We went Tuna Fishing.

Hi there,

And we got some!

Double Haul invited me to go for a half day chasing tuna around the Fenton Patch.
Yes I know, Double Haul chasing Tuna might sound like an anachronism to some of you, specially when it is not billfish season...
But hey, I was not going to question the invitation!
With my first ever Tuna boated just a fortnight ago, I was more than keen!

So we left the Dina Beach boat ramp early on Sunday morning, with not so many cars in the parking so the launch was rapid and without trouble.

As we arrived to the level of the 6 Miles buoy the water was not as flat as we were hoping for and we tried to drop down some jig a a short while to try to see what we were going to do.
With no bite there the skipper decided to go for Fenton Patches.
And in retrospect, that was a very good decision.

So we start to cruise toward our destination looking for flocks of birds, that would indicate where to found our quarries.

The first flock directed to a school of tuna that would only stay on top for a few seconds.
Basically the time to cast and by the time a lure would touch the water, they would be gone.

So Double Haul sighted another one that was much bigger and zoomed on them.
As we arrived, I was excited, but it was not too bad yet.
So I remembered what he had told me two weeks ago and looked at the direction in which the birds were flying and diving and tried to cast just in front of them, it was a nice cast. Then I did as I had been told: Count to four... And retrieve faster, faster, faster! 
And Bang the line tensed and I was on! 

First cast in this school, and I had a fish on the line!
Double Haul casted too, and got a fish on the line too! It was the first double hook up for the morning!
But only one fish made it to the boat and it was mine... 
The fish gave a nice fight but not as furious as I remembered... 
Was I starting to get blazed? 
No, upon inspection the fish had a wound, from a former encounter with what might have been a shark or a mackerel or something that wanted to do a meal out of him...
But he was going to be my meal and ended up in the esky.

Happy like a kid with a new toy!

At the next school Double Haul was on.
In fact he didn't cast at the school as they had dived by the time we arrived on them, But he saw them swimming in the water on the side of the boat. So he did a rather short cast, and as soon as he started to get his lure back he was on! That was crazy we could see them swimming so close to the boat and so fast! I tried to lob a lure on them a few time but they were no takers. A few follow up, which is nearly as good, but no takers for me.

Then next school, and He was on again, and them me! Second double hook up of the day! 
You could have heard us laugh like to excited kids! But once again just one fish was boated.
But that was still great all this action.

And at one stage speeding from one school to another one, as I was sitting near the front of the boat, at the ready for our next assault, I saw a little sea turtle swimming on the left of the boat, slightly on our left and aiming to our right.
I started to think that the poor little thing was going to attempt to cross our past and started to worry for it and told Double Haul: Hey there is a small turtle just in front! He said what? And by the time I looked at it again it was safely on our right.

It seem that when they want to they can swim pretty fast these turtle...

Then we got some more tuna and Double Haul got as many as I...

At one stage I had a tuna on the deck, and he started to regurgitate (a nice word to vomit really) some of the little fish he had swallowed before taking the lure. I was amazed at how small they were, and then understood why people alway told me that if I wanted some tuna I should use the smaller lure possible.
We made a photo of it, with a little fish in my hand to get and idea of scale... 
So yes I can now say that for "science and mass education" I have had some Tuna vomit on my hand.
I hope that you will appreciate the effort... 

This is Tuna's food, in the name of science...

We then stopped on a mark and dropped some bait while we had lunch.

We then chased some more tuna and started to make our way back.
Stopped again to the six miles buoy o see if we could get a red or two. (Red fish, not red wine...).
But they didn't want to play so we went to the Larrakeya rock wall and looked for Trevally but didn't find them either.
Which as much as I like catching Trevally, did not make me sad at all.
This tuna fishing thing is fantastic and as your at it you don't realise. 
But once you stop, and the adrenaline slow down, I felt spent...
And that was just one morning of it.

So we made it to the ramp were it was pretty calm again with not too many people.
Appart one lady cuting Double Haul trailer, she must have been in a hurry...

So we were back nice and early at around 2:30 and I had 4 tuna in the esky.
So yes this week it will be Tuna week at Pecheur's home.
Lucky me that my family love them as much as i do.

Nice good food!

And because we were early I still had the time to go for my Sunday unicycle lesson...
By bed time I started to think that this had been way too much exercise in a day for me, and just hit the sack like a log.

That was a really good morning and lunch on the water.
And the more it goes the more I like tunas!
I like to fish them, and I like to eat them...

Thanks again Double Haul, I had a really good time.

So we did not see any Mackerel or big GTs.

But hey, it could be worse.
Have a good day,
Me.