Northeast - New to Tuna Fishing

Hi,

I want to attempt some tuna fishing. I have a Proline 211 Walkaround with 4 rod holders and no outriggers. My location is Scituate MA. I would like some advice on how to begin. I currently have two Penn Defiance 40LW combo rods (don't laugh) no line on them yet. My plan is to spool them with 60lb braid. I have nothing else. Please give me some advice as to what I should get for lures and where I should go. Any other input would be appreciated also.

Thank you for any input.

Fishfull Thinking

Take a drive and go talk to theses guys, bring a big bag of money.

http://www.fishermansoutfitter.com/index.aspx

Stay home. You can't use level wind reels for tuna plus you will cook the drag in them. Plan on spending $2k to get set up at a minimum to fish

Hi,
Get yourself a couple of Penn 50vsws and some rods from Pinnacle Marine (here on THT). If you get a decent deal on the reels you should be fine. Go see Peter at Belsan bait and tackle in Scituate to get them spooled up. He'll be able to hook you up with some bars and the tackle for live lining. I'd say all in you should be able to get two setups for $1700 if you work at it to get started. You then need to look at a good stand up belt, poon/line/ball/basket, a couple of decent gaffs and other odds ends. Then let the real spending begin if you get the bug.

Hi,
Get yourself a couple of Penn 50vsws and some rods from Pinnacle Marine (here on THT). If you get a decent deal on the reels you should be fine. Go see Peter at Belsan bait and tackle in Scituate to get them spooled up. He'll be able to hook you up with some bars and the tackle for live lining. I'd say all in you should be able to get two setups for $1700 if you work at it to get started. You then need to look at a good stand up belt, poon/line/ball/basket, a couple of decent gaffs and other odds ends. Then let the real spending begin if you get the bug.

and when you've done all that, plan on hooking a grander. Isn't that the way this story could end?

I have old penn 9/0 and they work fine with custom roller rods each set up cost me about 250 each. And they work fine for recc tuna. You deffinetly need out riggers for trolling. Just buy all used gear in good condision and save money

Hi,
Get yourself a couple of Penn 50vsws and some rods from Pinnacle Marine (here on THT). If you get a decent deal on the reels you should be fine. Go see Peter at Belsan bait and tackle in Scituate to get them spooled up. He'll be able to hook you up with some bars and the tackle for live lining. I'd say all in you should be able to get two setups for $1700 if you work at it to get started. You then need to look at a good stand up belt, poon/line/ball/basket, a couple of decent gaffs and other odds ends. Then let the real spending begin if you get the bug.

Can't I just get a couple of squid bars, do some trolling and hope to catch something under a hundred pounds? Do I really need to spend that kind of money?

Thank you for your input.

I have old penn 9/0 and they work fine with custom roller rods each set up cost me about 250 each. And they work fine for recc tuna. You deffinetly need out riggers for trolling. Just buy all used gear in good condision and save money

I have been told by more than one person that I need out riggers. Is it not possible to catch a tuna with just two lines in the water?

Hire a Charter. Many boats do Open Boat trips. It will be the best money you ever spent. Ask them what they do and why.... It will be cheap in the end to get an education from a pro before you blow thousnads on the wrong stuff.

BTW, you can't do this with blowing thousands..... unless you are that lucky blind squirrle who finds the nut. But most blind squirrles die of stavation.....

Mike

Honestly,make friends with someone with a bigger boat and all the gear..

you dont need outriggers but they give you a better chance, if youre on a budget then try this http://www.bing.com/shopping/outrigger-rod-holder/p/46E486C19F2DE8C9F6B1?q=outrigger+rod+holders&lpq=outrigger%20rod%20holders&FORM=HURE

It will let you get atleast 2 more lines out in the water , outriggers can get a lot more out though, puttin some outriggers on the wellcraft as we speak

You don't need outriggers the guides at first light anglers don't have outriggers and they catch tons of fish.

You do need bigger reels and rods. Buy them used its cheaper. I have a penn intl 50t for sale w/ a river marine all roller rod. Lots of people have used gear forsale just troll fishing websites.

Unless ur planning fishing next week or south of the cape don't buy a bunch of squid bars. North of the cape we will all stop using squid bars by the end on June and move on to other baits.

Talk to your local tackle shop and local fishing buddies not the THT. You want to know how to catch them around situate not east of Chatham or south of the vineyard.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fishing-ROD-RIGGER-Boat-HOLDER-OUTRIGGERS-PACK-ALUMINUM-/251021609284?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a720dc944

THESE ARE NICER THAN YOU WOULD THINK FOR THE MONEY...HELP SPREAD YOUR TROLL A LITTLE.

GRAB SOME DAISY CHAINS AND A SQUID BAR AND HAVE SOME FUN.

IF YOU WANT TO CATCH SMALLER TUNA, RESEARCH JIG AND POP METHODS. GET AN UGLY STIK TIGER LITE JIGGING STIK 80-130# RATED FOR $69 AND A SHIMANO SARAGOSA 18000 FOR $299. SKIP THE HOLLOW CORE AND GO WITH 80# POWER PRO AND FLUORO LEADER.
GRAB SOME RON Z LURES AND JIG AWAY.

FOR FURTHER INFO CONTACT CAPT JACK AT EAST COAST CHARTERS OUT OF RHODE ISLAND. GREAT GUYS, GREAT RESULTS.

DON'T LET THE NAYSAYERS ON HERE GET YOU DOWN.

OK, googan (just playing), let me save you some trouble. Get up at 2 am, head down to the harbor, crumple up 2 one hundred dollar bills, pitch then in the water and go home. Back to bed, bang yer wife/girlfriend and take her to breakfast when she wakes up. Youll be a lot happier...

CMP

We run at least 60 miles to catch tuna, going out there with 2 rods is stupid and pointless. We run 7 rods. I would want at least a 4-6 rod spread. You can buy rod riggers if you don't have out riggers. We spent a little over a grand for all 6 rods we have. But I will say you don't need thousands of dollars for an occasional trip. We catch them just as well on our 21ft boat as the guys do on the sportfishers. They have some better equipment to get the job done, but we bring in the same fish and don't have the bling bling. I know quite a few guys with bigger boats that like to show off and don't know how to find fish or even captain a boat for that matter.

x2 on Fishermans Outfitter. 1-800-500-TUNA.

They set up countless people each year from cheaper TLD set ups to Aletecnos. They have a lot of reputable repeat customers for a reason. Give them a call.

Not to knock the Pinnacle Rods (I have 4) but the quality difference on FO custom rods is night and day. After a giant or two I will be buying a few.

CMP - where was this advice when I started a few years ago. It's good.

4 daiwa 900H reels (or Penn)
2400 yards 100# braid
1000 yards suffix hivis 80# mono
4 ande 50-80 rods with roller tip and stripper
rigged sluggos (a dozen or so in 2 or 3 colors)
6 rigged mag 30 deep divers
4 bars in dark color
misc crimps, etc


troll either sluggos, bars with a diver or 2 or just bars.

Rods, reels and line will be about a grand. Figure 800 to a 1000 for the rest.

some guys troll slugos on spinning rods and catch fish. Upgrade and/or add to the spread as funds allow.

i caught one last summer just out of luck trolling cheap old equipment and it bit me all i spend my money on is new tuna gear and i love it its one of the best things i have ever experianced so start with cheap stuff and work your way up.

Can't I just get a couple of squid bars, do some trolling and hope to catch something under a hundred pounds? Do I really need to spend that kind of money?

Thank you for your input.

There is nothing cheap about chasing tuna plan on spending atleast a couple grand just to get started and after the old lady reams you out explain to her that now you need a hundred to two hundred bucks for gas to go every time you chase chase them. Either pony up the dough or take CMP'S advice it will save you alot of aggrevation. Search craigs list and you should be able to score some gear you will save some money just keep in mind that every single aspect of this sport is exspensive.

Has anyone mentioned bring a bag of money yet?

And what you have left of your sanity.

If you're just starting out, you don't need all the stuff everyone's talking about, but you won't have anywhere near as much success either.

Since you're like me and just going after rec size fish, trolling or casting is better because chances are the only fish you'll hook up is a juvey rec size fish. Make sure you're reels have 30lbs of drag or there abouts... that'll be enough to put the brakes on any fish under 100lbs.

Last season off Minot's, there was a school of small footballs that would show up every afternoon tide change. I chased them around for weeks and finally got a bite on a Shimano Waxwing that I was casting using a Stradic 8000 on a Tallus rod with 60lb braid.

In general, the better gear is only going to improve your chances for success. And if you just want to troll give it a shot with two or three rods with bars and daisy chains. But be prepared to get skunked more than a few times and gear failure on top of that.

Of course for me, a bad day of fishing is much better than a great day in the office.

The Bottom Line is you will only get out of Tuna Fishing what you are willing to put into it. Go cheep and you (The Blind Squirel) will get lucky at some point and find a nut. But the question is will you ever be able to duplicate your blind squirel results in the future. Your best tool is going to be your wits. Every time you go out no matter what you are doing and what your results are PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING. even the stuff that is not working and failing. You should learn somthing every time out..

I too am pretty new to tuna fishing on my own, or on my own boat. When I bought a larger boat to take me out 45-60NM, I spent a year collecting gear which would be suitable for the job. Last weekend I was out in the Washington Canyon, and as luck would have it a YFT took the flat line. The flat line consisted of a Penn 25 (Graphite), instead of the reels which were 50's. If we had not stopped the boat, the 38-39" YFT would have "spooled "us. Not to mention my drag was not enjoying the torture too much, and it was obvious.

The point is, it does cost money, but if you take your time to shop around for gear, it can be done on a budget. For instance, I just picked up a Penn 50 2 speed new in the box for much less than I could buy anywhere else new, by being patient and waiting for the deal to present itself.

I was also very fortunate to have some very experienced fishermen join me on my maiden voyage to the canyons. This is worth its weight in gold!! They showed me everything I had been wondering about for over a year. They brought tackle that was required. In addition they were kind enough to run my boat while I learned how to rig lines, outriggers and baits. This relationship is awesome, as I am now invited to fish with them on their boat and learn more.