2016 BC Albacore Tuna

[Johnnybear]

The ride in was ultra plush and we made it back in no time flat. If I recall it was about an hour and 10 mins. It was really nice to take advantage of this close in fishery. We burned 40 gals of fuel and used 4 litres of oil this trip.

Smooth seas.



We got back to Dick's and Owen cooked up a really nice meal for us. Steaks from a butcher shop along with garlic spot prawns and a baja salad. What a great way to end the day and celebrate his birthday. His wife even sent a small cake along for us to enjoy after dinner.



What an awesome day. We hit the sack right after we downed the cake and were asleep by 7:00 p.m. lol. We got up at 5 the next morning to head out earlier this day. We left the dock in the dark and headed out of Winter Harbour nice and slow on radar. Again one last stop at Kains before we lost reception and we were on our way.

Awesome sun rise on this morning.




We decided to start near yesterdays spot. The bird activity was way down but we spotted a boat on the horizon near our destination. We got a bit closer and saw riggers out and lot's of birds near by. We started fishing with no luck for about 1/2 an hour before we finally saw his line marker stick. It was a long liner not a tuna boat. That explained all the birds around them. We picked up the gear and decide to find some other water to fish. We started heading South West and the water temp picked up another degree and we spotted 2 commercial boats. One of the boats was doing pretty short tacks so we decided to start fishing. The water temp was around 59 degrees and clear blue in colour.

Starting the day off with a double and bloody decks!



Octuna baby!!!



To be continued......

[Johnnybear]

Some of the tuna in this area were puking up tiny bait fish like this.



Tuna fishing can be a little messy lol. A wash down hose is a must to keep on top of it before it dries.



We had quite a few doubles, one quad, and a few singles with only 2 fish lost. Each of us lost one and each of us had redemption minutes later on the same lines we lost them on. It was pretty cool. Mine was literally one minute after putting it back in the water. We ended up with 14 for 16 on this fine Octuna day.

Emptying out the slush cooler with a river of blood on deck.



This system works way better than the garbage can because of the insulation and the slush lasts so much longer while conserving your ice supply.

The ride in was a bit bumpy so it took us a little longer to get back to Kains. It was a nice feeling seeing her in the sunshine and knowing we made it back safe.



We were leaving this afternoon and went back to Dick's to grab our duffels and few other things before heading out. The ride down Quatsino was welcomed by the comfort of being able to spot any wood and shooting the narrows in daylight.

To be continued.....

[Johnnybear]

The pull out in Coal Harbour went smoothly and we packed everything away and headed on down the road. I had some m&m's left from the trip up and a couple of diet cokes to keep me awake. Well this is where the ending turns bad (previous trips have had a bad start). We were 27 km's South of Port Hardy when one of the trailer bearings went.



Now this wouldn't have been so bad if I was packing a spare set (I will always from now on) and the fact that it was 8 p.m. in the evening and tomorrow was Sunday! Our options were limited. We decided to pull the wheel and limp back to Hardy. I phoned Wade from Bear Cove cottages for some advice and information. He tried a few folks he knew but no luck. He offered us a place to stay overnight till we got our affairs sorted out. Such an awesome guy. Thank you again Wade!. Well we decided that a BCAA RV premium membership was the way to go. They would send a low bed trailer first thing in the morning. We took Wade up on his offer and crashed for the night. It was a life saver because we were exhausted. We got up early and parked the boat at a nice pull out for the tow truck and headed into town for some breakfast. We got back just as the driver was starting to load my gal on his deck.

Not exactly how we wanted to leave Port Hardy.



We went ahead of the driver and stopped at Home Depot in Campbell River to pick up a few tools. We met the driver back at his yard near Inland Kenworth. I ripped off the calliper, pulled the rotor, took off what was left of the front bearing, and took off the rear bearing.



A quick drive to the local Lordco and we had some parts. Owen packed the new bearings with grease and reassembled everything. We were finally good to go! What a relief.



A big lesson learned for me. I should know better and I will always be packing spare bearings and other trailer parts with me along with the proper tools to deal with the situation.

Except for the mechanical failure and slight delay at the end, our trip was awesome. What better way to spend a birthday and the first of October than tuna fishing!!! Thank you Owen for all the help, laughs and good times. Thank you Wade for saving our skin on Saturday night. We owe you one buddy. I think both of us are going to get some well deserved sleep tonight and we can chalk this one up for the memory books.

Till next season. See you tuna addicts next year.

Cheers,
John

[lorneparker1]

I am very happy for you guys. Two of my favourite people on one boat!

[Sitkaspruce]

Awesome John!!!

Thanks for sharing your incredible trips!! I look forward to more next years adventures!!!

You been out chasing the grey ghosts yet??

Cheers

SS

[tomahawk]

One day I'm going to try this, thanks for sharing!!

[Johnnybear]

Awesome John!!!

Thanks for sharing your incredible trips!! I look forward to more next years adventures!!!

You been out chasing the grey ghosts yet??

Cheers

SS

Thanks Ken.

I have only been out a couple of times. Seen quite a few deer both times. Nothing in the freezer yet.