New Buccaneer Spring 2023 Tuna Schedule

DaleR said:

Just saw that the vermilion snapper record has been updated.

Congratulations to Mr Fan, the New Buccaneer and Crew!!!

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Illy said:

So what rig did you end up at @Capt.matt inquiring minds want to know

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Capt.matt said:

1/9-10
The plan was to make the long run back to where we have been fishing so the bottom time was short. We made one quick stop and in the hour we were there the fishing was good with nearly 200 BBs being boxed.
Tuna fishing started off pretty bad. We returned to the drillship that was great for us just 4 nights prior but with another partyboat fishing it over the weekend and several other boats with us there at the time the fish had either already been caught or completely spooked by all the traffic. We fished there for a while waiting on moon rise in hopes that would get things going... it didn’t and we gave it a couple more hours to just have a more fishing boats pull up. It was clear that wasn’t the answer. In addition to the rig being crowded we were also missing all the bait and current that brought us so much success in our last two trips.
Plan B was also a bust but we arrived at Plan C at around 2 am and turned our night around. Fishing was good from 2am-sunrise and we even had a pretty decent bite for a bit once the sun was up.
Once we got on some fish the bait of choice was a Halco 130 with a few fish being caught on poppers and Frenzy’s.
Trip totals....
21 YFT
125 BFT
183 Beeliners View attachment 125925 View attachment 125926 View attachment 125927 View attachment 125928 View attachment 125929 View attachment 125930

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Undersize said:

Hello, I'm a first time poster/new member.

Tackle questions for 30 hour trip. I've only been on 12hr trips on the New Bucanner.

1) Would this combo work for casting Halco 130s?
Reel: Penn Fathom 25n star drag with 60# braid, ~15# drag
Rod: Penn Carnage 7' XH
I can toss it about 40 or so yards (may need to remove long mono top shot for more distance).

2) If the reel is not enough, anyone have luck casting a Fathom 40NLD2 (60# braid) or Torque 40NLD2 (80# braid)?

3) Do yall use small reels for beeliners, or does everyone use really heavy stuff just in case? I liked using a Penn Fathom 12 SD on New Bucanner beeliner trips with 40# braid.

4) Do yall rig a swivel somewhere between the main line and jigs/Halco 130?

5) Do yall usually tie on leaders lighter, the same weight, or heavier than main line? I'm currently playing with making wind on leaders.

Thanks!

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Capt.matt said:

You should be able to cast that set up but your going to find your self getting WAY out casted by the guys with spinners but if it’s a decent night you should still be able to put some fish in the boat. That setup should also be fine to double as a Beeliner setup. I personally fish mostly an Accurate 600 with a 7’6 rod. For the last couple years that’s all I have fished for both bottom and tuna up until recently when I acquired a Diawia spinner.... which I would highly recommend but I still find myself casting the conventional a lot. It is much easier on your back to fight a fish when you can use the rail.
With a conventional I would recommend against using a wind on but instead would go with a top shot that is longer than your casting distance, you don’t want any knots sliding through your guides, it will shorten your range. You will also want to go heavier on your leader than your main line or atleast match it but not less than 80lb for the leader.
On my Accurate I have about 3/4 of the spool filled with 80lb solid core braid and the top 1/4 80 lb mono. I do not normally use a swivel with that setup but instead just tie the top shot directly to the Halco or the Frenzy. I’m a firm believer in using the least amount of stuff possible, the fish can be spooked by swivels

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Undersize said:

Thank you for your detailed response and sharing your experience.

I did notice when casting a Halco 130 with my set up, that the max distane was pretty much where the long leader was spliced into hollow core braid. The spool goes crazy (bird nests) at the transition between stiff leader and limp braid if I don't stop it with my thumb. Sounds like I should measure my leader to see how long it actually is, and maybe strip off yards of braid and splice in a longer mono topshot.

For the Halcos, do you remove the split ring on top and tie directly to the hard loop on the lure?

I plan on giving yall more money. Already bought two tickets for June 1 snapper trip.

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Capt.matt said:

We are currently 10 short for Tuesdays trip. It looks like we may have a decent weather window. I will update again in a couple days once the forecast is a little clearer.

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herrtex said:

How many do we need to make the trip a go?

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scubaarchery said:

Good to see the new folks on the thread! Inwould go with a spinning outfit with a 7’ rod or longer! Get a 10k reel and 50lb braid with an 80lb wind on leader! Much easier to cast! Matt how did those catfish rods hold up on the private charter? They are about $125…

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Capt.matt said:

They held up well but by no means would I recommend them for tuna.... BUT there isn’t a catfish in North America that stands a chance against them.

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