Beginner's Guide to GOM Partyboat Fishing for Tuna
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Pick your spot based on where you want to bottom fish. Once the tuna fishing starts port side is for jigging/chunking and the starboard/bow is for casting. It's basically first come first serve once you start tuna fishing and there's no assigned spots. Most people don't spend the whole night fishing the same way anyway, and spend some time jigging for blackfin to take a break from casting.
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After remodelling, moving and unpacking, we are finally settled in. I was able to spend some time catching up and was finally able to post a video of the May 12 tuna trip we went on. It was a pretty epic trip and we caught and had our chances at plenty of yellowfin! Enjoy the video!
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Bumping this great thread back to the top. Thanks everyone for your share of knowledge. I hope to meet some of you this December trip on the New Buccaneer.
I was wondering what is your strategy from throwing Halco to jigging and chunking. My last trip, I was too stubborn to change to fish deeper for YFT. I kept throwing Halco all night and could not get a bite other than some blackfin tuna. The more I thought about it, the treble that I used must have messed with the action. I replaced the stock ones with Owners 3/0 ST76 trebles. I have now switched back to Owners 2/0 ST66. I was wondering how much time do you invest in one strategy vs the next, such as from throwing Halco to chunking, jig, etc. I hope to make the most out of the next trip. Thanks.
I was wondering what is your strategy from throwing Halco to jigging and chunking. My last trip, I was too stubborn to change to fish deeper for YFT. I kept throwing Halco all night and could not get a bite other than some blackfin tuna. The more I thought about it, the treble that I used must have messed with the action. I replaced the stock ones with Owners 3/0 ST76 trebles. I have now switched back to Owners 2/0 ST66. I was wondering how much time do you invest in one strategy vs the next, such as from throwing Halco to chunking, jig, etc. I hope to make the most out of the next trip. Thanks.
You guys are looking at this like it’s a mathematical problem . It’s your time on the water and intuition that will tell you when to change strategies. Sometimes it’s about taking a gamble and getting lucky or not but mostly it’s going to be your experience and intuition that will dictate strategies. You are reading way to much into this . There are no magical formulas .
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Your very best strategy in fishing this format of long range party boat Tuna trips, is pay attention to whats happening around you. If something is not working for you, pay attention to what is working for the person having Tuna coming over the rail.
That is absolutely in your favor and everyone else on the boat, cause someone is going to lock into what might increase your odds of hooking up. Do not hesitate to follow...
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It all starts on the trip out…. Do you see flyers busting everywhere? When you get close to the rig, are you seeing fish on top? If so it’s popper or Halco time, if not pick your favorite technique and adjust from there…. If I am throwing Halcos on the bow for example and I see people catching 2-3 yellowfin jigging and no one is catching yellows on Halcos, it’s time to switch! I will start jigging using the closest jig I have to what the tuna were caught on. If chunks start catching, I switch to chunks. I fish what they are biting on, not how I want to fish…
Even when throwing Halcos watch what others are doing and ask, are they reeling in right away or letting it sink 5-15-30 or 60 seconds….
Even when throwing Halcos watch what others are doing and ask, are they reeling in right away or letting it sink 5-15-30 or 60 seconds….
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Thanks for the insights. I guess the last time I went out, it was hitting deeper in the water. Mot water were caught on jigs. Occasionally, someone would hook up on a Halco. I guess I decided to throw halcos because it was getting too crowded on the jigging/chunking side. Next time, I would just squeeze in, 
Normally people are nice and will make room for you . Also dont be afraid to ask questions if you are not sure , 99% of the guys will help out or try to help out .Thanks for the insights. I guess the last time I went out, it was hitting deeper in the water. Mot water were caught on jigs. Occasionally, someone would hook up on a Halco. I guess I decided to throw halcos because it was getting too crowded on the jigging/chunking side. Next time, I would just squeeze in,
most important information I would like to share with you is that you must be READY TO ADDAPT TO THE CONDITIONS PRESENT AT THE TIME YOU ARE FISHING as many scenarios change ( current, depth, baitfish in the area( availability and depth) plus many other variables). What worked last trip might not work this one ( hell on multi day trips they could switch from one night to the other). Dont be afraid to mix it up , change lures if no one is catching, if everyone is jigging or chunking and it slows down don’t be afraid to go to the bow and put a couple of casts in ( and opposite- if every is casting topwater give a jig or chunk a couple tries).
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When's your trip? I'll be on the December 12th trip
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I am on the December 1-2 trip.
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Eric, do you tie these snap directly to the leader? I have thought about using ball bearing swivel with coastlock snap but that looks a bit big. I tested it in a swimming pool and the action of the Halco is great but not sure if the tuna would see that big snap swivel and be turned off. I have seen YFT taking the Halco as soon as it land or start to sink, before the retrieve.
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yes, I tie directly to the leader. I have also used the snap swivels and they work fine.
Hi guys, newbie here (went on a trip early this year but used their gear).
I'd like to book a trip for early next year and want to bring my own gear this time. Can you recommend a spinning rod/reel setup that could work for both jigging and casting Halcos or poppers? Something that won't explode if I hook a decent fish but reasonably priced since I'm not sure if I'll be doing this for years quite yet?
I'd like to book a trip for early next year and want to bring my own gear this time. Can you recommend a spinning rod/reel setup that could work for both jigging and casting Halcos or poppers? Something that won't explode if I hook a decent fish but reasonably priced since I'm not sure if I'll be doing this for years quite yet?
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From a reel standpoint you could go with a Shimano Saragosa 20000 or I am going with a Finn Nor Lethal 100. Costs about $140.
I would recommend a 7’ rod for a combo and the one I’ve heard people mention but not personally used is the Van Staal 325.
www.tackledirect.com
I would recommend a 7’ rod for a combo and the one I’ve heard people mention but not personally used is the Van Staal 325.
Van Staal VJS78-325 Spinning Jig Rod 165g
Van Staal VJS78-325 Spinning Jig Rod 165g - With a multi-layer constructions process, Van Staal rods offer parabolic strength and lifting power that perfec
www.tackledirect.com
Hi @scubaarchery, thanks for the quick reply. It looks like the Van Staal 325 is out of stock, any other suggestions? Ideally something comparable in cost to the Finn nor Lethal 100?
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Try a ghost hunter or Major Craft. There are lots of threads about this but the answer is always there is no one size fits all. I have two combos for that reason…
If you're looking for something budget-friendly, I use a 7' BG6500 combo for both jigging and casting Halcos. It won't cast as far as a popping rod, but I've managed to catch yellowfins up to 60 lb on Halcos.
Find an older version ( blue not black - 1st gen) Oti extreme 40-60 ( should find one under $200) and the new Shimano spheros( 2022) in 8k or 10k ( around the $200 mark on eBay ) and you got the best bang for the buck combo that you can get ( performance wise it’s hard to beat this combo for the money ) .
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