OTW Reader Submission: Prince Edward Island Giant Bluefin Tuna

By Mike Pitten

My tuna fishing trip to Prince Edward Island was nothing short of a fantasy turned reality.  I count my lucky stars every night that I live in a place that gives me the opportunity to fish for giant bluefin, but on Stellwagen Bank in recent years, you’re lucky to even see a giant every three trips. I had never dreamed of anything like what I witnessed in Siouri, Prince Edward Island.

I grew up in unison with a healthy year-class of tuna, so as I got older and bigger, so did they. I started out with 80- to 100-pound fish at 8 years old, and by the time I was 14 I had caught fish into the 200-pound range. Once I began fishing for giants with my dad, this year-class seemed to vanish. I went on 15 trips in pursuit of a giant and the one shot I had resulted in losing the fish just feet from the boat.

After a frustrating four years I was given the opportunity to fish with Bruce Brothers Charters on the trip of a lifetime. My dad was incredibly excited about his experience in Canada the year before, but I didn’t expect much considering my luck with bluefin in the past. I didn’t have the slightest clue of what I was getting into.

Captain Jamie Bruce decided to take us to Fisherman’s Ledge, about 30 miles from where the boat was docked. The ride out was a little rocky, 4- to 5-footers, but nothing I wasn’t used to, so I decided to get a quick nap in. The crew woke me up with the question, “Michael, are you ready for this?”

“You’re about to go to battle”

We pulled up to the herring netters and Jamie began feeding a live mackerel down. Within 20 seconds, we were hooked up. Yes, it was that quick.

What followed was an all-out war with a living submarine as the sun rose. The experience was unreal. The spray of saltwater in my face, the breathtaking sunrise, and the sight of seagulls and gannets dive-bombing herring all came together as I stood fully extended in the fighting chair while the fish made the beautiful music of stripping Dacron off the reel.

I caught and released my first giant, making memories that will last a lifetime, but catching the fish is only a part of the PEI bluefin experience. The last two days of fishing we were lucky enough to experience what is known as “hand-feeding.” Blair, Jamie’s mate, was responsible for chumming the water with loads of herring while we fish. The fish alarm went off, marking a pile fish 80 feet down. Then, within seconds it was 30 feet. The next thing I knew, there were fish 500 to 1000 pounds surface feeding on our chum, just feet from the boat. Watching these graceful beasts feed influenced the way I look at bluefin tuna. Anyone in the world who sees this would have the utmost respect for this species.

A Prince Edward Island fight is a lot different than the way we fish back home in Massachusetts. Instead of the light leaders and small hooks we have to use to attempt to deceive our fish, the PEI tuna are aggressive, allowing the captains to use heavy tackle and bump up the drag.  You’ve never felt the raw power of a fish until you’ve been strapped to a giant bluefin tuna with 85 pounds of drag! It is a physically demanding yet exhilarating experience to go toe to toe with a fish like that. If you want a fight unlike any other, PEI is your place.

Fishing with a crew the caliber of Troy, Jamie, and the rest of the Bruce Brothers fleet was a blessing in itself. Catching releasing, and watching these giants in the tuna capital of the world was the ultimate bucket-list trip. I experienced things that I knew, then and there, were opportunities that you would be lucky to experience just once in a life time.