Only a Week Later

[RicM]

After buying tuna permits for three years and carting those damn tuna rods around, I finally went tuna fishing today at the Mudhole, about 8 nm ESE of Block Island.
Godamn if I didn't catch a tuna! Looks like a small bluefin to me. Can you say "sushi"?

[Russell]

Man that is fantastic. Congratulations and tell us how you did it.

[jcollins]

Great looking fish! Job well done!

[RicM]

Basically I think I just got really lucky, but here's the run down. The Mudhole is an area about 6-8 nm ESE of Block Island. Usually in the fall there is about a 2-4 week window where bluefin tuna, both footballs (like this one) and some giants (reputedly as large as several hundred lbs) show up and feed on plentiful bait and the bycatch of several draggers that work the area almost every day. We were trolling with 4 lines, two 50# setups on sideriggers, custom tuna rods with Accurate 665 reels & 50# PowerPro braid. Starboard siderigger had a bird followed by a green hex head. The port siderigger had a white hex head only. Two rods vertical in the aft rodholders, cheapo Benny's rods with cheapo Penn trolling reels & 50# mono, with a green machine on one and a purple hex head on the other. All hookups were on the bird/green hex or the green machine. 2 bonito and 1 football size bft in about 2 hours of trolling. Trolling speed at about 6kt. The hits were electrifying, reels screem and line peels off like crazy, even with these small fish. Very different from bass fishing, very addictive. REALLY exciting!

[JackK]

Nice fish Ric. Fire up the grill. Tuna steaks at Ric's place! I was trying to get out to the Mudhole but had other commitments Maybe next weekend.

It is very addicting to hear the line go off like that. They say once you catch a giant you won't want to fish for anything else.

I did manage a small bonito last night on ultra-light gear. When the line is peeling off down to the backing it sure is exciting.

[Legacy]

Try chumming with herring and butter fish at the mudhole and scale your gear way down. Went out last week and mostly fished 10-15 pound test. No fish story - - 100 Green Bonita, 18 bluefin, six false albacore and a small mako. Fish the edges or get next to one of the draggers as they are hauling up. some 80# fish around too but we didn't get any so keep your heavy stuff on board. Also saw some giants jumping - - coolest spectacle on earth!

[Elizabeth Ann]

Nice Fish!!!!