TUNA FISHING IN COASTAL WATERS

S/V Sequoia made a short offshore trip in the last week of August to fish for Albacore tuna.  I was joined by familiar crew Mark Downing and past SIYC’er Jim Mask.  We left from the Astoria West Basin early Wednesday, crossing the bar uneventfully shortly after the turn to flood.    That afternoon, about 5:30, we caught one fish, 24 lbs.  After the usual 90 minutes of hard work it was fileted, the cockpit cleaned, and all put into the freezer vacuum sealed.  At 8;30, much to everyone’s horror (and delight), we hooked another much larger fish;  after fighting it for 20 minutes (during which I never got it closer than 20′ to the surface), it finally spit the hook and saved us the chore of dealing with it in the dark.  The return across the bar the next morning, at full flood, was uneventful and we were able to carry the flood tide to above Longview, motor-sailing home.

Fishing for Albacore is similar to fishing for other kinds of tuna or Mahi-Mahi in tropical waters, but can be pursued close to shore in Oregon and Washington during the later parts of the summer.  The basic gear is a 6-8” plastic squid with a weighted head that is trolled about 100 yards behind the boat at speeds of 4.5-7 knots.  Although many power boaters troll at higher speeds, our action was at speeds of 5.5-6 knots.  In previous years, I’ve caught a fish a 4.5 knots, making this a ideal form of fishing for cruising sailors.  Fishing action was all within 40 miles of shore, just north of the Columbia Canyon.  Key indicators are water temperature above 62°F and birds working schools of baitfish on the surface.

All in all we had a good offshore outing—light breezes, sunshine (the second day at least), and we shared about 20 pounds of first class tuna, vacuum sealed and frozen, at the end of the trip.

Craig Johnston

S/V Sequoia

Passage to Hawaii on S/V Sequoia