Ok, here is the prized catch in our waters. Giant bluefin tuna in Massachusetts grow to be over 1,000 pounds!!! The record is almost 1,500 pounds!! Most of the fish we get are between 40-60 inches and 50-150 pounds. What a delicious fish and you’ll be amazed at how strong these fish are. Did I say that they swim 25+ mph? They’ll make you sore. It's amazing, but these fish will sometimes be on the surface everywhere, then disappear totally, only to surface 1/2 mile away. As often is the case, when you get into a school of fish it's total mayhem. Hearing the line burn off of the reel when they hit is unforgetable.
Most often we fish for tuna from Green Harbor or Plymouth. We typically troll for them, setting up 4-5 trolling rigs behind the boat with a set of teasers as well to bring the fish into our wake. We fish with daisy chains, spreader bars, cedar plugs, and with downriggers. Tuna often run at 50' below the surface, so keeping a lure down deep is a good tactic. But, seeing a tuna focus on your surface lure is something else. Depending on the time of the year, we fish for tuna on Stellwagen Bank, by Provincetown, by Wildcat Knoll, or even a few miles off of Boston's South Shore Coatt. We have caught them in 100' of water by the old "H" Buoy near Marshfield.
For those willing, we can "run-and-gun" them, chasing down schools of breaking fish and casting into the school with heavy spinning gear. That's a battle!
Seeing tuna breaking on the surface gets the blood flowing like never before. When you see the lures trolled 50' behind the boat, you don't think that you'll ever get a hit, but it works! There are times when we'll fish on top of the bluefish in the shallows of Stellwagen Bank. This, however, brings the greater chance of having bluefish hit our rigs. When this happens, it's not uncommon for all lines to get fish at the same time. That's an exhilerating feeling--you aren't immediately sure if you've "hit the jackpot!"
I like running my tuna trips from first light as I think that the morning bite is worth waking up early for and fully experiencing. It's amazing getting onto the fishing grounds before the birds. It's usually calmest in the early morning, giving us a chance to travel quickly, see the sunrise over the horizon, and even smell the fish. Yes, smell them. Ok, smell the bait that they're feeding on. The oils float to the surface and leave a slick that you can see and even smell!
We usually are trolling around whales, so there’s always something amazing to see. Imagine that, cruising around at 5 mph and having whales all around while they feed on the same things that the tuna are eating. These are mostly humpback whales, which are usually in the 40' range! I love the anticipation of tuna fishing. It's been said that this type of fishing is "plenty of boredom and anticipation followed by 20 minutes of complete mayhem each time a fish hits." Well, it's worth every bit of it!
Much like shark fishing charters, tuna fishing charters are a great way to entertain people through your business. That is to say, if you have an expense budget and want to show your customers or prospects a good time, think about fishing with us for tuna. As I explain in my section on shark fishing, these trips allow you to really get to know your customer and have them see the real you. As much as I host you on the Black Rose, in effect I am "hosting you hosting your customer". I understand how customer service works--I spent 10 years as a financial advisor and much time on the golf course and in restaurants. I can help you make a great impression.
And what an impression a nice bluefin tuna would make!!
