On Thursday, I hopped aboard the Riptide with Captain Terry Nugent for a trip south of Martha’s Vineyard where schools of bluefin tuna had recently moved in. Reports had tuna ranging from 27 inches to 60-plus inches.
We had a great day on the tuna grounds, putting four fish between 44 and 60 inches on the deck, and Terry gave a quick rundown on the keys to tuna success South of the Vineyard.
Not too Fast, Not too Slow
Unlike in the cold waters east of Chatham where fishermen troll as slow as 3 knots, or the canyons where fishermen regularly troll faster than 7 knots, Terry found that the sweet spot for bluefin south of the Vineyard is between 5.5 and a little more than 6 knots.
He matches his trolling speed to the baitfish, which recently has been sand eels. When faster baits, like halfbeaks, are present, he kicks his trolling speed up a notch.
Find the Life
Regardless of where you tuna fish, the areas with the most bird and marine mammal activity will also be the areas most likely to encounter bluefin tuna. The bluefin south of the Vineyard have been running tight with massive pods of white-sided dolphins. Terry also uses whales to tip him off to dense concentrations of sand eels.
Bar Hopping
Terry’s south of the Vineyard spread is a mix of spreader and splash bars. He fishes Standard Issue Tackle spreader bars on the flat lines and short riggers, and Standard Issue Tackle splash bars on the long riggers and shotgun.
Keep the Spread Short
Terry keeps his spread relatively tight to the boat, which helps him maneuver through the fleet crowds when the word of the bluefin bite gets out.
Stay Late
Many boats call it a day when the mid-day doldrums hit, but sticking it out into the afternoon has yielded several fish for Terry this season. Yesterday, with only a couple boats in sight (compared to the 20-plus boat fleet in the morning) Terry found a school of blitzing bluefin and put a fourth fish in the boat to make sure that each of his sports had landed one tuna.
great pictures. Any advise as to how to catch some bass for a first time saltwater fisherman? My family has been fishing for large mouth bass for as long as I can remember. Just venturing out into blue water for the first time this year. Any advice would be helpful.
I am possibly interested in blue fin fishing this coming September. Could you contact me with suggestions. I am very interested in taking tuna home.
Pictures or it’s just a fish story.
pithy. no one is pulling the wool over This guy’s eyes.