Pushing the limit - a new kayak-caught bluefin, 166 lbs!

Check out this email from Ric Burnley, one of the east coast's kayak fishing hardcore:

Bluefin fishing has been off the chains for the past month. >>
We mothershiped our ‘yaks out of Hatteras on Tuesday and found the motherload. Jigging and drifting rigged ballyhoo, we each hooked and lost a dozen fish and missed twice as many. Then we figured it out. My buddy Matt landed a 166. This is the Shiznit! 

The guys were fishing the edge of the Gulf Stream about 30 miles out. The found a mass of fish, and hooked up repeatedly, flew around on crazy sleigh rides, then broke off. It definitely wasn't scratchy!

Finally they figured out that they were putting too much wood on, backed off a bit, and landed the 166. Matt had it up to color in 20 minutes, but it wasn't ready to land until the 90 minute mark.

This event marks a revolution in East Coast attitudes toward mother shipping and targeting offshore big game. Ric says they should be able to do this from spring through fall. They've got bluefin now, dorado (they call them dolphin fish) in summer, then yellowfin in fall.

When I asked Ric what had taken them so long to get it on, he told me the problem was getting a charter captain to buy in.

We could be living on the wrong coast....

Ric's full report just came through. Here it is for your enjoyment:

I was making Fajitas for my family when Captain Scott Warren called from Hatteras.  He had a day off, the weather was forecast to be tolerable, and he offered to take me and my buddies to target bluefin in our kayaks.  While finishing the fajitas, I scrambled to pull together a crew and by midnight, Lee Williams, Matt Shepard, and I were heading for Hatteras. 

We crashed on the boat and met Scott and mate Kenny Koci when they arrived  boat shortly before 6AM.  We loaded kayaks, tackle, and gear then pulled away from the box just as the sun was rising. 

For the past month, the bluefin bite has been phenomenal off Hatteras, North Carolina.  Boats running to the edge of the Gulf Stream have been catching 100 to 200 pound bluefin by chunking, jigging, trolling – even by throwing top water poppers.  This was the first time anyone would try to catch one of these fish in a kayak. 

We got to the break and landed right in the middle of the fish.  Kenny put out a couple lures while we searched for fish; within minutes both lines were hooked up.  We worked those fish to the boat – each around 50 pounds.  While we ran back to the break to launch the ‘yaks, we put another bait out.  That lasted less than a minute.  After boating another 50 pounder, Scott kept the baits in and took us to the break where we launched the kayaks. 

As usual, the weatherman was wrong about the conditions.  Our forecasted 10 to 15 turned into 15 to 20 and 2 to 4 was more like 3 to 5.  But we had come so far and worked so hard that we weren’t going to let the weather get in the way of making history.

Each of us carried two rods – one rigged with a vertical jig and one baited with a naked ballyhoo.  The idea was to drift/troll the ballyhoo while dropping the jig on fish marks.  Scott would troll down the line ahead of us and inform us over the radio when he marked fish.  Then we would drift behind him while jigging.

I hooked up first, but it was only a 5 pound albacore.  A few minutes later, Lee hooked up with a bigger fish.  Much bigger.  One second, Lee was bobbing next to me wildly jerking on his jigging rod, the next second he was being dragged through the 3 foot chop and 5 foot swells while screaming and hooting.  A minute later his line broke and the fight was over, but we were all amped about the action. 

We continued to work the edge.  Each of us hooked a half dozen fish, but each battle would only last a few minutes before these powerful fish would break the line or pull the hook.  Even though we were all experienced anglers, nothing could prepare us for the explosive speed and power of these tuna.  Each encounter unfolded the same way: a bluefin would hit like a freight train, whipping the kayak around into the wind and seas, then take off dragging us at up to 7 knots and emptying the spool of line.  When would increase the drag – to the point of being yanked out of the ‘yak – the line would break or the hooks would pull.  But each time we lost a fish, we learned a valuable lesson. 

After two hours in the water, and dozens of fish, we finally figured it out. 

As the conditions worsened, and we considered pulling the plug, Matt hooked into a big fish that started pulling him from the warm water into the cool.  He held on while the tuna dragged him and emptied his reel.  After a half mile the fish slowed and took the fight deep.  Matt let the tuna tow him around, gaining line when he could, loosing line when he couldn’t, and waiting for the fish to tire out. 

An hour and a half and 2 and a half miles later, the fish gave up and came to the surface.  Lee was poised next to Matt to stick the fish with a gaff, but the tuna turned towards the boat and Kenny reached out with his gaff and ended the battle.

The crew celebrated like they had won the lottery.  Matt was hoisted out of his yak and into the hand shakes and back slaps from his fellow anglers.  His fish weighed 166 pounds – the first bluefin caught off Hatteras by a kayaker. 

Doubtful that it will be the last.

Sounds like one hell of a battle!

Sounds like fun! It would seem from this experience that high capacity reels are critical. I wonder what their setups were? Best guess from the picture might be an Avet JX?

Incredible fish!  That looks like fun.

Awesome catch!  Thanks for the story Paul.

That's a hell of a fish.

Dope.

Holy Shit!

That first shot shows the shear power of those fish the way it's dragging the boat sideways and churning the water.... Paul, I remember your fight with your 30#er last year. I can't imagine a hundred plus one... One false move and over you go!!!

Sounds like fun! It would seem from this experience that high capacity reels are critical. I wonder what their setups were? Best guess from the picture might be an Avet JX?

Ric shared a bit more info, and indeed, lack of line capacity indirectly put paid to several bites. They cranked down on the drag as they got down to the last few winds, leading to pulled hooks and broken lines. Only Matt had enough string to sit tight through that first great rush upon hook-up, after which it turned into an up and down inch by inch battle.

Ric isn't sure of Matt's exact reel model, only that it was a 2 speed Accurate of some vintage. Next time they try this, they'll each bring deep reels with at least 400 to 500 yds of 80 lb spectra.

That first shot shows the shear power of those fish the way it's dragging the boat sideways and churning the water.... Paul, I remember your fight with your 30#er last year. I can't imagine a hundred plus one... One false move and over you go!!! 

Great eye for detail! Yep, Matt is sleigh-riding wacky-style, skidding back and out. I saw the same thing with Jim Sammons' estimated 120-lb yellowfin. The line looked straight up and down, but Jim would suddenly be on the retrograde. I can't imagine what one of these big tuna is like on the line (other than a painful trial), but there's only so hard you can pull from a kayak. Its too much drag that'll end in the drink.