The Tuna Duck looks like it has potential for our Bluefin Tuna Charter next year. Will give them a call next week and see how hard it is to get a booking during the bluefin run.
Giant bluefin tunas in their feeding frenzy, chasing bait fish, cause the desperate fish to gather into a tightly packed school in a futile attempt to save themselves. This phenomenon is known as”balling bait”.
Bluefin tuna are the ultimate catch and release heavy tackle test providing a spectacular show when striking baits. Since 1995 the TUNA DUCK has caught and released well over 500 bluefin tunas, tagging many of them to aid in research to find out more about these spectacular giants.
WHEN: We begin fishing for bluefins in November and continue through early to mid March. We are often asked about the “best” time to come bluefin fishing. Once the fleet locates the fish early in the season, any time is a good time! We invite you to call us for further information on this truly exciting fishery! In addition to bluefins, at this time of year there are yellowfin tunas to be caught as well as king mackerel.
Owner, Jerry Shepherd 772-219-9592
Captain Dan Rooks 252-995-3076
HOW: Because bluefins act differently every season, the techniques vary. The most standard procedure is trolling 2 to 4 lines with 80 lb. tackle until the school of fish is located. Often it is possible after a fish is hooked to stop the boat and chunk menheden to keep the school around the boat. Although this method produced tremendous numbers of fish in the middle to late 90’s , over the last few seasons the majority of the fish caught have been caught trolling. We provide 130 lb. outfits because many of the fish are over the size limit that can be kept and we feel that heavier tackle gives them a better opportunity of survival after release. However, many of our customers prefer to bring their own lighter tackle.
SIZE: Bluefin tunas range in size from 90 to 700+ lbs.
LIMIT /SPECIAL REGULATIONS : Regulations allow us to retain 1 bluefin per boat per day if it is over 46 inches and under 73 inches. We do not emphasize this or “advertise” retaining a bluefin for two reasons. First, these regulations can change at the “drop of a hat” and second, we often do not see fish under 73 inches…often they are too large!
( The fish in the photo above was caught a few years ago for commercial sale. When a charter is on board, a fish this large cannot be boated.)
