It’s Tuna time! Last August and September, I spent allot of time chasing Tuna around with limited success. I hooked and dropped 2 Albies on Block Island, 1 on Martha’s Vineyard and saw a couple pods of Bluefin Tuna in Maine but that was about it. So, the 2005 Tuna season came to an end and the score was Tuna 3 and Jeremy 0. Chasing Tuna (Albies/Bonito/Bluefin/Yellowfin) on the fly rod is addicting and can easily morph into a lifelong obsession. So, this season, I decided to take a more pro-active approach. I spent the entire winter researching in-shore Northeast Tuna migration patterns, fly rod tactics, drooling over Tuna pictures and aligning myself with other fly rod Tuna addicts. It did not take long for the seemingly harmless Tuna chatter to turn into actual Tuna trip plans. There is one Tuna trip, in particular, that is shaping up to be my best Tuna trip ever. In early August a friend and Tuna fly fisherman fromBoating Magazine is trailoring a boat from NY to Rhode Island. He needed to use the boat in a saltwater fishing environment and write up some adventure and review type articles for Boating magazine. So, we had a boat and that was good. Of course, we had fly fishing gear to handle Stripers, Bluefish, Albies and Bonito…But what about the Blue Fin Tuna? That was a problem. If we were going to do this right, we did not want to resort to piecing together all sorts of different equipment. And, what if the rod or reel broke or fell overboard? Would we have sufficient and reliable back up gear? Would our reels have the right amount of backing? Would our fly lines and leaders be up to the task? All of those troubles were overcome when another friend and long time fly rod Tuna addict from theOrvis Company decided to hop onboard. So, we had the fly fisherman, we had the boat and we had the gear. But, there was one critical issue that was staring us in the face. Where do we fish? Oh yah, its easy to look online and read reports and get tips from friends. But any wise fisherman knows that all the reports and tips and all that stuff don’t add up to much when you’re on the open sea. Mother nature is boss and things can change in an instant. Especially when it comes to fishing. How many times have you heard the fateful phrase, “You should have seen this place yesterday! It was loaded with fish! They were busting all over the surface! You should have been here yesterday!” So, rewind to July 4th weekend. I was in Rhode Island and rather than fly fishing the typical spots that I know, I decided to do some research. I needed to break free from the same-old patterns and ruts that I had developed through the years and see things from a new perspective. So, I walked into Captain Don’s, a bait and fly shop where I always feel welcome. I walked through the doors and was greeted with a big smile and the typical, “Hey! It’s Jeremy from Maine! How is Mike and all the other Maine boys?” I chatted for a moment and then asked, “John, Do you know any fly fishing guides that fish for Blues, Stripers and Tuna?” John replied, “There is your man right there.” I turned around and shook hands with Captain Mike. Immediately, I knew he was just the guide I was looking for. He was equally as excited to go fly fishing as I was. I said, “Dude, I just wanna catch fish and learn some new spots.” He said, “Oh, we’ll catch fish.” So, I met Captain Mike at the dock in the morning, and in less than a half hour I was catching some sweet Bluefish. Mike, like all other guys I meet in Rhode Island, was down on the Bluefish. He kept saying, “Dude, forget these Bluefish, let’s go find some big Stripers. We can even sight fish for them on the flats.” But for some reason, I love Bluefish. I know they don’t get great press, but they rip and they fight and I just love chasing and catching them on the fly rod. Anyway, after I got my fill of Bluefish, I was into the Stripers. And, there was never a time during the day that we were not casting over fish. So, Mike and I got to talking and I said, “Mike, do you fish for the Tuna?” Mike responded, “Dude, I live for the Tuna. All of this is just something to do while waiting for the Tuna (Bluefin/Bonito/Albies) to show.” I said, “Really! So, you think you could put me and some friends on some Tuna in August.” He said, “Dude, when the Tuna show up, I can put you on acres upon acres of Tuna.” That was all I needed to hear, and the final piece of the Tuna puzzle had come together. So, now this early August Tuna trip is definitely solid. Of course, as with anything that involves the ocean and fish, nothing is guaranteed. But, it seems as though we have put together a great crew and pulled together all the necessary requirements to increase our chances for having a little “luck” in early August. What more can a fly fisherman expect from a trip? We got a great crew of guys and each guy represents a critical piece of the Tuna trip puzzle. If you are from the New England area and you want to experience a phenomenal and very affordable day of salt water fly fishing, I highly recommend Captain Mike. Mike trailers his boat and fishes from Montauk, NY to Pt. Judith, RI (including Block Island). I would post a link to his website, but his site is in the building process and won’t be live until mid August (very shortly after our Tuna Trip). In the meantime, you can send me “jeremy” a private message and I can give you Captain Mike’s contact information. So, stay tuned for some Tuna Tales coming in August to computer near you.
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget
Bluefin on the fly rod? I’ll be looking forward to that fish tale. Sounds like you have put together the right crew to get the job done. As well as your share of home work in regards to catching them on the fly. As always great work dude. Can’t wait to see the results in August.
great salt story and video. what do they dislike about the blues? I find them to be great on the fly. Simple to catch I suppose but fun never the less.
pat-m, i don’t know why, even here in maine, allot of guys are like ..”damn bluefish again!” … i guess maybe because stripers are the prefered catch and here is what i have found from my experience…. here in maine we seem to get far more striped bass than bluefish .. so a guy like me .. really enjoys tying into bluefish when they come around ….. now, in some of the more southern ne states … they get innundated with bluefish .. to the point that stripers become a little harder to find because of the vast amount of bluefish … put it this way .. if you and i went out on your boat today and saw busting fish … chances are they would striped bass …. if we took your boat down to rhode island and saw busting fish … chances are they would be bluefish … (again .. this is just my observation .. certainly not a fact by any stretch of the imagination… just a theory)…
so the bottom line is – they get tons of bluefish down there .. be me personally, i still love to catch them .. i don’t keep anythign anyway .. so, eatability does not play a factor for me … i don’t like fish to eat .. just catch …infact, i was telling someone the other day .. that i have never in my life ordered it at a restaurant .. i like steak!
……….. sorry i was going off on a tangent .. one more point though .. you say ..”they are easy to catch” … well, in my opinion, that is true and false. if they are all podded up … going crazy on bait … yes they can be “easy” to catch … however, when i was on this trip with mike in rhode island we were fishing the grass flats to solo or just a couple finning bluefish at any given time .. when the bluefish are in this environment .. their feeding mode changes dramatically .. they don’t go hog wild busting on the surface and biting everything in site .. rather the cruise .. relatively slowly .. prowling for food and analyzing their food .. we could see them finning … so in that situation, i found that they are certainly not “easy” to catch .. and they are, in fact, easily spooked … so fly fishing for the bluefish on the grass flats is an entirely different and sometimes frustrating game ….
Great footage as always. Killer version of “Tangled” as well.
love that story…never gets old.
Great footage!!!
I’ll just repeat myself again, great video. Tuna must be ridiculus on the fly. Can’t wait to see that. bluefin swim at 55 mph talk about ripping. My only experience with those was commercial fishing on my neighbors lobster boat when I was in high school off P-town. Good luck on tying into some of those bad boys.
That looks awesome. Maybe when I come out we can get out there and do that? Srtipers, Blues and Tuna. Are you kidding me?
I have a simalar addiction for Atlantic Salmon……………but I’ll try Blue Fin!!!!
Great article and I will call Mike at my Orvis shop tomorrow and inquire as to the availabillity of 14 WT. rods. I have to try this, I have fished for stripers, Blue Fish, Bones, Tarpon Blah, Blah Blah. I need a new species!!!!
Great read and Awesome video! My heart is pounding. I’ve never caught blues or stripers on the fly and never caught any bonito at all but HAVE spent a bunch of time on Block Island. I just started to check out fly fishing the block last year though I caught my first Blue on Sandy Point when I was just 5 years old on a surf casting rod that must have been 4 times my size. Anyway, I’d love to hear any info you know about Block Island and see if maybe Capt. Mike would be interested in taking me around with a fly rod. Last Aug. I experimented with some flats in the interior of the island to no result though I casted repeatedly through big schools of bait. Thanks for the adrenaline.
Jer,
Just e-mailed u. Fished for the bluefin on Friday, 5 miles South of the Block, 13 hook ups, 11 landed fish were all 50 – 60 lbs. Not the small 25 pounders that were around inshore last year. All caught on big tackle, NOT on the flyrod. I don’t have a rod big enough to catch one. Funny thing is I casted at them last year, happy I didn’t hook one with my 10 wt, I would have definitely gotten spooled.
There will be many inshore rods broken by these fish this year. Fish were all 5 miles south of the block. They are thick now, it will be mad in August, bring HEAVY flyrods for these fish, they rip line so fast you won’t know what happened to your backing. Keep in touch.
Tight lines
Tuna on the fly sounds wild, what weight rod does one use for those freight trains? Good luck in August looking forward to seeing some chicken of the sea.
dan … sweet! got your email and pics … glad to see you are getting into them .. yah, i gave you a shout when i was down there and mark too … but being the 4th everyone seemed to be tied up with plans .. can’t wait for the albies/bonito to start running the wall etc…. mark was with me last year when i hooked one on foot out at block and it was awesome .. but after a blistering first run .. he dropped the hook … this is gonna be my year for tuna … as soon as they start running the shorelines .. i am gonna be hanging tight with you and mark … hopefully you can free up some time this fall so you, mark and i can do some serious albie chasin’ … thanks for the update .. will give you a shout next time i head down to rhode island … have fun at the beach this weekend .. if you see mark tell him i say hello …… cya
i sent you a private message with mike’s cell phone … give him a shout .. tell him your calling from flies and fins and jeremy told you to call him .. he might cut ya break:) — > — > — if you are looking to catch fish – — mike can certainly help you with that, and you will be right in his neck of the woods … good luck!