any tuna ?

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by capecodder

Good stuff Flap. Has your experience been that you must be there at first light to find them? Headed out of the Pamet this coming Sat, but it will be after a night on the beach so not sure we'll make first light....

Absolutely. The fish in the bay are "retarded" as my good friend Dave LaPorte would say. We can't get them to hit anything that we troll out east of Chatham. The Chatham fish will devour a Daisy chain of squid, a spreader bar or GM with birds out front if they are in the area. But these CCB fish, and there are a lot of them, will hit a popper at first light then get lock jaw. We have trolled all day there and only once we got crashed and that was by a giant who thankfully did not get the hook stuck on a 30lb class outfit. Looked like someone dropped a kingsize bed on the rig when he hit. I rather would fish East of Chatham. We were out there last week east of the shipping lanes and got crashed six times in as many minutes. Got to go southeast of there now but pick your day and you can lnad ten or more. CC Bay is my home waters but the runand gun gets old fast and I was lucky yesterday to have even hooked up. It is exciting I will give you that but give me the fish east of Chatham anyday.

[thefishingfreak]

3 for three today on the PEGASUS in cc bay

two on black bars.
and one on a sm. bird-gm. combination.




thats what 2,500 horsepower on a 58' ocean does to 4-6 footers

[Vectorfisher]

Thats some serious wake there

[capecodder]

So let me ask for a little advice for my weekend trip. I have a single 30lb spinning setup with 30lb power pro. Also, some trolling setups in the 30lb class. I have 2 friends with me, newbies to stripers/tuna, and we have allocated Saturday to the tuna hunt as Friday and Sat nights will be eels on the backbeach. I have a permit but have never seen nor caught a SBFT.

If we're out of the Pamet by 5:00 am (18' Grady CC), would you recommend heading towards the SW corner and working to the H? Or would you shoot for the fishing ledge? Once there, do you guys troll while looking for the schools or cruise around? Do you look for bait on the finder? Any tips are appreciated. Last time at the ledge it was nothing but dogs finning everywhere...

I'm a considerate captain that is not going to crash anyones action, just looking to maximize the chance that we get a cast or two. Unfortunately the waters east of Chatham are not an option.

[thefishingfreak]

can't help you with location but trolling seems to be the way to go.
troll whear you think they are, or look for the birds. five or six white turns offshore is a good indication of tuna under them. if there's shearwaters there too? even better. cast at them if you can, but don't run too close to them, they spook very easy. troll arround the school and cast in the middle with small stuff. but if you overrun them don't blast up another 100' just mosey over there if you keep the same rpm's they will stay up.the ones we saw yesterday under the birds were 20#, so super-light approach would be the way to go.
for trolling i would put your two 30# outfits with green machines back about 40 feet and put your spinning rod and a small jet head about eight feet behind the boat rubber banded to a cleat so it's in the wash.

i'd save a few of those eels to toss into the blitz too

[Flaptail]

CapeCodder, trolling is not the way to go in CC Bay unless your targeting giants. Catching two after trolling all day with rigs is not very productive in my book especially from a fifty footer trolling God knows how many rigs. Might as well watch paint dry. If you want to troll them with a higher degree of success then go east of Chatham but your boat is a wee bit too small for that water. That being said if you want to catch fish in CC Bay get a chart and find Fishing Ledge. That's all you need to know. Get there right at or better yet just before sunrise. You will see them believe me. Cruise up on a pod and let go with any popping plug you have. Cut face traditional styles work better than pencils. Chrome with green, chartreuse or Mackerel patterns are best. If the popper floats even better. A three foot 30 pound Flouro leader to a good ball bearing swivel to the braid and a Breakaway 80lb speed clip completes the rig. Forget blind casting you need to put the plug right into the middle of the breaking fish and pop it good but not real fast. Nice and steady. You will know when you hook up and hold on. Watch for the lobster pot buoys and try to keep the fish away from them, which ain't easy. If you can't be there at dawn try ther evening. It doesn't mean they will not break in between those periods but it does seriously increase your chances of hooking up. The rest is up to you.

[capecodder]

Flap and Freak,
Thanks to both of you. I think Flaps method will be the way to go for me. May hit the SW corner as well. Then Ptown for bass afterwards.

I'll report back Monday...

[thefishingfreak]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

trolling is not the way to go in CC Bay unless your targeting giants. Catching two after trolling all day with rigs is not very productive in my book especially from a fifty footer trolling God knows how many rigs. Might as well watch paint dry.

hmmm,
in my book, trolling up three tuna on a 58 footer in 4-6 footers, with a 6hr charter, is very productive....
especially when the rest of the fleet is home... and there's no fish showing on the surface.

[sportsman]

thats 2,500 horsepower on a 58' ocean

And you can almost see the gas guage moving!!!!