From Sand to Snow a quest for Giant Bluefin!

[Nick]

The World is truly becoming a smaller place through air travel, internet, mobile communications etc. If you told me 10 years ago that I could travel the World fishing various places for various fish species, I would have laughed at you, one it was to expensive and two how and where to fish was always a problem if you did not have local knowledge you would not really have much of a chance. Now with forums, emails, reports etc fishing has become in my opinion the biggest global sport with people traveling to every corner of the globe targeting their desired species. The correct equipment and having the correct guides and hosts can enable you to have a successful trip. You don’t have to be a professional like most sports, you just have to have the desire, drive and passion to make the trip! Most of the trips I go on are more about the experience and the people you meet rather than the actual physical act of catching the fish, but if you do catch a trophy fish it makes the trip that much sweeter!

I have made two trips to Cape Cod to fish for Bluefin Tuna, but both trips have ended short due to weather and a bad accident. I had a vendetta to pay the bluefin after having three strikes, hooking two fish and landing none in the Cape! 3-0 to the Bluefin! So when Sami from Saltywater Tackle called me late 2011 and said he was putting a trip together to Hatteras North Carolina and there was a spot for me, I instantly said yes I was in! This was an opportunity not to miss! A chance at a Giant Bluefin Tuna on popping gear!!

We have been having a good season in Hallaniyat Islands and Musandam Oman so it is always difficult to run away from fish! But I had all the confidence in Sami and Paul that this was going to be an amazing trip, and little did I know that it was going to be a trip of a lifetime. As the weeks slowly ticked by I started to get my gear together and realized that it was not going to be nice warm weather and sand like I’m used to but cold weather and snow!! I had to open up all the cupboards and dust off some jackets, pants, shoes etc! Some clothes still fitted some did not!! I even went as far as growing a beard for the trip to try and protect me from the elements!!

As the trip grew closer and I was talking to Sami and Paul on a regular basis getting all the information I could on what to expect, conditions, equipment etc, I started to get very excited, Sami and Paul were putting together an excellent team of guys from various destinations and backgrounds. This was going to be a trip like none other! There was a group of 11 guys booked for the trip on two boats. This trip was going to be epic!

Finally the day arrived to fly to JFK. I arrived at the Dubai International Airport with high hopes and thoughts running through my head at 100miles an hour, did I have enough gear, did I have enough clothes and mostly could I finally land a Giant Bluefin!! I boarded the awesome Emirates A380 plane (I thought big plane big fish!!) and 14 hours later I landed at JFK. Flying into JFK I was looking out the window, the sky was clear, sun shining, water blue, I thought this does not look too bad! I picked up my bags and walked through the sliding doors into the open air and OMG!!! This was not Oman! It was freezing but the sun was shinning, crazy!! After trying to unlock bag locks with quickly numbing fingers I managed to get extra jackets and layers on!! Finally the body started to warm up and I new I was in for one very different experience! Sami picked me up and we went through to Saltywater Tackle! I always love going to the shop but my wallet unfortunately does not love the experience. Saltywater Tackle always has the latest and best tackle so as much as I try to hold my credit card in my wallet it never works! Even though I own my own shop it still amazes me how I never have enough tackle, but I think you can never be over prepared as long as you not taking unnecessary excess tackle and clogging up baggage, cars, boats etc!

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A380
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Saltywater Tackle
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To much nice!
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Snow!!

The weather was not looking good for Hatteras with high winds and big seas. We decided to delay the trip by a couple of days so we did not end up sitting in Hatteras not able to fish. Sami and Paul worked tirelessly to change plans, logistics, boats, fisherman etc to make sure that everyone could make the trip for at least some of the days and also to ensure that we all had the best possible conditions to catch a fish!

With the delay I got more time to play in Saltywater Tackle shop and experience some of the lifestyle in the US! We also had an awesome dinner at Anuvat Thitibordin (Andys) Thai Restaurant Chanpen Thai in Manhattan! Really great food and excellent company, we had a big group and a lot of fishing was spoken around the table!!

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Andy Restaurant
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Finally after two days the report from Hatteras was good and a window was opening in the weather. Sami confirmed all the plans and the game was on! On the way to the shop we had to scrape the snow and ice off the bus, truly a new experience for me!! I usually have to deal with dust and sand but that’s about it!! We all met at Saltywater Tackle 09.00am Sunday morning. It was a very festive occasion in the shop, the group consisted of Sami Ghandour and Paul Chua (Saltywater Tackle), Jason Ward (Siren Lures), Mike Leonard, Mark Tamim, Chris Teng (Hots Tester), Evan Gluck, Tom Felice, Mark De Angelis, Jeff Bialowas, Michael Accordino and myself. A real diverse group of fisherman from many backgrounds. This is one thing I love about fishing, everyone is equal and it does not matter about race, religion, where you from, it only matters about the love for fishing and adventure!

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Jason with his Siren Lures on the shelf!
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Everyone in the shop
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Getting ready
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Team picture
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Saltywater Fishing Wagon!!

After meeting everyone, some coffee and an amazing pastry type thing from the Armenian Bakery next door we packed all the gear into the Saltywater’s 15 seater fishing wagon and headed for Hatteras North Carolina! One big road trip! I think we had more gear than a long liner vessel! We drove through some amazing country. For me it was great to see some of the US and small towns. We stopped every few hours to stretch the legs, get something to eat and petrol. Finally after a long trip we pulled into Nags Head to buy our groceries for the next few days. The final leg to Hatteras and everyone was back into high spirits, the anticipation of the coming days fishing was on everyone’s mind! We pulled into the Hatteras Marina and flats, we had finally arrived. We carried our luggage and gear up to the flats overlooking the marina and a fleet of sportsfishers. We were no further than 50 yards from the boats. Prime location!!

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Boyz in the bus!
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Stopping for gas at a small town fuel station!
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Sunset and street lights coming over one of the bridges
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Shopping for groceries!

It was amazing to see all the bags open up and tackle pour out! We had some serious hardware for this trip. I was very interested to see how everyone set up their tackle and the different rigs, lures, terminal tackle that everyone used. This is always one of the most interesting parts of a trip to see what and why people use different set ups, rods, reels, lures etc. It is always a learning experience and a time to steal a few new ideas with your eyes! Coming from a GT background the tuna set ups were a bit different and also the drags, leaders, lures etc were a bit different so it was very interesting. I was going to use three set ups 1) Race Point 250 with Stella 18000 and 130lbs Tufline for heavier stickbaits like the Gamma200s, 2) Race Point 200 with a Stella 18000 with 100lbs for medium stickbaits like the Sirens and 3) MC Works 516 with Stella 20000 with Sesame PE8 for jigging. After a good few hours of setting up tackle, changing tackle we finally finished in the early hours of the morning when we got a few hours of sleep!

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Getting ready! A bit different to what I'm used to, normally it is no problem sitting outside doing our tackle!!

[Nick]

The alarms starting going off around 04.45am and the boyz were up showering having coffee and ready to go! After I pilled on about 6 layers of clothing and looked more like the Michelin Man than anything else I was finally ready! After a short walk we arrived at the boat and we were greeted by Capt Dan and Mate Mike on the Tuna Duck. Really great guys who know their game very well! We were going to fish on two boats for the day. After a briefing and all the equipment packed away we were ready to start our trip out to the fishing grounds. The fish had been spotted about 50 miles offshore so it was going to be a long run in quite heavy sea but the Tuna Duck handled the sea very well and we traveled in comfort. Capt Dan had chosen a few areas to fish from the satellite temperature chart. Amazing how the temperature increase of the Gulf Stream to the surrounding water goes from something like 45 to 75 Fahrenheit!

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Tuna Duck ready to go!
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Steaming out 50 miles!
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My rods set up both Race Points with Stella 18K and a Siren and Gamma lures! Ready! Just add BFT!
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Incredible Water Temps! Got to love the Gulf Stream!

As we started getting closer to the fishing area Capt Dan started shouting from the bridge that there were busting fish up ahead! As I looked around the side of the cabin all I could see was white water and minivan sized fish smashing on the surface! It is a sight that will long stay in my memory! All hell broke loose on the deck with everyone running for rods, harnesses, gloves etc. The boat turned to port and the blitzing fish lay perfectly off the starboard side of the boat and an easy cast with the wind landed my lure in a prime spot! A few winds and bang the sea erupted where my lure once was! The shear size of the hit and swirl was breath taking and quite frankly terrifying! It was almost like the kraken had come from the depths and engulfed my lure!! I hit the fish twice and as the fish took the first run the line popped! Too much drag and the line popped like cotton! Lesson one, you cannot stop a 300lbs+ tuna with drag!! Mike Leonard and Mark De Angelis also hooked into two big fish and the game was on! The fish both peeled off a lot of line and then the guys got them under control and the fight was on. It was a total game of will power, strength and determination from both fisherman and fish. After a good while of back and forth with the fish Mike got his fish to the boat. It was going to be the biggest of the trip at 85.5”, a massive fish on spinning gear! We put the fish at about 350lbs but it could quite easily been more, the fish had a huge girth and was really healthy! Mark then got his fish to the boat and it was 83” if I remember correctly! Two fish well over 300lbs+! I started thinking what the hell had I got myself into?? I think my trip had already been made by just seeing such amazing fish!

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Bending
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Bending
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Big number plate!
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End in sight
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Big fish
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First time I have seen a lure stripped off the through wire!! Shear power!

After a lot of high 5s and recounts of the epic fights we were off again to find more tuna. We did not have to go very far and the fish were busting on the surface again! There were actually several busts to choose from, it was insane to see so many big fish feeding! There was a serious case of fish fever on the boat! We had a couple more hook ups on both jig and stickbait with some runs almost spooling reels. But unfortunately we lost a few fish in a row and then Mark Tamim came tight on a good fish! It was quite a monumental event for us for Mark to hook and land his fish. On my first Bluefin Tuna trip to the Cape I fished with Sami, Mark, Jason and Capt Eric. Unfortunately Mark had a bad accident on the boat from a freak event and he was badly injured and needed surgery and a lot of hard work and rehabilitation. So it was great that Mark managed to get a trophy bluefin with all of us on the boat except Capt Eric who got the good news and a some of the bluefin from one of the keepers! A really great achievement for Mark to get back on the horse and finish what we started! Marks fish was another donkey and we were on the board big time! 3 fish over 300lbs! By this time I was buying my time and trying to calm the nerves and start fishing properly. I had another couple of hits but did not get the hooks to stick. I think the shear size of the fish and mouth, you have to watch your lure like a hawk and set the hooks properly otherwise you either loose the fish or hook the fish badly, both scenarios are not good! We came up to another shoal of busting fish, I had changed onto the Race Point 250 with the Stella 18K and 130lbs Tufline with a Siren Green Mackerel lure with ST76 4/0 hooks! I was fully prepared. Three of us put in casts right into the middle of tuna Armageddon and all three of us went tight. My fish hit on top of a swell and I could clearly see the fish engulf the lure, I hit it three times with all the power I had and after the third strike the fish took off for the deep! Mike Leonard also hooked into a fish and the third fish came off!

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Capt Dan spotting the fish!
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Mark fihgting his first bluefin
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Putting proper pressure!
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Bluefin buisting

My fish was not stopping and as much pressure as I could put by palming the reel was not helping at all. My spool was starting to empty at an alarming rate and I started to speak to Capt Dan to see if he could move the boat, but with another fish on this was difficult. With excellent boat skills Capt Dan moved the boat forward rather than back and got me moving towards the fish and I was able to start regaining some line! I must have had about 30m left on my spool. Now the problem was how to work a fish back after it had taken so much line. I pulled on the fish like it was a GT and had the fishes number plate in about 15 minutes! I thought I had the fight won! Boy was I badly mistaken!! Really badly mistaken! The fish caught sight of the boat and disappeared into the depths like it had never been hooked! The fight now became brutal and it was shear agony! This was a true battle the shear power and size of the fish was awe-inspiring! But this did not help my cause of landing this fish! Unfortunately mine and Mikes lines crossed each other and with the sheer pressure on the lines Mikes fish burnt off.

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Bending! Eish to much power, this is hard work!
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Double!

[Anthony]

BEAUTIFUL , very jealous. thanks nick

[JfishKing]

Sick Report Nick!!! Glad that you were able to have such an amazing experience and a trip that you'll never forget.

[Nick]

By now it felt like my back had been sawn in half and my arms had been stretched on a medieval torture rack! Slowly I worked the fish back towards the boat with the fish making huge circles under the boat. Finally after some help I worked the fish to the surface and I could not believe I had finally landed my first truly Giant Bluefin Tuna! The fish was massive and was a very impressive sight lying in the water. Mate Mike put in a lip gaff and I took hold of the gaff for a few pictures, but as I grabbed the gaff the fish kicked and came off the lip gaff! Luckily I had opened the bail arm on the reel and the fish took some loose line before I could clip the bail arm over the regain control. Almost a very costly mistake loosing rod, reel and fish, but just shows that safety and a landing process for such big fish is essential, always clip your bail arm over when a fish is landed!! I got the fish back for round 2. Mike put in the lip gaff and we secured the fish for a few pictures and a good release. The fish was 82” and about 320lbs. The fish was hooked across the face and shows that if these fish are not hooked perfectly they are absolute monsters to land! It was truly a humbling experience catching such a magnificent fish it was a true honour! After the fish swam away I had a few moments of pure calm and exhilaration, I had finally achieved one of my long time goals after 3 trips and I enjoyed every moment of that feeling! I also felt like I had been in a UFC cage fight with all the pains and aches I was feeling!

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Very happy with my first bluefin around the 320lbs mark!
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Big fish!
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But as I was basking in the glory of landing such a fantastic fish, I heard from the bridge Capt Dan spotting fish and the whole process started again! This was absolute extreme fishing at it best! Mark Tamim put in a perfect cast into a shoal of busting fish and went tight instantly! Another big fish and the fish screamed off for the depths. This was going to be another epic battle and as the fish was not hooked in the mouth but under the head it was a real battle to land the fish. Finally after a very long 2-3 hour fight we got the fish to the boat to get a few pictures and release! By this time it was late and we were a long way from home! So with a bunch of very very weary fisherman we headed back to Hatteras! We got back to the marina and the second boat had also had a good day and landed 2 good fish, one was a keeper of 72” and the second a bigger 300lbs+ which was released. So in all our team caught 7 Bluefin in a day!! That night we had a shower a quick bite to eat and we were all in bed for one of the best sleeps I have had in a long time!

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Cruising home after a long day
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My Tag and Release card for my fish. These cards are part of the Bluefin tagging Program.
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Another boat coming home at dusk.

The next morning the alarms went off, slowly and with stiff bodies we managed to drag ourselves out of bed! A good cup of coffee and a few stretches and we were ready. Tom and Jeff had to head back to NY so Jason and I moved boats to fish with Capt David on Gods Speed. It was great to be able to fish with everyone in the group and was my first time to fish with Chris, Paul and Ev, so again the banter was high and excitement levels made us forget about the aches and pains from the previous days battle! The second day the weather was perfect with hardly any wind and much warmer. We headed for the same area as the previous day. We arrived on the spot and there was a lot less action but there were still good showing on the depth finder. Ev had a good hit on the first down on a jig but the fish came off. We also started spotting a lot of big hammerhead sharks cruising the surface which was cool to see.

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Gods Speed
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Chris with the new Hots BT73XXXH
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Chris and Jason

We then started moving around looking for showings on the finder, Capt David called down from the bridge good showings at 15 fathoms and Jason put in a cast with one of his Siren Lures this resulted in a big hit in calm seas which was awesome. Jason put on the pressure and got the fish under control. After a relatively short fight Jason had a good 65” fish at the boat and we put in the gaff as the fish was a keeper. This was the first bluefin Jason had caught on one of his lures which is a great achievement and shows that they work big time!! We got a few pictures and then the fish was iced and looked after like a bar of gold.

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Mike fighting a fish on Tuna Duck
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Tuna Duck
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Jason in action
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Siren Lure
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Nice fish for the table
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[Nick]

The fishing was a bit slow and we moved around looking for fish on the finder, Capt David found us the fish again and Paul, Chris and myself put out casts, we were all talking and joking when a monster came head first out of the water and hit Chris’s popper, it was something out of a National Geographic Documentary a perfect hit! Chris hit the fish and line started emptying off the spool. Chris was using the new Hots Prototype BT73XXXH, a really great powerful rod. He managed to stop the fish and the fight was on. After over an hour we started to think that the fish had been badly hooked. We finally got the fish to the boat after 2 hours and got hold of the leader and the fish had been hooked in the side of the head. The fish took off again and after three hours we had drifted over 10 miles and the sun was starting to head for the horizon, we had to put the pressure on and unfortunately the fish broke off! An epic battle and impressive to see all of the equipment and the rod hold up to such pressure over such a long time! We turned for home after a couple of fantastic days fishing. We got back to the marina and the other boat had also landed two fish one was a big eye tuna around the 170lbs mark and the second another big fish over 300lbs. In all we landed 10 Bluefin most over 300lbs and a big eye tuna.

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Chris's monster fish at the boat
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Chris bending the new BT73XXXH
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Gods Speed
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Day 2 team
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Flats and accommodation in the marina
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Fleet of sportsfishers at sunset
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Team picture with the bluefin and big eye keepers, lots of toro!
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Marina
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View from the flat

It was a trip of a lifetime! Not only because of the great fishing, it was great organization and a bunch of amazing guys that made this trip one of the best I have ever been on. I also got to spend a few days in New York doing the tourist thing which was great. So as a trips go, the Bluefin trip ticks a lot of boxes!

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Time Square
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Famous Sylvias restaurant in Harlem, awesome fried chicken plus mac and chesse!

Now the question that everyone is asking me, how does the bluefin compare to the GTs? To be honest you cannot really compare the two, they are both in their own rights amazing fish and animals! They are the apex predators in their own environments and totally different. The best way for me to describe the difference is to say that catching a GT is like doing a 100m sprint, it is fast paced and exciting but is a quick and hectic fight, you are fighting a fish in shallow tropical water. The setting for GTs is usually sunny warm weather so you get all the benefits of the tropics. For Bluefin it is like running a marathon, it is extreme and you need to be very fit, it is a long hard fight and puts your body through excruciating pain! The weather is cold and the water deep so in the end you have two extreme fish on opposite ends of the scale that are truly worthy of both being the kings of the popping and jigging World!

Before leaving New York I booked several combined Saltywater and Ocean Active trips to North Carolina to fish for Bluefin. It is with great pleasure that I can offer these trips as a welcome addition to our GT trips. Now we can offer the best of both worlds!!

I would like to say a very big thank you to Sami and Paul along with all the guys that were on the trip or extended their hospitality to me in the US. I’ll be back after I have done a bit more gym!

Cheers,
Nick
www.oceanactive.com
Ocean Active | Facebook

[t-astragal]

Enjoyed reading the report. You really put is on the boat with you.

Steve

[Nick]

Hi Steve, many thanks! I thought I would try and give a report on the whole trip as the experience was not just the fishing but great people and places, but I was a bit worried it would not come across with my "South African" english!! Glad you enjoyed it!!

Thanks, Anthony and Jfish.

Cheers,
Nick

[fish520]

Awesome report! sound like a great trip

[cudaman]

Awesome report and pics!