Today was a day like no other. My boss on the lobster boat took the day off to go tuna fishing on his other boat and already had a second hand to help, so he hooked me up with a spot on his friends boat. We left for the fishing grounds just before sunrise and did not return to port until just after sunset. This was my first time Tuna fishing and I learned how to deep sea fish using a non-cast pole and caught a bunch of pollok and haddock which we used as bait on the larger tuna poles. I handled the reel and line while the captain operated the throttle, pulled the anchor and harpoons. I caught a small shark in the late afternoon then the tuna around 4. I fought it for roughly an hour before finally pulling it to the surface and within reach of the harpoon. It took 2 harpoons to do the job before we could pull the tuna in through the small door on the stern. I gotta say that tuna kicked my ***. A very long, repeditive and intensive process. It ended up being a 71.25 inch long bluefin tuna... Just 2 inches two short to claim. Has to be 73 inches or longer to claim by law. All that work for northing but the experience and seeing my first shark and a tuna was awesome. The fishing grounds was a place called Jeffery's ledge, 25 miles offshore from York Maine.

 

usually, i'd be like why are you posting this on here, but thats one nice fish and being from SoFlo I loving fishing. How did it taste

 

Usally we post off topic threads in the off topic section. Illegal fish have no taste.

 

Oh wow too bad, are you going to get a mold of it though.

 

2 inches to short so I had to toss it back in... Sadly the Tuna was dead by the time we removed the harpoons. A waste but its the law. No stretching, no cutting and no molds. Was a great experience and one hell of a fight. These creatures are incredible, powerful and beautiful. Will never look at a can of Tunafish the same.

 

Oh haha. Well I'm sure some great white shark was grateful for the easy meal.