The Tuna Shuffle

It was my first time out on a tuna trip. I heard stories of the hustle and bustle and overall mayhem of getting into a tuna “boil” and wanted to see what the hub bub was all about.  After rounding up some friends we chartered a tuna boat and were hungry for action.  Most of us had never gone out on a tuna trip before and we were anxious to give it a try.

Recent fishing reports told us that there was more than a good chance we’d hit a school or two, but at the same time we were ready to get skunked just in case.  After a night of a few beers in the galley we all got some shuteye below deck while the boat drove to the fishing grounds overnight.

It was around 4 or 5am when the bell first rang.  We hit tuna!  My friends and I ran to the deck and the mate was busy chucking bait to keep the tuna in a frenzy.  The sea was "boiling" from all the tuna swirling around just beneath the waves.

After baiting our circle hooks we were ready to catch some tuna. Bam! Before Iknew it I was hooked on to tuna. A few moments later all my friends around me also got fish on the line. It was then when all hell broke lose.

As with any party boat the biggest problem is tangled lines from the anglers next to you.  Your line gets cut by other lines screaming out from the fish other anglers have on. Nothing cuts a line like butter than a screaming line running across other lines.

“Follow your fish!” the deckhands yelled.  Unfortunately a friend of mine was too groggy for the instruction to register when his line ran across a whole row of fishing lines. “Tink..tink..tink”  There went three lines and some rather disgruntled anglers.

Soon the air was full of shouts of “Over” and “Under” as anglers dipped under each other to follow their fish. The “tuna shuffle”  After about 15 minutes of hauling line to get the tuna up I yelled “Color!” --a term used to indicate your fish is up and ready to be gaffed.  I bagged a nice 30lb tuna but it wasn’t over yet. The frenzy was still on and the deckhand had already baited my line and I was at it again within another 5 minutes.  By the end of the boil we all ended up with some pretty good sized fish and everyone had at least caught one. A good time was had by all and I can't wait to go after tuna again.

Shark Bite

On a warm May morning my friends and I set off on my 36-foot fishing boat into the gulf stream for a few days of fishing.  We trolled all morning and the fishing was good.  By lunch our live well was filled with yellowtail snappers and groupers.

After lunch we pulled up the anchor and went to troll the edge of the gulf stream.  I rigged up two of the yellowtails for bait and put them on the outriggers.  Less than an hour had passed when one of the outriggers bounced with a strike.  On the end of the line was a 600-pound blue marlin.  I fought the fish for 10 minutes when all of a sudden the once tight line went to slack.  I continued reeling in the line and only the head of the marlin was on the end of it.  The marlin probably never knew what hit him.  It is estimated that a 3,000+ pound shark severed the marlin in one gigantic bite.  I have plenty of pictures and will remember that day forever.