Left Shem early on a lonely ride straight out. didnt see any other boats so we figured we were the only idiots that didnt get the memo on change of forecast or something. Tough going for first 20 miles then seas laid down.
Made it to ledge around 6:30-7 and missed two wahoo right off. The hoos love the new yozuri flying fish plug. I have the tooth impressions of a couple nice ones but couldn’t land them.
Then scored a nice king. Then two nice back to back 25 lb blackfin all in 160-180 ft.
After a few more cut offs and short strikes we headed out deeper.
Found decent weed line and rip we followed out east to 400 ft but nothing doing.
Took advantage of slick ocean to head south to 380 hole. Put out the dredge and had a bill fish come up to sniff it. Missed a good knock down. Thunder shower approaching so we bail and headed in.
In 400 ft we came on an aggressively feeding school of skip jacks. Had a blast landing bunch then headed in.
Fun day with Big Time and Wicked Tuna. Interested to see how skip jack taste next to black fin.
Temps were 79-80 on ledge and 84-86 at 380.
Just finished cleaning up and bagging the last of the skipjack at about 10:30pm. It’s all sorted and on plenty of ice until I can cut out the bones and blood line tomorrow then prep it for canning and freezing. Would have been about 15 pounds more blackfin if that shark hand gnawed up one of them.
26 Seahunt
Angler’s Dream
Thanks for the report. Sounds like you had a great day! Do you have any pictures of the skipjack and tuna? Just last week, a few of us were discussing the differences between the species of tunas typically caught off the coast of S.C. and it would be nice to see some pics of your catch.
Skippy’s are great on the grill
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NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
Black fin is in my right hand.
No pics of skipjacks. I tell the skip jacks from false albacore by the black longitudinal stripes along bottom/sides. Also if you eat either one you can tell if its false albacore because you will puke soon after. Some say the same about skipjacks but I like them.
IGFA has a couple good pages on tuna identification.
If it hadn’t been so late and storm approaching when we found the skipjacks we might have tried to hook something that may have been under them. I’m not really sure what we could have tried though. Maybe some nice more experienced billfisherman on this forum could suggest something for next time… but I wont count on it.
Thanks for posting the pic. How does a guy get to go fishing so soon after having a young baby like that. You must have a good woman!!! Are you sure that is a blackfin? It looks similar to the small yellowfin we caught up at Oregon Inlet a few years back. Either way, that is a tasty fish. Congrats!!
Hammer down, funny you say that. Not the think about my wife, I only hope she thinks me fishing like that is what everyone does. Please don’t tell her otherwise.
Regarding the Blackfin Tuna verses a juvenile yellowfin:
Another much more experienced fisherman on our boat swears it is a juvenile yellow fin. But the only sure way I heard to tell difference was count the gill plates?
If they count 7 or more then it is a yellow fin.
Unfortunately we heard about that verification method after we disposed of the heads. Plus you need a permit for yellow fin. So they were black fin.
Turns out we do have an HMS recreational angling permit need for either yellowfin and skipjack.
An easy way to tell yellowfin over blackfin is the pec fins. The blackfin have curved fins while the yft are straight.
It is hard to see the pec fins well in the picture, but it looks like it may indeed be a yellowfin.
Pat Condon
“Carla Dee”
Does not have yellow finlets, as would a yellowfin. I would still be just as darn happy to catch it!! Nice fish.
It ain’t no mystery…this beer’s history!
True about yellow finlets, but this fish looks like it has been dead a while (although usually SOME yellow left). Where the finlets yellow when it was taken out of the water?
Pat Condon
“Carla Dee”
I really can’t remember between all the high fives, celebratory beverages, hooping and hollaring…
I guess that celebrating is all that really truly matters anyway. That’s for the ID tips fellas.
We will look more carefully NEXT TIME hopefully!!!
Ha, not that it really matters anyway. Good work!
Pat Condon
“Carla Dee”