilchard fly among the freebies, and hang on.

I can’t say with certainty which part of this adventure I like the most, but watching the screen as tuna streak up to the surface from the structure below is exciting. “Here they come!” There’s some sort of math and science involved with how many freebies it takes for the fish to stick around and follow the boat. I know many of the great offshore captains can tell you exactly what to watch for and how to maintain the bait busting ball of belligerent beasts, but I do not. I do know that if you don’t have something out there to keep their attention, then they will go away.

The frenzy in the water is pretty similar to the frenzy in the boat. Someone is throwing pilchard. Someone is watching the fish from the tuna tower. Someone is trying to not get their line hung up on every single thing that sticks out in the back of the boat, while listening to three people point and direct your attention to your best cast placement. They, all the while, are wondering what you are waiting for. For me, there is also a peanut gallery that is entertained by watching me do some offshore sissy fishing. I love it. The rush is not just the screaming reel. The rush is the entire endeavor, working with a team to be successful, and pulling it off.

I do find that tuna have quite the strong will to survive. They run like they are going to die, and I have every intention of making that happen when I hook one. So… good for them. It’s funny that this has stuck with me for so long, but I remember singing in my head, “The hooooook brings you baaaaaack,” during a reel smoking run, and it did. You must have a captain that has the right moves when you’re using a fly rod for this funtivity. Like I said, I am fortunate, and we didn’t have much of an issue on that front. I did, however, need to quickly level up my skills with line management and fish fighting from the back of a Sport Fisher. It’s easy for a skip jack, yellow fin, or a black fin tuna to handle you if you are using lighter fly equipment. Just a word of warning before you go on your trip.

“Leader!” A little final work on ensuring the gaff man has a shot, and “Got em!” A fish in the ice box and get your fly back in the water. The Frenzy…

Once we run out of pilchards or are ready for a break the next best thing about this adventure begins. Raw Tuna in the back of the boat with soy sauce and wasabi. AHHHHH so good. I do indeed recommend this sort of grocery shopping. You’ll never look at sushi the same way again. Interestingly, if you cut the tuna up right away and eat the raw meat it is hot. These things fight so hard that they nearly cook themselves before they get to the boat. In my mind they are absolutely delicious fish to eat fresh from the water, but the Old Man was on the boat with us. A legendary charter boat captain in his own right, the Old Man likes to use these fish to feed his dogs. “Make sure there is some left for the dogs.” I find that statement to be heretical, but to each their own.

The fishing he was doing was interesting, and I am not sure if I want to go down that rabbit hole, but it looks like it could be an exciting time on fly. The Old Man was using the tuna like a popper right next to the acres of feeding fish. Apparently, the marlin are also drawn to this pandemonium. He didn’t get any fish to blow up his bait, but two different boats near us pulled it off on the same day. I would love to go back down, and give it another go. Maybe, I can convince my wife to find a way to make it happen for me. I will mostly be interested in the tuna, but I think I’ve got a rod that can throw a 10-pound skip jack imitation. GAME ON!

Another memorable lesson from this trip really made me a nut when it came to tying various different types of flies. I was fully prepared for the bait and switch opportunity that we had. My pilchard was spot on. However, I did not tie every shape and size of possible bait fish we might see or need to use. There was a slow time for me when casting into the acres of feeding fish just wasn’t working out. I heard the captain say, “Man if you just had a little bait fish about this long and that color…” I was not prepared. Now, if I need a size, shape, or color of bait with a small, medium, or large hook while I’m fishing, I have at least one that’ll do the job.