bluefin tuna jig rigging supplies

Jig Rigging For Bluefin Tuna

Over the last 4 years anglers have developed many ways to catch the Bluefin that have become the go to target for the Southern California sportfishing fleet. The Yummy flyer, popper, surface iron, double trouble balloon rig, the sinker rig, the flying fish balloon rig, and the deep jig. We wanted to really get specific and focus in on one. There are many ways to fish the jig. There are many different jigs to choose. The options can be a bit...

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Poppers for Pelagics’: West Coast Tuna Tackle

Braid, Wind-on, and Lures. Blast off. Popper fishing for big tuna is something that has been practiced, the Northeast Bluefin fishery and the Gulf Yellowfin fishery have been focal points of the technique. Puerto Vallarta is another location that saw anglers casting poppers in the past years but not until recently had it been a viable technique in the Southern California Bight with the introduction of larger Bluefin tuna. The East Coast tuna fishery has predominantly been a spinning reel/rod fishery for...

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Sea Bass

Form Follows Function: The Black Sea Bass Opener

    As I sit and type, my thoughts are almost exclusively of the opening day of Black Sea Bass. In New Jersey, this Sea Bass season is one of heated contention. It seems that a shift in fisheries management in this region has neighboring states like NY fighting for quota, and anglers and captains in NJ screaming about seasons and limit. It is quite a mess, and with good reason! According to the fishery managers themselves, the species is 240% rebuilt!...

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Private Versus Sport Boat: Basic Tackle for the upcoming season.

Ready, set , go. Time to catch them up. The fishing season is right around the corner! With June one month away, it is time to start thinking about making sure we have the right tackle on the boat. While the specifics will vary depending on where you live and what gamefish you will be targeting, we will reflect on the tackle used across the country. No matter if you are on the east coast fishing the canyon for tuna, billfish,...

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Proper Fish Care for your Catch

One important part of fishing when you are planning on bringing home table fare is to know how to take care of your catch once it is on the boat. This blog will give you some ideas of how fishermen go through the process of proper fish care on the boat. In addition, you will read about how a successful fish processor/restaurant entrepreneur does his daily care of fish coming into his facility. Proper care of fish once out of...

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The Magic of a Wind On Leader

Wind on Leader put to the test. Growing up on the west coast and learning one day at a time on the party boats pushed us to do things better and simpler. Some of the first Long Range trips to the Revillagigedo Islands which included Clarion, Socorro, San Benedicto, and Roca Partida, where some of the early days of learning about the difference between monofilament and braided line. In the 80's monofilament line was pretty much all that was used except dacron...

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A Time for the Long Rod

Long rod in action on moving Yellowtail Here on the west coast we have a technique for casting poppers or surface iron to fish that are either finning, foaming on bait balls, or actively chasing bait on the surface. The key is to cast longer distances to these fish without spooking them with the boat. We do this by using 8 to 9 foot cork taped rod with a 500/600 size reel attached with a reel clamp with 65 to 80...

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How to Stack Braid and Why?

With the introduction of braid by Russ Izor in the 80's, fishing as we know it changed drastically. With the diameter of the braided line being reduced significantly, many anglers started to realize the larger reels of yesteryear could either hold a ton of braid, or they could start looking for alternative reels to fish. Once braid was accepted by a few peer group leaders its popularity with the west coast anglers surged, sparking reel manufacturers to design smaller reels...

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The Right Reel for the Job.

Fishing in the last ten to fifteen years has evolved by leaps and bounds from where it once was with big reels and monofilament line that was the go to set up. Todays tackle with the adoption of braided lines has taken what we perceived as a necessary outfit and made them obsolete. Smaller reels have been redesigned bringing their features like gears, TwinDrag®, 2-speed mechanism, cranking power, decreased weight, and with braided line capacities, the ability to fight big...

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Go Fly A Kite: Kite Fishing in Todays fisheries

Go Fly A kite? Todays fisheries see increased boat pressure, more anglers looking for the fish of a lifetime, and fisheries we have not seen exist in our lifetime reemerging, people are looking for ways to increase their percentage for bites. With all these factors staring us right in the eye the emergence of the kite has been accepted with open arms especially here on the West Coast for the big Bluefin that have shown up in the last 3...

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