Yes..... flitz/Souls bomber shibuki/maguroni dorado slider gunz 160 never fished an ocea pencil. why do you ask?
they'll all work at some time or another, but that little halco is just magic, I guess. Plus, it's cheap and rugged. I remember before the halco max 130, it was the Shibuki. It caught A LOT because it got fished A LOT by everyone. Before that it was the Tuna Hunter popper. I guess that's part of it, the more it gets fished, the fishier it gets.
Another great lure me and my buddies use is the Yo-Zuri high speed vibe lure in Holographic pink. Hooks do not need replacing like on Halcos. 5 1/8" | 130mm 2.82 oz. | 80g Sold as a trolling lure but has worked great casting.
Very new to this forum and very new to tuna fishing but have been offshore a bunch. I’d say the best tactic is to be there in the boat and if your not catching watch what is working and be prepared for the half dozen ways that do work on any given night Anyways taking my first trip next week and here is a simple jig/rig box that I built with a Plano box from Home Depot, some chopped pvc and rivets.
Everyone just listen to captain Matt. He has seen every single yellowfin perish on the cold metal decks of the new Bucc.
I have tried lots of swimbaits, I have had the most luck with the Halco and they are way cheaper than some... that said, throw what you have and like...
So, the reason I started this topic was to help get an edge on the 10/22 trip that my son and I went on, and it worked. Both us each got our first YF, both in the 50lb range, both on Halcos. Just wanted to give out a big "THANK YOU!" to everyone's input on this thread! Capt. Matt was awesome as always, with a top notch crew of deckhands that work hard for you. Thanks everyone! (Waiting patiently for the spring schedule now....lol!)
Man, we had zero luck at jigging and chunking. But, the hot bite seemed to the Halco's, even though Capt. Matt went back to the same spot that a couple days earlier was most productive on chunking. Don't get me wrong here, there were still a of BF caught jigging, but we were focusing on the YF bite most of the night. BTY, the Cuda's were killing us too....
Question on chunking. I went on my first trip a few weeks ago and learned quite a bit, but did not catch my first YFT yet so I hope to go again before the year ends. I had bought a box of sardines with went into the boat ice box in the back of the boat. When it came time for me to try chunking, the sardines were gone and the icebox empty. No surprise there. Anyway, when it comes to chunking a BFT, do you guys hand it to the deck mates to cut up for you, or do you just do it yourself? I didn't see anyone do it themselves but I'm guessing if I have a fish cut up I suppose it will go to the community. The BFT didn't come without effort so I'd like to maximize my YFT fishing time if possible.
A couple of weeks ago Several weeks ago on my trip, there was a Cuda and a small blackfin sacrificed at the cutting table. One of the awesome deckhands jumped in and started chunking them up for everyone. Hope this is answers your question....
Sorry for the "couple of weeks ago" comment....I was replying and my phone slipped and I hit send accidentally...
Hey Brian10, do you have a rod that you can chunk Halco's with? I'm not saying that this is better thank chunking, but seems to be the preferred choice lately. It was definitely the most productive bite on the trip that I went on...
I do and will definitely give it a try next time. I just wanted to be prepared for the next trip with whatever method is working best.
Okay cool. You have the same mindset as I did when I went You got that right....they may not touch a Halco on the next trip, you just never know?