Peter's tuna day - without me!

Finally got Peter to write up some trip notes on his Tuna Day (without me! have I said that before?)
here it is.....enjoy!
*********************

Got the disappointing news on Friday that my usual fishing mate, Swoffer Darwin, would not be joining me Saturday for a day on the water.  The missus is away and I just can’t sit at home and twiddle my thumbs - so I figured, I can ‘go it alone’.  

I had a look at the BOM METEYE and found that the wind might be in my favour for a good part of the day.  I also heard the ol’ fishing bloke on 104.9 say that he thought Lee Point would be good given the tides, water clarity, etc.  

Got all my stuff together and set out about 6:30am.  Turns out my boat is just small enough to manage on my own.  It was a bit of a struggle without any help but no worries.  On my way to the launch I realise I’m low on flies.  I think to myself, could the Stig be up?  Of course he’s up, he has two kids under 6.   So I text him and then head off to fuel up.  The boat’s had the same fuel in it for months, have to mix with new before going out.  While fuelling, Stig answers the text and I head straight for his place to pick up a donation of ½ a dozen flies, to go with the other dozen he’d already gifted me.  I have to get my tying room set up toute de suite. J

The run from Dinah to Lee Point was mostly calm and uneventful, with the exception of a bit of uncomfortable quartering sea, salt spray in my face between Cullen Bay and East point.  I then rounded East Point to thankfully encounter better wind/water conditions.

Arrived at Lee Point about 8:15am and set the electric anchor next to the reef.  There was plenty of visible bait in the water and soon after - the mackerel showed up.  Two of the flies the Stig had just given me were bit off almost immediately.  I tied a wire lead on the next one and landed two small Macks, probably 50 cm range.  Something bigger then hit and broke me off. 

I put on a surf candy and landed three more small macks, all of which were visible to cast to.  While fighting these small, fly stealing fish, I looked out towards Gunn Point and saw several birds about 800 - 1200 meters out.  

I watched this for several minutes before deciding that I better go and check it out.  While powering towards the birds and what looked like slashes, I could tell these were tuna!  My knees started to knock and the heart started pumping feverously.  

I got close to small schools of surface disturbing tuna on several occasions and did my best to follow the birds and slashing fish, jumping from helm to top deck each time I powered in close to them.  

It’s unbelievable how fast these creatures move from spot to spot. It had me wondering if it was the same fish after they’d move 600 meters in what seemed like a couple of seconds.  My tuna following tactics took me further west towards the hospital and I finally got right next to a 30-40 strong school of tuna within a cast length of the boat.  

I cast in front of 3 fast moving fish swimming within 15cm of the surface and watched one turn and grab the Stig’s green and white heavily weighted clouser.  I lifted the rod like any good Canadian would and off it went, burning a line into my left index finger as I tried to get the line off the floor without any tangles. It hit the reel with about 50kgs of start-up inertia and I was into my backing in what seemed like a nanosecond.  yeeh haaaah! (note from editor: read that with a huge Canadian drawl) 

I tried to tighten the drag and got knuckle busted pretty good.  It ran hard into the backing a couple of times and then stopped on a dime on the 3^rd run and started coming back at me as fast as it had left.  I tried to pick up line with my Bauer Jr Mac but all of a sudden it turned and went away again.  I felt it tighten up again and pop, it was gone.  

Disappointment set in and I started wondering what I’d done wrong.  After a couple seconds of deep, analytical brain function, I figured it was my Canadian style trout lift/strike that had resulted in a poorly set hook.  Dang!

So with the vigour associated with semi-success and the feel of the power of these fish, I got back at it and started chasing again.  I chased and chased but couldn’t get close after several attempts.  

I had a dark-side rod along and started looking at it longingly.  Assuming that I could get a jig into them from much further away I broke all my own personal, purist rules and picked it up.  All of a sudden, there were tuna everywhere around the boat.  

With dark side rod in hand, I flicked the jig, hooked up briefly but it came off.  The fish remained close to the boat so I picked up the fly rod again.  The line had been out on the floor and was tangled from the wind so I was unable to cast and all of a sudden, it all went quiet.  

Realising that I was more than able to get close enough for the fly, I put the gear rod away.  I continued to chase what appeared to be groups of 20 or more tuna and I hooked up to 3 more fish on the surf candy and another big minnow pattern I tried, none of which stayed on the line for more than 3-5 explosive seconds.  

I was getting very frustrated and then things died off completely. No more fish.  I thought for sure that I’d missed the opportunity but was happy that I’d been into one good one and a couple of brief hook-ups.  I anchored again and the tide started to turn. 

An hour or so went by without much in the way of sightings.  

The tide was now moving out and I could see a few birds further in towards Buffalo Creek/Shoal Bay.  I motored over to see what it was, assuming packs of small Queenies as we’d seen here many times before.  

To my surprise, it was multiple packs of tuna in what appeared to be 30+ strong schools.  These fish seemed more aerial and aggressive than before.  I motored within a cast length and immediately next to the boat, 30-40 tuna were hitting bait and splashing everywhere, not caring that I was there.  

I put a cast in front of 2 particular fish, stripped several times and both followed fast.  One grabbed the fly within 4 rods lengths with an amazing full side view.  

This time, I strip set the hook much more aggressively and off it went like a freight train in a tail wind.  After multiple tangles of the Rio Leviathan running line throughout the day, I totally panicked as the fish was tearing the line through my hand, unbelievably it all went out behind the fish and hit the reel with similar force of the previous fish earlier in the day.  

This time I could tell that the hook up with good and I played the fish out over approximately 20 mins.  It finally came close enough for the gaff and in it came.  What a moment of excitement that was, my first tuna on the fly!  

I leaned over and hit the button on the GoPro, mounted on top of the motor and held the fish proudly for a few seconds of video.   

Wow, talk about being totally frickin’ worn out and elated after all that.  After calming down, having a cold drink and catching my breathe, I realised that I’d actually been into at least 7 tuna thus far, fortunately having landed one. 

The fish continued to bust up in several places within about 3 square kms.  I followed a couple schools, got close once more but the running line tangled as I tried to put a cast into them.  I cursed and vowed to send Rio a strongly worded e-mail about their shitty, bailing wire running line.  

All went quiet again and I motored back to the tip of the reef where a couple of boats were anchored.  I saw some good fish movement close to the reef so thought I’d anchor there and make some late lunch.  The anchor came on and I laid out a long cast adjacent to the reef.  Just as the line landed on the water, 11-12 tuna swam next to the boat and right under my running line.  

Holy crap, it was amazing to see them in formation like that.  I stripped fast as….but couldn’t see where they’d gone by the time the line came in.  I motored around on the electric and saw some nervous water about ¾ of a cast away.  

I put a cast into the middle of it, strip strip strip and the line came tight very quickly.  I was on again with a great fish.  I followed it out to deeper water assuming it was a trevally after it had gone into my backing twice.  The tide slowly drifted us back towards the reef and I set the anchor about 8 boat lengths to a small tinnie with two local blokes in it.  

They watched closely, wondering what I’d hooked on to. The fish showed itself and it was a bigger tuna.  It circled the boat about 15 times, I horsed this one more aggressively because I was running 30 pound Maxima off the nail knot.  

He had so much power I couldn’t get him close enough to hand.  After 20 or more minutes, I was about to get into gaff position and it did one more pump out past the electric motor, which was on anchor at this point.  All of a sudden, a huge shark, which I’d estimate to be in the 3+ meter range, came up and hammered the tuna right in front of the boat.  I let the pressure off hoping it could swim away but the line went slack and the cut leader came in with no fly attached.  What a moment that was.  Both the guys in the tinnie went mad with excitement having just watched that shark attack. 

Totally spent after the long day and the shark incident, I decided to pack it all in.  I had 8 tuna on in one day with one in the esky so I was satisfied to quit at this point.  Fish were still busting up all over the place, which was hard to turn my back on but it was now 4:30pm and I had 20+ km run and a boat to clean up and put away.  I’m guessing but I think I sighted as many as 150 – 200 tuna within 4 boat lengths throughout the day.   Boy oh boy, it’s great to be home!

 Peter 

Editors note:

and next day he gets into the big bad ass queenfish (93cm his newest PB)

and he said "I will just drive the boat today!!"

two different days - two different prominent fish

So all Saturday I am getting messages
Now these are the types of messages no fly fisherman wants to get after turning down a fishing trip
They went like this
"Just lost a tuna after a 3-4 minute fight!"

"They've stopped - I saw at least 30 individuals- Drive me crazy"

Then a few messages back and forth concerning his faulty start up battery

Then - "TUNA BACK - BYE"

"That was brief"

Later on
'In em again - lost one"

No messages for a while so I write back - "got one yet??"
No reply for a while longer

Then
"Lost another - I am going nuts"

How did this come about........
With Peter keen to get as much fishing as possible with his wife away, when I could not get away from family commitments to be a deckie, he offered others to join but still no takers - so he went by himself

The weather was better than it had been for a while wind wise and the tuna, thus Peter too, took advantage of it

And Peter found himself amongst the tuna more than ever before. These messages where making me go nuts too - sitting at home finishing student reports and doing house work

The next message was - "I finally got one - I am going to faint!"

The selfie he sent just didn't do the fish justice or Peter's efforts to get a tuna while solo on the boat
well done Peter. (remember about sun angles when taking photos please!)

His tally for the day was 8 hooked, one sharked just before the netting took place and one to hand for sashimi

Now we had planned to go together on the Sunday, so I was really looking forward to getting out there at 6am Sunday morning given the above action the day before.

Even tied 20 silicone surf candies and 10 salty gurglers the night before to ensure I was ready to go

Sunday morning Peter was a little stiff and sorry for himself when I arrived, but we eventually got the boat loaded and soon found our selves launching at Dinah Beach Boat Ramp

Launching at Dinah Beach had its usual hassles with "anglers" with no idea, no etiquette, and could not even begin to explain how they do what they do while doing it wrong! (stupid!!!!)
Ensure you can start your motor before you get to bottom of ramp, take the straps off at top of ramp, what ever you do get out of everyone's way while you screw it up!
Better still grow a brain!!!

Anyway after waiting for the crazy brain dead people to get out of the way - we zoomed off
as the water was as flat as

We stopped for nothing till we get almost to Lee Point where we found a couple of tuna porpoising around the surface

A few other boats about with lure tossers on board but sadly kept bombing the fish, we were carefully targeting, by racing into the middle - in fact probably only putting the fish down

Given this we headed on to the Main area we fish in anticipation of a good day's SWOFFING ahead if the tuna were already about

The tide was rising but the reef was already past the point that would trap the bait against it - so that didn't help

So we after a while of looking for targets like small macks, trevs and queenies - close to the main reef - and finding nothing - we head a touch further north to a pinnacle Peter had fished before

On a high tide this Pinnacle (now called Pete's Hump) sits in 10m of water and of about 5-6m in height itself. With no fish showing on the surface and only the sounder showing schools of bait and the occasional big fish being indicated on the sounder. So blind casting it was till we found other action around us. We don't mind blind casting here as we have always found large fish about it. And today proved no exception.

We would cast to the front quarter of the boat and as the line sank and move with the tidal flow towards the back of the boat all the time anticipating a take on the drop and drift, then when at an angle to the back of the boat and the fly had sunk deep, we would start a stop pause or fast staccato or mixture.

(be careful here with your sinking lines as I now have an 8w and a 10w full sinking line that are not that full anymore - bugger!)

Sixth cast I come up tight to a strong fish - backing almost instantly out the rod tip on the first run. The fish on each run for the horizon used the tidal flow masterfully against me. We should have stopped trying to guess the species as eventually the line angled towards the surface and the tell tale image of a large queenfish exiting the water in a manner typically crazy of a queenfish, flopping about as it returns to the water with very if any style or poise.

I was sooooo stoked at seeing the size and thickness of the jumping fish for it has been a while between big fish for me, I have been watching Peter catch them regularly but never quite getting them to hand myself (I am too hard on the fish at times). So this fish was significant to say the least - well if only for my inner ego.

The tightness of the line, the irresistible steady pull of line off the reel - all creating a buzz in me that nothing else can
JUST LOVE MY SWOFFING - bring it on!

Peter missed a couple of netting chances, had it slip off one, then with a final grab that almost saw him fall out of the boat we had it on board for photos

At 91cm the largest in four years

The fly was a silicone surf candy number 1 hook - it took it right down and left a bit (?) of blood on it such was the depth of hook up. I tried several other flies, bigger, and type but the one all the fish wanted on Sunday was the silicone surf candy.

I was using 20lb leader and was very worried during the fight as to whether the leader would wear through (or the fish get taken by a shark like one of Peter's tuna did yesterday). The leader was very frayed so I was lucky

About 10-15minutes later Peter also gets a big queenie
This one 93cm

Sinking flies down deep can be a bit boring but with nothing else showing we kept at it
Peter lost one very strong fish after several minutes of back and forth - things like this kept us casting

I got the fright of my life once when the hugest flash of side on body, that occurred right behind my fly as I stripped - only a rod length from the boat as it slashed at the fly and turned. It had to be one of the biggest trevallys I have seen in a while - so clearly was it seen in the clear water - it is still burnt in my memory of a lost opportunity.
For the few moments after the episode - I was full of excitement, fear and regret all at the same time

Tarpon were also present - they fight so strongly and never give up - as soon as you hook them you know it to be a tarpon - then when on the surface its starts jumping - awesome!

This one went 51cm but I had a bigger one on that finally threw the hook after three contorting jumps and twists out of the water - spectacular fly fishing!

 We caught heaps and heaps 40-50cm queenies as well but you had to be deep, small trevally too.
But as the tide turned the fish moved on and so did we
With nothing about we searched and searched

We found tuna again but small groups spread out and although we came close - no hook ups. however it was fantastic (and frustrating!) to see the tuna zipping about just under the water searching for baitfish

The increasing wind made the whole aspect of targeting the tuna so hard. The tuna also stopped showing themselves

We found some small macks and targetted them for a while - they were very tentative - following the fly and rarely hooking up - but they too kept us casting

We search around the reefs towards Shoal Bay hoping for fish to target but instead found a 3.5-4m croc floating above the reef. As we came near the croc dropped out of sight. We followed along near by hoping it would rise up again but it sulked on the bottom eventually evading us and we lost it amongst the reef area. The smudge in next image is the croc under the water 15 feet down

Come 4pm - Peter was done (me too) so we headed back into harbour to the boat ramp - the trip uncomfortable with the increasing wind and swell

So two days - two species prominent - one on each day - but over all heaps of fun in the local Darwin Harbour. We are getting much better at handling the wind - at times during the day the wind was recorded at 18-23knots.

I was glad to bag a big fish for a change (although Peter pipped it by 2cm only 15 minutes later)

Cant wait to get out there again and get amongst it

Go a head - tie some flies - cast them to some structure or actively feeding fish - and hopefully get a zinging taunt line as the result

See you out there!

Windy day on Darwin Harbour

Well we knew the weather, as in the wind, would be crap!

But both of us were crazy desperate for a SWOFF (a fly fish in saltwater)
Instead of a big long weekend out of Dundee Beach the wind forecast had us fishing day trips in Darwin harbour

But even as we readied the boat at Peter’s at 5:30am – the wind was crap

Launching the boat at 6:20 and the wind was crap

All the wet salt  spray trip to Weed Reef - the wind was crap

I think you get the picture!

Weed Reef was devoid of fish life

However, we kept casting – we kept looking for signs of fish activity

We eventually ended up at the place we have fished many times before at the gravel edge as the water surges off the flats with the outgoing tide

Nothing was showing but in only a few casts Peter was on –

Peter got a few while I got nothing – so I changed to a tiny white clouser

But this usual performer didn’t make the grade

Peter was into several other fish to my one 35cm Brassie trevally

So I upsized my fly

See here the white clouser with mono weed guard I changed to

And then the next fly the much larger blue/grey clouser

the bigger fly was instant success - I got three fish in four casts – go the fly change!

up or down or colour - can't hurt!

But we occasionally were seeing late swirls of fish attacking the flies we were retrieving

So Peter said we should change to a surface fly – both of us kept casting

Then off to my left I spy a larger queenie hitting bait just under the surface - you could see its flash and swirl 

Now the wind is still crap and howling up to Weed Reef from Middle Arm – wind chop was large and intense, not my usual situation for a surface fly as too mush wave noise and too hard to find the fly in all the wind chop

But I give it a go and in three casts get three fish – all good queenies (well compared to ones we had been catching) -  One went 65cm. I went through a hot patch of many fish and Peter also changes to a surface fly

One of my versions of a gurgler - seen here abouts

There is NOTHING better than seeing a fish attacking a surface fly - nothing!

Peter missed a few fish on his surface fly and then after a while it all went quite – except the wind – which was crap! And making the day crap! – Hate the wind!

But both of us kept casting, kept SWOFFING as we knew it would soon turn into a good day

Time now 9am.

We ventured slowly due to wind slop waves to Talc Head

Searched the flats behind it out of the wind and wave – got a bit excited about some slashes in the shallows that amounted to not much – bugger

We then started the cross over of the harbour but those waves were nuts and the wind was … you guessed it _ _ _ _! 

Add to that the ride was rough, bumpy and wet

We search Kaitlyn Beach, Cullen Bay mouth, cruise along the shoreline heading to East point = but zip, nada!

East Point was a bust with nothing showing - but now the wind seems to be getting less.

Despite knowing the ride back would be as rough as - if the wind didn’t lessen – we head off to Lee Point

On arrival some bait danglers are in our favourite spot - how dare they!

So we move a touch inshore from them further along the reef and start casting – nothing again

Round two o’clock – we start to write off the day to bad wind and begin to head back to Dinah Beach boat ramp – but……….

But finally we see some bird action – when close we also see a few slashes

This in the area south of the reef we fish towards the Hospital building in the distance 

Peter on front deck, a meter higher than me, starts to see thick schools of baitfish moving through

They are getting herded up against the shallow reefs by predators and we too join in targeting the predators

Peter sees bait passing boat, next thing he is on – we call it for a tuna given its thickness and length

Peter is pumped to say the least after a day of much wind and only 35-45cm fish for the boat (aside from my couple of larger queenies on the surface fly)

This fish has three great runs into Peter’s backing – he gets the line back and off it goes again

We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves to say the least!

Eventually it comes to hand and we both high fives and give a little (maybe no so little!) “yahoo!” with this 80cm mack

Now we are seeing birds in large groups above many schools of macks, trevs and queenies.

This is more like it 

Peter hits a hot patch and is getting fish after fish. We chase birds, we see nervous water - we cast - we get more fish to tighten our lines – well Peter more than me!

Peter loves his Silicone Surf Candies (see this link for the tying method blog of the fly)

I am using an extended body version of this fly - helps with bite offs with fly tied in at bend of hook which usually works as well as the normal version. But after Peter's many fish I change over to the Standard pattern and am instantly on.

This one particular fly became a sort of lucky charm for Peter. it wasn't bit off by the big mack rather pinned the toothy critter right in the jaw hinge 

He then catches a little yellow tail pike and had to check his leader which had a few nicks in as he didn't want to loose his magic silicone surf candy!

We cruise past on the electric the land based anglers at Lee Pointwho are out of casting distance of the action - so nice to have a boat We are chasing the circling birds whom are over baitfish being hammered by predators as they work along the current lines

To the side of one area of mayhem, Peter sees a small patch of nervous water (bait school tight against the surface  wrippling it) - he puts in a rapid "speccy" cast and instantly hooks up with a hard fighting Golden Trevally that ran rapid circles around him while the boat was on electric anchor.  

It soon also comes to hand - Peter is having an awesome afternoon !
several times he would see surface activity accurately cast near the disturbance and then after a couple of strips of the fly, hook up - textbook!

He still hasn't lost his lucky fly !

Again hooked in just the right spot of the large siphoned rubber lips of the Golden Trevally

 

He did eventually lose his lucky fly but I had given him a box of them for Xmas last year so he was back into fish quickly

We chase birds, slashes and nervous water - and we cast till we could not cast one more time

We caught 30 or more fish in the space of a couple of hours - this after a very hard day in crappy wind and rough water

While we were happy given the conditions earlier in the day to catch a few before 9am - the afternoon with the wind finally under 10 knots - the water came alive and we revelled in its wonder and glory! 
Don't you just love fly fishing in saltwater !! (SWOFFING)

In that final session at Lee Point - we caught fish after fish and you could not have taken the smile off our faces. a great time for the first time back in the SALT for awhile for Peter after being home to Canada for a couple of months

The trip back to ramp was almost pleasant even!

Still I was very tired by the time we had washed the boat and said our good byes

Still had to clean a few fish for daughters and prepare the off cuts for the two cats

But you do what ya gotta do to do what you want to do!

See you on the water

Sunday is a late start on harbour again

Monday might be freshwater - we shall see!

Wind still Crappy!

Here's a crappy video clip on part of the fight with the mack that at the time we thought was a tuna!

my video cam I wear on my hat isn't working so this was taken with my iphone

Foam post Baitfish slider

There are so, so many creative tiers out there - tying some fantastic flies

Some of the stuff you see on the web is mind blowing in detail, in innovativeness or creative use of materials or sometimes all of the above

Some of the materials used, how it is used is beyond comprehension til someone shows you how or provides images

Until the fly tyer comes up with the idea

One creative tyer that comes to mind is....

Jay "fishy" Fullum is a regular contributor to the US based Fly Tyer magazine and the stuff he does is incredible as to the materials and their use – go to their web site or search the web for his stuff

I have been getting the Fly Tyer magazine since I don’t know how long, I have the entire collection of magazines - all that has ever been printed

And the first thing on arrival - I always would turn to would be - Fishy’s regular column. 

Always Inspiring! constantly dragging you to the tying desk to start tying the next innovative fly presented in his regular column

That is not to discount the countless others out there of course

Sometimes you get a one hit wonder like a rock band on the radio with only one song ever that makes the charts

But others are long term contributors

Some tie stuff so weird it is useless but it gives an idea you wouldn't have thought of without them

Now I like to tie flies, it is a big as part of my SWOFFING as any part of this my favourite pastime

But I am not that creative - far from it 

                                  

But rather I can take this one idea and inflame it, take one idea and join it with another

Not all of it works but its fun testing them

Recently I saw an image of a fly - just in passing, wasn’t even looking for a pattern to tie 

The idea was cool, sorry don't know if it was original or the tyers own who tied it - I think it was tied originally for US east coast Stripers

mine:

the webs::

But I thought - that could work. Let’s tie a few 

So here it is

My Foam Post Baitfish Slider 

First step is to slide on your firm tubing that will form a dome on hook shank later

Next is to tie on a foam post  above the hook eye - this is to hold the pattern just under the surface when stationary with the foam post protruding out of the surface.

You will need to hold foam out of the way to tie leader on but no hassle really

I am using a light gauged hook here – it reduces weight allowing fly to be more in the surface rather then be dragged under by the weight of the hook

Then I use some firmish tubing I got from spotlight to help form the hollow head type pattern of a baitfish

I fold this forward to keep it out of the way while tying the rear part of the fly

For this version based on what I had on hand – I tied in some grey crinkle and flash material in at the hook bend

Next I tied in some long olive craft fur – ensuring the grey fibres are covered by the craft fur all the way round the hook shank

Then I add in enough layers of shrimp coloured fibres to form the body of the baitfish

As using a longish hook shank here, it took three bunches of fibres to fill it

Tie in of this main body materials in enough bunches, till the shank is full right up to rear of tube flaring dome   

I then fold back the tubing to form a half dome – this flares the material given a large profile to the pattern

Then I tie in two (or three) bunches of shrimp coloured fibres to form head of fly in front of tubing dome

Tie off thread

Add eyes 

Epoxy head and eyes to give eyes more durability with the toothy type fishes

And your done

The end product is about 10-12cm long

Then let’s go get it wet!