Monterey anglers were plenty worried a strong storm system that hit last weekend would drive away the precious bluefin schools in our area. We dodged the bullet. The tuna are still here, and intrepid offshore anglers are still hooking them up. After the weather and seas settled on Wednesday, Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine confirmed there are still bluefin in the area. He said, “There were a few boats who went out to look for bluefin. One angler came in with a 100-pound fish from about 12-15 miles out. The angler said he caught the bluefin 100 feet down on a mackerel.” The big groundswell continued to drop as the week progressed. Most days were very fishable 10-15 miles offshore near the Davenport Fingers. Fraser reports the tuna were caught from the surface to 150 feet down. Trolling mackerel slow seems to be the ticket, though fast trolling lures has hooked more than a few fish this year. By Sunday the bluefin were biting best between 80-130 feet down. The quality of bluefin remains very high.

These fish are in the 40 to 200-pound class. The list of local fishermen who can boast of a 100-pound tuna caught in their own backyard is getting longer. Even the best tuna chasers can go all day and not be rewarded with a bluefin strike. It is critically important to fish with the correct gear. Sixty to 100 pound tuna rigs are not overkill by any means with this quality of fish. Successful anglers are also using fluorocarbon leaders and setting the bait or lures far behind the boat, at least 200 feet. Many first-time tuna chasers are finding out the hard way that boat teamwork is essential for hunting this big game. It’s important to have a good plan, delegate responsibilities and don’t be hesitant to hand-off your hookup to partners on the boat to maintain maximum stress on the fish. Long-handled gaffs are a must (bring extra). Rope loops for the tuna tails should be included and instantly accessible. Packing plenty of ice is important as well. These tuna need to be bled and iced immediately to preserve the best quality of the meat. An iced salt water slurry gives maximum protection and preservation, but large iced “kill-bags” are a reasonable alternative for smaller boats. Removing the gills and guts prior to icing will assist in the preservation process.

Closer to the beach, fishing for regular species continues to be very productive all around the Monterey Bay. Chris’ Fishing Trips in Monterey continues to report daily limits of rockfish, as they head towards Point Sur on their charter trips. They include up to six lingcod for individual trips this week and also a couple bonito. The Kahuna at Moss Landing heads in the same direction as Chris’ and has similar results to share. Owner Carol Jones reported, “Our 12 anglers landed limits of nice rockfish including coppers, canary, big yellowtail and olives. Bonus ocean whitefish and six lingcod to 12 pounds.”