Maine "Football" Bluefin Tuna Fishing " Gearing Up"

Some of the gear we use on Gulf of Maine "Football" Bluefin Tuna

The Start of "Football" Bluefin Tuna fishing season is still two months away...but now is the time to start preparing your tackle. Today, I've done just that!!! Starting with my fly fishing gear, the high capacity, machined aluminum, cork drag fly reels all get spooled with brand new 50 & 65 pound spectra backing, upwards of 600 yds!!! The 400, 500, 600 grain "Big Game" fly lines are attached using the loop to loop method, a bimini twist in the spectra backing, threaded through the double nail-knot loop on the fly line insures a solid connection. The leader will be attached later but will consist of a straight shot of 40 or 60 pound seaguar flourocarbon, the length detemined by the size of the fish that we will be pursuing. We have a quiver of Sage & TFO bluewater fly rods used for tuna ranging in size from 12wt to 17 wt. The 13/14 wt rods will see the most action.
Flies selections should include 3-7 inch patterns resembling Herring, Peanut Bunker, Mackeral & Halfbeaks...maybe a squid pattern too. To Stand up to the heavy pressure required to land such powerful fish, flies should be tied on stout 2/0 - 4/0 hooks. My Farorite hooks are the Owner Aki, Tiemco 600sp, And Gamakatsu SC-17.
If you intend to fish for Bluefin on the fly, it is advisable to spend some time "practice casting" with a 14wt fly-rod and the sinking head lines mentioned above...If you dont have access to this kind of gear, Myself or a casting instructor I work closely with can arrange to spend some time whipping you into shape before our guided trip.

For spinning gear we use long casting 8 foot Lamiglas LGM-80, 20-50 class rods rigged with rugged Shimano reels capable of holding 500+ yds of 65 pound spectra. These Lamiglas rods are extremely powerful yet are very light in the hand. A selection of 1-3 oz topwater plugs, soft plastics, bucktails and metal jigs will round out our tackle...all of your gear should have stout hooks & split rings.
We have a selection of parabolic action, Shimano Trevala & Tunamax rods equipped with high speed reels for "butterfly jigging"....a deadly technique used when fish are present but are holding & feeding around deeper structure.

I have been very fortunate over the last 10 years, being able to spend well over 150 days each year commercial fishing on the offshore waters of the Gulf of Maine in addition to the 100+ days spent on the inshore waters guiding for Stripers & Bluefish. All this time on the water allows us pattern the movements of these highly migratory Tuna, however each year brings a new set of challenges that we look forward to. We maintain valuable contacts with other top midcoast Maine Bluefin Tuna fishing guides & commercial Tuna boat captains, more importantly a few of the offshore commercial fishing vessels(purse seine boats) that target the Atlantic Herring that these tuna feed on. These commercial boats have little interest in these juvenile fish as they are off limits to commercial harvest, so the F/V captains are most always willing to share info. Of course some icy cold adult beverages for the hardworking crew goes a long way!!!

We operate on the waters of midcoast Maine from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay. But we'll chase these tuna north, south, east, west...wherever they may go!!!We'll be hot on their heels!!!

Our "football" Bluefin Tuna trips have become very popular and the reservations continue to come in!!!
Call us today to set up a time before prime dates fill.

Capt. George Harris
207-691-0745
www.superfly-charters.com