2016 BC Albacore Tuna

[Johnnybear]

First trip 2016.

We headed out West for the elusive long fin tuna on Saturday early morn. The crew consisted of my son Jake, his buddy Dustin, and myself.

Launching the boat at Salmon Beach.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/f252414e-34d9-4bfb-8421-e609f5fcb91d_zpsxxapzwqw.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/f252414e-34d9-4bfb-8421-e609f5fcb91d_zpsxxapzwqw.jpg.html)

The awesome sun rises are a real joy in any offshore fishery. We truly live in a special place. It is so magical.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_054109_zpsoo4ztqh1.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_054109_zpsoo4ztqh1.jpg.html)

Looking North towards Tofino.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_054032_zpsgkpgkejh.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_054032_zpsgkpgkejh.jpg.html)

Looking back again towards Ukee.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_055331_zps8dzrx56e.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_055331_zps8dzrx56e.jpg.html)

You really have to stop and smell the roses. It's not all about the fish. I keep trying to tell the young guys this but I usually find them ignoring me lol.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_060707_zpsscsxabm3.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_060707_zpsscsxabm3.jpg.html)

Continued.....

[Johnnybear]

We had planned to fish the Clayquot Canyon with Jglobal but he decided to fish salmon instead. So we headed out to the Louden and came across a pod of white sided pacific dolphins. The bird activity looked good as well but the water temp wasn't great and water didn't look very clear or blue. In hind site we should have drop some gear and tried it out but we decided to head down to the Barkley Canyon where we knew Smiley and tundon were fishing.

A bucket full of tuna spread.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_071559_zpsbggbdhh3.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_071559_zpsbggbdhh3.jpg.html)

This is a set up we learned from birdsnest. Everything is ready to go in a bucket and it is really fast to deploy. It has worked well for us last year and it worked great this trip as well.

We headed to a way point that I have plugged into the plotter from the first tuna shootout I ever entered. It is a spot that freedom22 put in there (he won the shootout the year after fishing the same spot and we plugged our boat that year at the same spot). It is topside, outside, Barkley canyon midway on the contours. Well we got there and deployed the gear and less than 10 minutes later we had one on the dive board port side.

Jake with the first tuna of the year. The skunk is off!

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_094751_zpsbnlhbndh.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_094751_zpsbnlhbndh.jpg.html)

Ten minutes later we had another on the same dive board. We were using green on green for the early stuff. Good neutral color the seems to work well. Got that one from Harper44 on our first ever tuna trip with him years ago. We used this color last year on our first trip and it produced big time up in Winter Harbor.

Less than 1/2 an hour later we hooked up a double on the back two rabbits. We went one for two on that one due to me telling Dustin to tighten up the drag too much http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/styles/default/xenforo/clear.png. My bad. Ripped the hook right out.

Dustin with a couple long fins. His second trip out with us and the smile says it all.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_101314_zpsic35jgq0.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_101314_zpsic35jgq0.jpg.html)

Continued....

Last edited: Today at 10:00 PM

[Johnnybear]

Well it was off to a good start but unfortunately that was it for us for the rest of the day. That is tuna fishing. We cruised around and tried to find a school or a couple of strays with no luck. It was nice fishing with Smiley and tunadon and great to have radio contact with them. They scatched out some tuna as well. The fish just weren't there in schools or numbers.

Smiley and Old School on a sweet Pursuit.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_124539_zpsz1hi1cmf.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_124539_zpsz1hi1cmf.jpg.html)

There was a lot of this going on through the rest of the day. The captain looking for the ever so suspicious bird (very damn few out there). Every hit we had in the morning was near a suspicious looking bird or two. They are not a tuna's friend lol. They throw em right under the bus ha ha.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_103130_zpsqpmcp2v6.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_103130_zpsqpmcp2v6.jpg.html)

The young guys horsed around.....

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_154318_zpsg1kopzgu.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160723_154318_zpsg1kopzgu.jpg.html)

...then I made them swab the decks arrh.http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/styles/default/xenforo/clear.png

All in all a good first trip out. It was great fishing with some other sport boats out there. We will be back at it right shortly. Just hope these winds die down.

Sunday evening heading home. Nice sunset on Kennedy Lake.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160724_210234_zpsowkyigan.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160724_210234_zpsowkyigan.jpg.html)

Till next time. See you addicts out there.

Cheers,
Johnnybear (aka Sculpin)

[fuzzybiscuit]

Great read, thanks Johnnybear.

If that doesn't get a guy longing for some Tuna action I don't know what will.

[835]

Nice work Jhonny....

[Sitkaspruce]

I live vicariously through these trips John!!!!

Thanks for bringing us along and sharing your trip!!!

Looking forward to the next one!!

Cheers

SS

[Cody1771]

Nice job guys. Nice to see some non commercial boats hauling some in. If you are looking for someone to split gas hit me up!

[Philcott]

That sure looks like a great way to spend the day. What do you do to take care of the fish? I read somewhere if not taken care of promptly the tuna goes bad. Is this correct?

[MB_Boy]

That sure looks like a great way to spend the day. What do you do to take care of the fish? I read somewhere if not taken care of promptly the tuna goes bad. Is this correct?

Bleed/cool them in a slurry of ice/water....get the temperature of them down and then on to ice. When I went and I think this is fairly common...had a garbage bucket lashed on to the transom with water and lots of ice in it. When they hit the deck they go for an "ice bath" for a bit before into coolers.

[Boner]

A great read. I've only tuna fished once, but now I'm "hooked".

[.264winmag]

I gotta get out there sometime for them! need a bigger boat first...My buddy Greg does that Tuna shootout every year, he's pretty much given up salmon fishin for it! That says somethin, they sure are tasty...

[Cody1771]

I gotta get out there sometime for them! need a bigger boat first...My buddy Greg does that Tuna shootout every year, he's pretty much given up salmon fishin for it! That says somethin, they sure are tasty...

You can say that again! I'm down to my last few loins in my freezer

[srupp]

It's on my bucket list....
Well done guys. .
Cheers
Sruppm

[Smiley]

Great write up!
Holy carp, John, you hunt also??? See you back out there soon.
This is my name on HBC, haven't been bribed by my tuna captain to trade it off yet.

SFBC = Olde School

[Cody1771]

Hey Guys, potential Tuna opportunity next weekend (weather dependent) we have a 30 foot boat chartered for the day, need 1 maybe 2 more guys to make it worth the time. equal split on charter cost. send me a PM if interested. out of bamfield friday and saturday night accomodations included.

[Johnnybear]

I'm posting this report from the labour day long weekend that has been posted on the SFBC forum and Bloodydecks. If the names don't ring a bell that is why........


As I start to type this adventure I would like to echo the fellow (Fishtofino) that got me into this mess and addiction in the first place "Go to where the fish are, not where you want them to be"http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/styles/bdoutdoors/images/smilies/cool.gif.

After a summer of very different tuna conditions and a lot of frustration of hoping to go for tuna out of Salmon Beach again, we bit the bullet and headed up to the best looking water on the West Coast of the Island. I had been looking at that patch off Winter Harbour on Terrafin for well over a week and to top it off I get a call from Tidal Chaos at 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon with some solid intel that the fishing was good up there. One quick call to firelight and a plan started to unfold quite quickly! (Unfortunately my son just recently had his leg operated on and would not be joining us http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/styles/bdoutdoors/images/smilies/frown.gif).

First thing was a place to stay. Firelight called Dick and our cabin was available. Check.
I spent the evening getting the boat ready and loaded for bear. Check.
Talked to Smiley via text and talked him and his crew into going up as one of the buddy boats. Check.
I went to work on Friday morning and got some last minute things taken care of while firelight did the grocery shopping. Food. Check.
We left Nanaimo and cruised up Island without incident and stopped at Cove Fisheries in Port Hardy to see Peter. Salt ice up to the ying yang. Check.

We launched out of Coal Harbour again and headed on our adventure. The weather was absolutely incredible.

Looking up Holberg Inlet.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6615_zpsjjt1hrrf.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6615_zpsjjt1hrrf.jpg.html)

The ride out was good and the weather just kept getting better and better the closer we got to the coast.

Kains Island dead ahead again.


http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6620_zpsnspr4svz.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6620_zpsnspr4svz.jpg.html)

Looking down towards Brooks before heading into Winter Harbor and settling in at the cabin. It's such a beautiful area.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6623_zpsvx85bxf4.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6623_zpsvx85bxf4.jpg.html)


To be continued.....

[Johnnybear]

After settling in we went over to meet After Hours, his family, and his friend and forum member Dbastock. It was great to meet them and it was awesome how stoked they were to get out on the tuna grounds. A plan was finalized and we hit the sack to be ready in the morning.

We left the dock at 4:30 a.m.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6631_zpsyltfdmpp.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6631_zpsyltfdmpp.jpg.html)

After Hours met us at the mouth of the Harbor and followed us out in the dark. One last check of Terrafin out by Kains and we punched in a coordinate to start at. We were basically just North of the Haida Ridge on the 1000 fathom line.

After Hours got a text from Smiley saying they had just launched in Port Alice and would meet us out there. Awesome.

Stopping to take in the sun rise and have a pee break lol.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6638_zpsraellr6o.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6638_zpsraellr6o.jpg.html)

The ride out was a little sporty and I don't think the swell had spaced out as much as buoy weather had anticipated. It took a little longer then we had hoped for to reach our destination. It was 42 miles from Kains. Shorter than what we are used to.

We came across a lot of bird activity and a nice 3 degree spike in temp. There was a huge mass of porpoises out there. Hundreds and hundreds of them. I suggested that After Hours start fishing here and we would go out a little ways more and do some prospecting. We got the gear in the water and had one on the hand line in the first couple of minutes before all the rods were set. We lost that one right at the boat. We got everything set and another one hit on the hand line and we landed it. On the radio right away with our coordinates and After Hours and Smiley joined us. We stayed spread out a bit and we continued to pick away at them.

Firelight with the first one in the boat.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6642_zpss8ls7ebt.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6642_zpss8ls7ebt.jpg.html)

Getting the slush tote going after a couple in the boat.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6640_zpst87kvbqr.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6640_zpst87kvbqr.jpg.html)

The biggest of the day at around 25 lbs. The fish were a nice grade for sure.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160903_092605_zps8h0tkuvd.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160903_092605_zps8h0tkuvd.jpg.html)


To be continued....

[Johnnybear]

Smiley started to get into them as well but After Hours and his crew were having a tough go for the first 4 hours. We kept giving them some suggestions to try like dropping a couple on the down riggers (most of our fish were on the dive boards) to get some under water. Didn't help. Changing speed and lure set back etc. We finally told them that we like to run all the same colour and they switched everything to green and bingo it worked!!! After Hours put his mic up to the thundering tuna on his deck and we all cheered for them http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/styles/bdoutdoors/images/smilies/biggrin.gif. That literally made our day. We were so stoked that they lost their tuna virginity.

Virgins no more. After Hours and crew.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6643_zpsdcakd7qz.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6643_zpsdcakd7qz.jpg.html)

We ended the day with 10 nice grade tuna. We quit early due to the unexpected change of hours at the gas bar in Winter Harbour. I can't recall Smiley's final count but it was at least 10 or more as they stuck it out longer than us. After Hours crew got 7 after they got their groove on. Congrats guys!!!

Back at the dock we had a beer and "chinwag" with After Hours and his crew. They are naturals at carking tuna. Great folks that love fishing.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160903_164439_zpsscyesxoq.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160903_164439_zpsscyesxoq.jpg.html)

After Hours and his son high fivin'.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160903_164801_zpsize5i9gc.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160903_164801_zpsize5i9gc.jpg.html)


Congrats again guys. It was a pleasure fishing with you and we hope to do it again next year http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/styles/bdoutdoors/images/smilies/cool.gif.

To be continued....

[Johnnybear]

Before we went over to congrat the boyz, we ran into Mike (aka Fishin Magician of Winter Harbor) at the gas bar. He came down to see how we did and was trying to put a crew together to head out on Sunday. A plan was hatched and we knew Smiley was game to head out again. Later that evening Mike came over to our dock and said he had his crew and would meet us at 4:30 a.m. We were pretty stoked to be heading out with him because of his knowledge of the area and his legendary fishing ability.

In the morning we were sore but we got a good nights sleep and we were ready to give it another whirl. Mike showed up and we followed his big Boston Whaler out to Kains. One last check of Terrafin and Buoyweather and we were on our way. This time we picked a spot right on the North end of the Haida Ridge, so a little bit South of the spot the day before. The chloro looked good and the temp was great.

The ride out was way smoother than Saturday and we got out there in no time flat. Absolutely beautiful weather conditions.

Another awesome sun rise.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6647_zpscwhmvw3l.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6647_zpscwhmvw3l.jpg.html)

Lots of birds on the way out.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6648_zps3i60v6z0.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6648_zps3i60v6z0.jpg.html)

We hit our spot and started fishing. Mike kept going a few more miles and was into some fish pretty quick. We joined him and radio'd Smiley the coordinates. We had a hard go for the first few hours and the skunk was getting to be concerning.

Firelight watching the spread in anticipation.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6666_zpsj8plvoog.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6666_zpsj8plvoog.jpg.html)

Smiley had joined us and was in the same boat as us for quite a while before he started scratching a couple out.

Smiley and crew hooked up.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6658_zpsezmcjvgi.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6658_zpsezmcjvgi.jpg.html)

Mike had kept scratching away at them but was loosing a lot of fish. Quite a few were hitting on a certain plug he had out there. I think he had 3 or 4 in the boat and had lost like 9!!! At one point we saw him stop for quite a while and we finally radio'd him and he said he had a 10' shark on!!!

Some how in the packing of the boat I forgot a tackle bag that had my plugs in it!!!http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/styles/default/xenforo/clear.png. We decided to switch up colours to Zuccini broom Zukers and we finally got the skunk off. It was a relief big time. We put a couple of singles in the boat then we had a triple that we landed all three on. We were now back in the game.


To be continued.....

[Johnnybear]

Well I think we picked the right spot because in total from what we saw there was at least 15 commercial boats and 6 sports fishing boats out there. It was incredible water conditions (water colour and temp wise) and the weather was awesome.

We were having a tough go this day but we scratched out 8 in the end. All nice grade fish again too. Most of the fish this day were caught on rods.

Firelight playing a freight train.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6669_zpslugnlvjj.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6669_zpslugnlvjj.jpg.html)

A couple of fish from our triple.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6671_zps5jx1bsel.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6671_zps5jx1bsel.jpg.html)

The fishing was not lights out for most of us but Mike was starting to become known as "Magic Mike" through out the day lol. They had a 5 banger on and landed all 5. They kept scratching away at fish and ended up with 12 for the day with about 15 lost. They had the right spread and lures out there for sure. I think if we changed up a few things earlier we could have possibly put some more fish in the boat but it's not about the numbers for us.

We started to troll towards the beach away from the pack and picked up a double near a patch of kelp. One on a hand line and the other on a rod.

Yours truly with those two at the end of the day.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_7701_zpsejvbbo2f.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_7701_zpsejvbbo2f.jpg.html)


To be continued.....

[Johnnybear]

The ride in was ultra plush for most of the way. It got tight and stacked as we come up onto the shelf though and was pretty choppy by the lighthouse.

Kains Island on the way in.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6675_zps5pcsp1w9.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6675_zps5pcsp1w9.jpg.html)

We went back to the cabin and I started dinner while firelight tidied up the boat. We were having venison roast with some of Tidal Chaos's favourite beer.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6679_zpsrf2khg6f.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/IMG_6679_zpsrf2khg6f.jpg.html)

Smiley and crew showed up and we invited them in for dinner and drinks. It was a nice bs session and good company. Thanks for the stories guys. They stayed on the boat at our dock and took off for home in the morning. We slept in a bit, cleaned up the cabin, and loaded up the boat. If the weather held up it would be really hard to leave ha ha. But alas, we had to return to work to help pay for the next adventure.

Leaving Kains Island behind us.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160905_111719_zpsdt8kt4yv.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160905_111719_zpsdt8kt4yv.jpg.html)

Back on the hard at Coal Harbour.


http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160905_123523_zpscmrkpt3k.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/20160905_123523_zpscmrkpt3k.jpg.html)


It was a good trip and we met some really nice folks. We got to fish with some new tuna fishers and be part of their excitement of trying this awesome fishery out. We went home with some nice grade tuna and some great memories. Thanks to everyone that made this trip so cool. Till next time.....

Cheers,
Sculpin

[Johnnybear]

Anyways, I hope some of the folks enjoy the report. I have bowed out of the Bamfield Tuna Shootout this year due to my son's leg and work needs my full attention right now. We have entered every one of them since the beginning but it is time to move on. I will be out on the general hunting opener this Saturday because of it and I am stoked! I have a couple of places that I have been scouting and it feels so good to get some tuna in the freezer and be focused on hunting on land right now.

Cheers,
John

[Leaseman]

Great report as usual John!!:wink:

I have always enjoyed your posts on the other site!!


Mike

[Cody1771]

awesome! we had to cancel our trip, we couldn't fill the last 2 spots we needed :/ maybe next year

[.264winmag]

Some beauties there for sure, nice work!

[srupp]

Wonderful adventure...thank you for sharing..
Cheers
Steven

[Sitkaspruce]

Anyways, I hope some of the folks enjoy the report. I have bowed out of the Bamfield Tuna Shootout this year due to my son's leg and work needs my full attention right now. We have entered every one of them since the beginning but it is time to move on. I will be out on the general hunting opener this Saturday because of it and I am stoked! I have a couple of places that I have been scouting and it feels so good to get some tuna in the freezer and be focused on hunting on land right now.

Cheers,
John

As always John, thanks for bring me along!!(in pictures anyways!!) Another reason why I miss the Island and especially the North Island!!!

Some amazingly nice water for WH and the shelf!!! Don't get too many days like that out there!!

Thanks again for posting!! I don't get over the SFBC too much, so this was nice to see.

Good luck Hunting this year!!

Cheers

SS

[.264winmag]

Tidal chaos sent a pic of 16 nice albacore from the first day of shootout. 110 miles offshore, 650L fuel! Pushing the limit for a sporty boat lol.

[Cody1771]

Tidal chaos sent a pic of 16 nice albacore from the first day of shootout. 110 miles offshore, 650L fuel! Pushing the limit for a sporty boat lol.

yeah the guys from Lucky Sport fishing put a picture up and they where 105 miles offshore, apparently ran out of gas as they pulled into the fuel dock.

[lorneparker1]

Tidal chaos sent a pic of 16 nice albacore from the first day of shootout. 110 miles offshore, 650L fuel! Pushing the limit for a sporty boat lol.


There is a story of a boat breaking down 60miles off shore with no steering and doing 9 mph all the way home, through shipping lanes, just a few days ago for the derby. Left tuna grounds at 430pm got back to Bam at 530am. Glad they made it, luckily it happened to a very experienced captain for sport tuna. 100 miles off shore in a sport boat in September is pretty risky. I wont be that guy and say it, but that far off shore is far from home

[.264winmag]

There is a story of a boat breaking down 60miles off shore with no steering and doing 9 mph all the way home, through shipping lanes, just a few days ago for the derby. Left tuna grounds at 430pm got back to Bam at 530am. Glad they made it, luckily it happened to a very experienced captain for sport tuna. 100 miles off shore in a sport boat in September is pretty risky. I wont be that guy and say it, but that far off shore is far from home

Heard about that to, can coast guard won't go out that far to help. Unless life/death they'll send chopper. Seems far when not accustomed to it, I think down south it's more common to go way out. Take care of your boat and it'll take care of you...

[Piperdown]

Just an accident waiting to happen, even when you buddy up with someone, odds are when shit hits the fan it will be ugly, both boats will have a full crew now you are trying to save people, boat will be over loaded, not all that easy to do.

[MB_Boy]

Just an accident waiting to happen, even when you buddy up with someone, odds are when shit hits the fan it will be ugly, both boats will have a full crew now you are trying to save people, boat will be over loaded, not all that easy to do.

Some would say Hawaiian hog hunting is dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. :lol: :p

[Piperdown]

Some would say Hawaiian hog hunting is dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. :lol: :p

Ha ha no way i use a dull knife :)

[Cody1771]

Heard about that to, can coast guard won't go out that far to help. Unless life/death they'll send chopper. Seems far when not accustomed to it, I think down south it's more common to go way out. Take care of your boat and it'll take care of you...

they will send someone out after you if you need help. 100nm is to far for the bamfield or Tofino Life boat, i think 75nm or so is about their operational limit. They will dispatch a larger vessel to go that far off but you could be looking at 10-12 hours before they get to you depending on where they are. most vessels are only capable of about 12-14 knots speed. and they are more likely to be closer to the north end of the island.

[lorneparker1]

they will send someone out after you if you need help. 100nm is to far for the bamfield or Tofino Life boat, i think 75nm or so is about their operational limit. They will dispatch a larger vessel to go that far off but you could be looking at 10-12 hours before they get to you depending on where they are. most vessels are only capable of about 12-14 knots speed. and they are more likely to be closer to the north end of the island.


The guys that broke down said, they could not get ahold of the CDN coast guard. Called them on their sat phone and got voicemail! lol. The got ahold of US Coast guard and they kept in contact with them. They relayed everything to prince Rupert.

[Johnnybear]

Did you talk to Don or Terry directly Lorne?

[lorneparker1]

Did you talk to Don or Terry directly Lorne?


No I didn't John... Am I to assume what terry wrote on the internet is not true and I should follow up with a phone call every time he makes a post to make sure it is?

I gotta admit, when I see you post around midnight on threads I am a part of, I look forward to it.

[Johnnybear]

Adventures with John.....

Well this is probably the last trip for the Sculpin this year. The crew consisted of Owen and myself. Todd had to bail on us do to work etc. and we totally understood. We tried quite a few people at the last minute to fill his spot but with 1.5 hrs notice......not a lot of takers. We headed up Thursday afternoon after securing ice for a late pick up in Hardy. The drive up was nice but we were tired and not looking forward to the drive out through the narrows and down Quatsino Sound in the dark (I will probably never do this again and don't recommend it lol).

Getting ready to launch in Coal Harbour around 11:00 p.m.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160929_223943_zps3jerwiuf.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160929_223943_zps3jerwiuf.jpg.html)

We ran on radar and night mode on the chart plotter and did a very light 10 mph most of the way. Shooting the narrows mid tide wasn't that bad but was definitely eery. We only had one small "bump in the night" the whole way out and it was not of concern.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_000408_zpsz708wcgr.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_000408_zpsz708wcgr.jpg.html)

We arrived at the Government dock at 2:00 a.m. and were dirt tired. We were staying at the Dick's Last Resort main house this time. Todd arranged it all with Dick ahead of time (thanks buddy). We instantly hit a bed and crashed hard for 4 hrs. We were up at 6:00 a.m. and Dick had coffee on for us already. Owen was joking with him that the population of Winter Harbour at that time of year was like 5 lol. He said that was probably close and one less with him leaving that morning.

We headed down to the boat to head out tuna fishing and it was Owens birthday to boot! It was a cool damp morning but we knew the weather was going to be good later.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_074925_zpsiyn2gtrp.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_074925_zpsiyn2gtrp.jpg.html)

To be continued.....

[Johnnybear]

One last stop behind Kains to check Terrafin and Buoyweather for the last time before we lost cell coverage. Buoyweather looked awesome and Terrafin looked good. We picked a starting point about 25 miles offshore just South of Pisces Canyon. It had the temp break and a nice chloro edge right along with it.

Leaving Kains behind us. We're going tuna fishing!......unbelievable!!!

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_083234_zpsxcqpn4vq.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_083234_zpsxcqpn4vq.jpg.html)

The ride out was a little bumpy at first but we averaged 22 mph most of the way out. The wildlife was there and things were looking good. We crossed over the temp break and we started to see all kinds of bird activity. Not long after Owen shouts "port side" and pointed to a small group of finning tuna. I raced to the back and threw out about 10 choveys into the prop wash as the boat came to a stop and grabbed a jigging rod and dropped it down while throwing out a few more choveys. No love on this stop but it sure got our hearts pumping!


We deployed the trolling spread right away and it was a mix of colours to start out with. We started hitting fish right off the bat.

Owen playing a tuna. Notice all the birds.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_111245_zpsp63x0pfb.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_111245_zpsp63x0pfb.jpg.html)

The birthday boy with a couple of nice ones.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_111838_zpszspagfmj.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_111838_zpszspagfmj.jpg.html)

The sun came out and the seas settled down even more. It was a great day on the water. We saw about 3 commercial boats and one whale research zodiac out there. We scratched away at them through out the day.

One of the earlier tuna puked up a bait fish about 9 inches long.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_105239_zpsxnfdemb3.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_105239_zpsxnfdemb3.jpg.html)

Owen had some zukers from PNT that almost matched it perfectly. We threw out some of them and started hitting them more consistently with all of the rest being caught on that colour. We ended up with 9 for the day.

The captain with one.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_145309_zpspwmy4ici.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_145309_zpspwmy4ici.jpg.html)


To be continued......

[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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_153530_zpsb5ejeepc.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_153530_zpsb5ejeepc.jpg.html)

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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_181215_zpsnpyv1bny.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20160930_181215_zpsnpyv1bny.jpg.html)

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.


http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_073836_zpsnbi0m2ar.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_073836_zpsnbi0m2ar.jpg.html)

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!

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_104450_zpsog6edjio.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_104450_zpsog6edjio.jpg.html)

Octuna baby!!!

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_115844_zpsdgppdjfe.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_115844_zpsdgppdjfe.jpg.html)

To be continued......

[Johnnybear]

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

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_115938_zpsubbn27a2.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_115938_zpsubbn27a2.jpg.html)

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

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_120009_zpszxq49rvm.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_120009_zpszxq49rvm.jpg.html)

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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_143116_zpsc38rdnmy.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_143116_zpsc38rdnmy.jpg.html)

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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_161855_zpso9qovxxi.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_161855_zpso9qovxxi.jpg.html)

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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_201128_zpshse4tbye.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161001_201128_zpshse4tbye.jpg.html)

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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161002_083300_zpsfioqhoot.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161002_083300_zpsfioqhoot.jpg.html)

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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161002_125940_zpskdcrjo9r.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161002_125940_zpskdcrjo9r.jpg.html)

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.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161002_132941_zpskhrvrl8e.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Coal_miner/media/Fishing%202016/Tuna%202016/Winter%20Harbor%20Tuna%202016/20161002_132941_zpskhrvrl8e.jpg.html)

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.