Anyone (local) want to try fresh bigeye tuna steaks? PICKUP ONLY, no delivery, no meet half-way. Beer greatly accepted for exchange but not required (no LIGHT beers, IPAs take priorty! ) First come first served. PM me for addy & phone, call before coming to make sure some still available.

Going fast but I had 3 plugs worth, about 50-60lb class

Offer is also posted on FB so get it quickly. I will not put names on bags and hold for you.

This was from the 3-day trip you posted recently? How was the trip, how was the weather, how was the action?

This was from the 3-day trip you posted recently? How was the trip, how was the weather, how was the action?


Trip will be remembered by all aboard!!! Weather was perfect but HOT. The ships A/C wasn't able to keep the sleeping area cool so uncomfortable sleeping, many fished through the night slept during the day.

Final tally: 83 bigeys ranging from 30-110lbs, 5 yellowfin 60-80lbs, 12 mahi 15-18lbs, 12+ skipjacks.

some underwater video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYMOTY_f95U

sounds like a great trip. how about some pics? is there a website report?

83 big EYES. Holy shnikes. 1 big eye and or a sword is every canyon runners dream. Awesome
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sounds like a great trip. how about some pics? is there a website report?

facebook :)

My videos go up on youtube, channel "thebeereel"

How do you know those less than 100 pound fish were bigeyes and not yellowfins?

How do you know those less than 100 pound fish were bigeyes and not yellowfins?

I think the Viking Fivestar crew are experts and know how to ID a tuna! Banding patterns when lit up are different between yellows and bigeyes for one.

They did have trouble once the fish were on ice and cleaned, plugs looks similar.

I think the Viking Fivestar crew are experts and know how to ID a tuna! Banding patterns when lit up are different between yellows and bigeyes for one.

AFAIK the only way to positively identify one from the other open them up and see if there is a white strand in the body cavity and striations on the liver. I know some of those guys and IMHO you killed 83 yellowfins, but that's not your fault. Quick question can you see the difference in the color of the meat between the "yellowfins" and the "bigeyes"? Bigeye meat is much darker than yellowfin meat. Its more like bluefin than yellowfin.

That last post may have across stronger than I meant it. I'm glad you had a enjoyable trip and caught a lot of fish. I just think the crew duped you into keeping fish over the limit to try and make sure you come back again.

I knew this was going to be a great trip. It killed me not to go. Really glad you guys had a great trip.
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AFAIK the only way to positively identify one from the other open them up and see if there is a white strand in the body cavity and striations on the liver. I know some of those guys and IMHO you killed 83 yellowfins, but that's not your fault. Quick question can you see the difference in the color of the meat between the "yellowfins" and the "bigeyes"? Bigeye meat is much darker than yellowfin meat. Its more like bluefin than yellowfin.

I have eaten bluefin, albacore and several yellowfins and this was NOT yellowfin meat :)

I just think the crew duped you into keeping fish over the limit to try and make sure you come back again.

Sorry but I call BS on that!!!!!!

The second dorsal and anal fin are too different to mistake a yellowfin for a big eye in my opinion.
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O.K. Believe what you will, but I have one more comment before I let it rest. All of the canyon fleet considers it a huge success if they come back with one or two bigeyes. The commercial canyon fleet considers it a success if they come back with 4 or 5 bigeyes. Real sharpies that are in the right place at the right time may catch ten of them, and that includes the Viking boats run by the very same crew. And you expect me to believe that 6 guys caught 83 bigeyes? If that is true you guys should have sold them, bigeyes bring anywhere from $6 to $15 a pound, you could have made a profit on the trip.

Mike, did he say he expects you to believe anything? I am sure you believe your opinion is valuable, but do you think your input here is accomplishing anything at all? Do you really think none of those fish hit the market? You come off as nothing more than a skid stain on this thread.
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Offer is now CLOSED! Everything is gone, thanks for the IPAs. Hope you enjoy your bigeye (or whatever :) ) steaks!

Babykillers!
Frownyface.
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Babykillers!
Frownyface.
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You are so jealous! :)
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Maybe you can ID from these pics MakoMike! You have no F*ckin clue where we were fishing, everyone reports close in canyon bigger bigeyes, we were so far out beyond the canyons we found the nursery of LEGAL sized fish!

There's a great 27 page pdf with lots of pics of fresh and not so fresh fish, I can't figure out how to link to it but If you Google yellowfin vs bigeye it's the 1st [pdf] result.
"A handbook for the identification of yellowfin and bigeye tunas".
Very interesting stuff.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/thefishingfreak/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2015-08-23-18-50-17_zpssyjpa3nv.png (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/thefishingfreak/media/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2015-08-23-18-50-17_zpssyjpa3nv.png.html)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/thefishingfreak/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2015-08-23-18-49-16_zpso1vz1vdp.png (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/thefishingfreak/media/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2015-08-23-18-49-16_zpso1vz1vdp.png.html)
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There's a great 27 page pdf with lots of pics of fresh and not so fresh fish, I can't figure out how to link to it but If you Google yellowfin vs bigeye it's the 1st [pdf] result.



Like this?


http://sih.ifremer.fr/content/download/6119/44603/file/BE_YF_ID_FRESH_v2.pdf

Ding ding
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You are so jealous! :)
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Ding ding ding
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GerturdH for a 1st time offshore bluewater had the most unbelievable/unforgetable EPIC trip! He told me on the way down he'd be totally happy with pulling in a mahi......well he got mahi, bigeyeS (many), yellowfin, skipjack, tuna on conv & tuna on spinner, trolling, jiggin', chuming, every way possible!



ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

Excellent work Buzz!
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Wouldn't the much longer second dorsal on the yellow fin compared to the big eye be all you need to know ?
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Wouldn't the much longer second dorsal on the yellow fin compared to the big eye be all you need to know ?
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Those aren't that developed in smaller fish.
Those long sickle fins, or 2nd dorsals, grow with age.

Thanks.
Just curious, are they a different color as small fish ?
Some pictures I've seen show the sickle fin as quite yellow. Albeit larger fish.
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Wouldn't the much longer second dorsal on the yellow fin compared to the big eye be all you need to know ?
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On smaller fish, Particularly in the Atlantic variety those elongated second dorsals aren't noticeable until the fish gets quite large. The Pacific variety develops the elongated second dorsal at muich smaller sizes.

I was on this trip. I work for a fish dealer. I wanted to hook up my coworkers with fish. I grabbed 2 small plugs out of the batch to bring home to practice cutting, and have the cutters teach me. 40-50# They both were bigeye. Ya can't believe it because it was an unbelievable trip. Good luck.
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There's no way to tell bigeye meat from yellowfin meat by sight. Might be guessing better of darker to lighter on eyes to yellow but no way to tell. Someones jelly!
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Yo Christian!

Here you go Christian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-dLJOloBtc

PRBuzz doing similar, this is just the last 2 min of a 20 min fight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o70GhVGbAKs

The only definitive way to tell is the liver esp in smaller big eyes. One has dark stripes the other doesn't. To be honest I never caught a big eye less than 110#.
I have opened both them up and compared the two and it is very different and easy to tell.
Trying to tell from banding and fins is really sketchy.

No matter it sounds like a great trip. Personally I don't see the need to kill 83 fish but it sounds like you had plenty of action. Heading out there Fri/Sat and I hope to catch one! :)

There seems to definitely be a different mentality of the fishermen on a paid charter than a friendly trip to the edge.