We gotta do the surfcasting for bluefin tuna thing.

[Patrick]

I am really obsessed with this idea of hooking a bluefin tuna from shore. I mean, REALLY obsessed. I've been thinking about it for days now.

Heres the plan. Penn 130ST International reel with a big game 130lb line test rod, unless they make a rod heavier, in that case, we'll use that. The International holds 950 yards of 130lb test. I figure we go with 250lb power pro which is equivalent to 80lb mono. Then we need a wind on fluoro carbon leader or at least a monofilament leader. I'm guessing 400lb test would do okay. For hooks, we gotta go with a 9/0 or larger hook.

Right? So we have our rig. Now all we need is a 8lb bluefish set under a break away float. This has to be a joint operation. I'm thinking at least 5 people. One person to catch a bluefish and kayak the bait out. One person to get in a wetsuit with a life preserver and korkers that will actually fight the fish. A wire man and gaffer. Plus two other people that hold safety lines attached to the fisherman and the wireman.

The fisherman sits in one of those stand-up bucket seats. If either the wireman or the fisherman gets tossed into the water, a 300 yard line is attached around the waist.

So who wants to do this? Anyone? If I get the back up, I volunteer to be the fisherman or the wireman since this is my twisted idea.

I think it would be dangerous but if we pulled it off, how incredible would that be? Of course it wouldn't be an IGFA record because we were using higher breaking strength than what is allowed. 130lb test for Bluefin tuna.

Any volunteers? It would probably take me 2 or 3 months to get the money for all the gear we would need.

Come on, it'll be fun and you might get to see me get injured or killed.

[JohnR]

You might want to add scuba gear for your lemmings when you try this, buddy. Bluefin tuna are known for pulling people out of boats and under water with the forces at play. Why do you think people are strapped into a fighting chair that is secured more deeply to the boat than the cleats and just about any other hardware? When those connections break and yer still strapped into a fighting belt, you go painfully over the side. In the first 30 seconds, you will have lost all of the air in your lungs from pure fright. Over the next minute, you will have past several atmospheres worth of depth without the abiliy to equalize. Should I go on with the results of when that happens?

IF, you were able to hook one of these things (your chances range from Zero to Highly-Unlikely), at worst you would become a human torpedo and at best, you would loose all the gear that took you months (years) to save up for. Besides, you would need someone else to catch the Bluefish to begin with, right? :P

Just drilling little holes in the hull of your plan... S#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g out all the fun, ya know??

** This has been a public service anouncement from the folks at Striped-Bass.Com **
As on the wonderful show "Jackass", don't be stupid enough to try this at home...

[Mr. Kav]

Is this for real ? Patrick I have never seen you before but if you are able to run up and down the beach holding a 130 lb set up with or with out a giant bluefin tuna on the other end of your line, then I wouldn't want to mess with you.

[Jaiem]

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!

[TheSpecialist]

Guys I'm not 100 percent on this but I believe a bluefin was taken in the canal a few years back.

[Roccus]

<<<So who wants to do this? Anyone? If I get the back up, I volunteer to be the fisherman or the wireman since this is my twisted idea. I think it would be dangerous but if we pulled it off, how incredible would that be?>>>

Yes, well...I think I have a better plan, Patrick. As long as you're volunteering to be the "hit man", let's instead take a harpoon connected to a thousand yards of Spectra or Dyneema 1/2 inch line. We'll have the line coiled up in an old wooden barrel (we can surely coax one out of the folks at Jack Daniels if we promise not to associate their name in any way with this venture). We'll carry this out to the middle of the Bourne Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal...may as well plan on Memorial Day weekend for maximum television coverage of the event.
You can sit in the barrel with the line wrapped around your waist and wave to the passing cars while we're waiting for bluefin to show up in the Canal. When a pod of them passes under the bridge we can use an old Norden bomb sight (acquired from the Orleans Army Navy store under the same deal we hammered out with the Jack Daniels people) to bullseye a passing bluefin.
When the fish takes off up-Canal, the Spectra/Dyneema will pay out until it comes taut at which point you'll come flying out of the Barrel like some sort of marine Evel Knieval and, equipped with a pair of those mini water skis they use for the Ft. Lauderdale water-ski clown act, you'll go rocketing up the Canal leaving a mighty roostertail behind. By the time you hit Cape Cod Bay the strain should begin to tell on the bluefin and I fully expect the fish will be gradually worn down by Patrick, the Human Drag.
By the time you hit P'town many Japanese buyers will surely be waiting waving $50,000 checks at us - as your business agent I'll deal with those greedy scum - and the only glitch I can see is if some confusion breaks out on the streets of Provincetown over the arrival of Patrick-in-Drag, rather than Patrick-"the"-Drag. But, judging from your recent posts, you appear to be a person of maximum flexibility and I'm sure you'll be able to improvise something to handle the situation.
The time is here, Patrick. Fame awaits you. Say the word...I'll set the wheels in motion.

[STEVE IN MASS]

Come on guys, let's talk him into it. It would be something to watch. Just think, we could sell tickets and make enough cash to fund Jenn's Clambake thingy!!!!!! ;P

[Jaiem]

Steve,

Not a bad idea.

But you know it's stunts like that which give real fishermen everywhere a bad name, not to mention I don't think Patrick couldn't ride his bicycle with a tuna strapped to the back.

[JohnR]

The guys at Niagra have nothing on the Ditch!!!

Ya know Roccus, I like your train of thought, but why stop at the Norden? If we were to infriltrate Davis-Monthan AFB, we might be able to find that B-29 (surely with a Norden Bomb Sight, Improved) that was used to drop the x-1 and x-2 series sonic flight test aircraft. We attach the barrel onto the mother ship and are now not limited to the Bourne Bridge. Of course, we'll loose some of the potential TV coverage but we can make that up by taking the newsies up in WII bomber, and then when they're aboard, spring the news of the, er, fishing expedition.

If we time it right, we can get him in the water before the herring run (if things don't work exactly as planned, there will be a chum slick someone can take advantage of) and he'll have enough momentum from the drop that the Bluefin won't get immediately spooked.

I volunteer to fly the plane as I have several thousand hours of computer flight simulater time. Obviously, that makes me wholly qualified for an adventure such as this...

Saltheart's knowledge of dropping "DENSE" objects at the ditch could assist him in Bomb/Nav duties...

Maybe we can get Mike Laptew to free dive at the splash point and film this entire event from under water....

Just my thoughts...

[Roccus]

<<<If we time it right, we can get him in the water before the herring run (if things don't work exactly as planned, there will be a chum slick someone can take advantage of) and he'll have enough momentum from the drop that the Bluefin won't get immediately spooked.>>>

Cook 'em, Danno!

I'm in, John...roll the cameras, I'll alert Rupert Murdoch...

[schoolie monster]

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.

I see you couldn't bait anyone into jumpin' on your tri-cycle/beach buggy post, so you went for something even more bizarre.

For someone who can't even catch a school bass, you seem fairly confident on hooking a giant bluefin. But Patrick, should you catch one, should you choose to accept this mission, you could sell your pelagic powerhouse to a fish market in the land of the rising sun and fund the rest of your schemes, scams, and scuttlebutt for the next five years.

Best of luck to you.

[Saltheart]

I like everything in general. just one detail I think we can improve on. The original scheme calls for Patrick to be in the barrel with the rope tied around his waste. This doesn't seem fair. The bluefin's life will be on the line , why should Patrick get off easy. I say that rope goes around his neck! If its a good plan , he'll be all right. If not , he'll be famous for at least one year as a Darwin Award Winner.

[Don M]

Hey John:
I believe you have seen, or should I say not seen my missing fingers. I lost them wiring a Giant in the 70's. I would love to see Patrick hooked up to a 900 pounder. Could you just picture this guy going across the top of the water like some kid on a tube being pulled by twin 225 hp Mercs.

A charter(who BTW was an excellent fisherman) once described being hooked up to a Giant " its like pulling in a corvette on steriods".
Have fun Patrick!

[Jaiem]

Never mind.

[JohnR]

Ok, folks, be gentle please....

Don, I didn't know that was how it happend. Now that I think of it, I had forgotten that you lost a finger since the first time I met you down Quonny several years ago...

[chris L]

rotflmao
patrick thats a pond off the ct coast line .

[Patrick]

Well I see we have no takers. I guess I'll have to bring in my own crew. You guys don't even have the dangerous job. It would be me and the wireman on the front lines. You guys would be the generals behind the line.

Live a little adventure guys

[Mike P]

Nah, being the generals means that we'd be watching a plan we dreamt up---we'd be more like the guys standing below the building as you were standing on the ledge, all yelling, "Jump, Jump!!!" -)

[JohnR]

Generals in a modern army wouldn't send the privates off to kill themselves for sport, would they? I don't think so.

So, what's the next Great Big Idea?

[Slipknot]

The next big idea will be negotiating the canal in a personal submarine outfitted with a speargun device to hunt down the mighty bluefin tuna or giant ocean sunfish or a 70 lb striper. I thought I saw a wake crossing the canal this morning, actually I did. It was probably a re-con mission, as it's too early yet for bluefin.

[JohnR]

Slip, you might be onto something. He was offline for 6 hours straight. Drive the Aston Martin to Sikorsky Field. Fly his jetcopter up to his secret Volcano Hideaway on Cuttyhunk. Lift Beethoven's head back to take the hidden Fire Pole behind the bookshelf down to the subterranean untersee sub pen and shove off in the Mystic II.

In the infamous words of Orthwein James Simpson "It could happen"

[Patrick]

Oh I see how it is. Now I'm fodder on that OTHER site. HA HA. All of you laugh now. Go ahead. People laughed at the Wright brothers, people laughed. I'm sure people laughed at the thought of taking mako sharks on a fly rod. People probably laughed when the first person wet-suited for stripers. Laugh now. With tackle getting better and better these days, sports evolve.

So laugh now. If you want to be on my team and be a pioneer, join me.

Let me also remind you, LARGE sharks, up to hundreds of pounds, are taken from the surf. I think I remember a VERY LARGE Tiger shark was taken from the surf.

Have fun with your snickers.

[Slipknot]

Are you bitter because the comedy was spread around? Come on, we're not laughing at you ,just with you. It is funny isn't it. I do think with the proper setup and alot of luck and the right timing you could chunk from the ditch shoreline and possibly land a school bluefin. And with a rec. permit you could keep it too if it is under 73" I think. I have a permit but it has to be for my boat not from shore. I think I would get alot of laughs at the DMF if I renewed my permit and asked to include shore fishing as well.

[JohnR]

The Wright Brothers were pioneers,
Robert Goddard was a pioneer,
Kelly Johnson was a pioneer (of sorts),
George Washington was a hero as was Martin Luther King.
These were all great men (not neglecting the ladies here, just trying to keep things simple). That's not to say that you will be neither a pioneer or a hero, but I see alot of dreaming and little doing. Don't take this as a challenge to be the first to land a Giant at the Ditch, because it's not.

Howard Hughes was a genius, but the Spruce Goose only flew once for 100 seconds never getting more than a couple hundred feet in the air. It's still rests where it was built, maybe a reminder to those that can't tell the difference between a taste of brilliance and a pipe dream.

A Bluefin can weigh in well over 7-8 times your weight. You cant' swim at 3 miles an hour let alone 30. There is no way that you could put the breaks to a 400 pound tuna by digging in with your Reeboks. It would probably not even realize you are there. Think about you largest fish, what 34 inches you say you got last year on the Reef on your first time fishing eels? Say about a 16-18 pound fish? That was the best fish fight of your young striper career. Multiply that by 22 times.

Oh I see how it is. Now I'm fodder on that OTHER site. HA HA. All of you laugh now.

You're the one that keeps getting caught scratching yourself. You're the one that urinates on olive branches handed out by people that were willing to give you a second chance. You're the one suffering from Optical Rectumitis. The only cure for that is to get your head out of your a$$.

[Dad of Squid Kid]

Slipnot,
Would that be the Yellow Submarine????Just wondering

[Jaiem]

Patrick,

If you really are serious about trying this somday, how about doing some first-hand upfront research first?

Get a driver's license and a job. Save some bucks and get a car. Then save some more bucks and take a couple of Helen H or Viking or similar party boat trip for canyon tuna. You'll see how it's done, what it takes and if you're good and do the right things you may have a chance to battle a tuna yourself.

Gotta crawl before your can run.

[Jenn]

no, no, no! stop it people! remember we WANT him to try! Just like Jack*ss we can all reap the monetary benefits of this! This fundraiser could really set us up for a great clambake in honor of Patrick!!! :O and with all the money we will rake in we could probably split all that is left over after the clambake and all go treat ourselves to new fishing gear, fishing trips and who knows what else!!!!

okay who would like to organize the "duties" sign up sheet ??? Count me in as your humble chef!!!!

[Patrick]

The spear fishing thing has been done. I was pretty interested in spearfishing until my speargun broke. I got all the freediving breathing down. Maybe I could take one spearfishing. People have taken huge billfish that way. You gotta shoot them a few times though. Let me see if I can find a picture. By the way, people spearfish for yellowfin tuna all the time. I know they are smaller than bluefins but still!

John, by the way, sorry about the message board. You know I didn't go out with the intent to crash it. Do I get royalties for the increase visitation? ;D

Oh yeah, this fish below is the World Record spearfished bluefin tuna. 655.2 lbs! It was speared by Paulo Gaspar in the Azores.

[Got Stripers]

Nope, not getting sucked into something, that doesn't even justify the amount of posts. You all need to get a life and Patrick, you clearly need help.

[coolerpup]

I think you all need to leave this kid alone. If he has a crazy idea to do this, then so be it. I dont see where he asked for the ignorant comments.
People thought the WRIGHT BROTHERS were crazy. Now they have this hugh memorial on the OBX where it all began. Patrick is not the one that needs to grow up, its everyone else.