Chasing Large Yellowfins in the Gulf of Mexico

Shrimp boats present fish of all varieties with an all-you-can-eat buffet of discarded bycatch. Usually yow will discover loads of college blackfins or yellowfins able to inhale a popper or slam a jig fished simply behind the trawler. Capt. Kurt Tillman made this the primary cease after we departed from his slip in Dauphin Island, Alabama. After a commute of about 80 miles, we began working the waters immediately behind a trawler with 8-inch-long No Stay Bait Wanted straight tails rigged on jig heads. With every solid, our jigs had been inhaled by sharks, hitting them nearly immediately. However we didn’t hook any tuna, finally shifting on seeking greener pastures and our unique targets.

You by no means know what the recent bait shall be, so we got here ready with all kinds of deal with. We left port with a full quiver of rods set as much as jig, pop and troll. With tuna, switching strategies shortly is typically essential. All of us choose the quick motion offered by jigging and popping, so nearly all of rods had been 8-foot Ocean Satan spinners fitted with Daiwa Saltiga, Daiwa BG MQ, Shimano Twin Energy or Shimano Saragosa reels. The combos had been rigged with 50- to 80-pound-test braid and 4 or 5 toes of 80- to 100-pound fluoro.

Our commute was 80 to 120 miles off of Alabama, so we settled in for the lengthy journey. After a 4:30 a.m. departure, somewhat relaxation on the best way out was simply what we would have liked. Seas had been affordable, and relaxation got here straightforward within the aft beanbags. A part of the purpose of the journey was to check out Pelagic’s line of foul-weather gear, the Chubasco collection of jackets and bibs. Just a few hours of salt spray and chilling winds had been welcome. The crew relaxed, however the pleasure was palpable. We had ventured to this space final 12 months and finished nicely on big yellowfins and bigeyes. Anticipation was excessive as we steamed south.

On earlier journeys out of Dauphin Island to the Midnight Lump and Horseshoe areas, poppers made by Black Ledge Lures had been the recent ticket. However attempt as we could, we couldn’t elevate a chunk on high. This 12 months has been tough with climate; it’s been powerful to get offshore. Maybe the floor disruption attributable to the robust winds pushed the fish down, as our hookups occurred across the 150-foot depths. Eight-inch No Stay Bait Wanted straight tails in white rigged on jig heads acquired the job finished this journey, taking yellowfins to about 150 kilos.

It’s exhausting to drop a pin on fish that cowl as a lot floor because the members of the tuna clan. However the fertile waters of the Gulf of Mexico are a superb place to begin wanting. Right here, you’ll find yellowfins, blackfins, and even the occasional bigeye or bluefin. Ridges, canyons, lumps and seamounts appeal to and maintain bait that lure in all kinds of predators, together with blue marlin, swordfish, wahoo, and a superb chunk of the tuna household. Then there are the deepwater platforms, comparable to large oil rigs, that float on high however appeal to tuna equally nicely. The areas often called the Midnight Lump and the Horseshoe are perennial angler favorites, holding good numbers of tuna and different pelagics. On this journey, the Horseshoe, so named due to its place surrounding the Viosca Knoll, was the most efficient­­. 

Huge fish combat exhausting. You’ll be able to often inform what’s pulling in your line by its habits, however some fish nonetheless depart you guessing. Is it bulldogging straight down? Lurching skyward? Making tight circles? These are the hints that give away your unseen foe. Once I hooked a 150-pound-class yellowfin about 150 toes deep, its id wasn’t apparent. Opinions alternated between shark and tuna for nearly your complete length of the 37-­minute combat. It wasn’t till we noticed shade that we knew it was a yellowfin. Like with all large fish, the endgame was something however sure.  

We ended our journey with three large yellowfins, hard-earned trophies of the Gulf. All informed, we most likely lined 450 miles over two days of great fishing. We popped, jigged, trolled and chunked. We threw the deal with field at them. Within the course of, we caught numerous sharks, our casting arms acquired a fairly good exercise, and we captured some nice footage. For those who’re seeking to tangle with some yellowfins of your individual, ensure to place Dauphin Island in your record of locations. Past the tuna, there’s loads of different species able to rumble, together with a wide range of snapper, grouper and jacks. 

Learn Subsequent: The way to Fillet a Yellowfin Tuna

Recent yellowfin is nice almost any manner you put together it. We needed to make sure these had been as tasty as doable, so we gutted them as quickly as we acquired to the dock. We ended up eradicating the heads and tails to suit them into our coolers. They had been in the end damaged down and packaged for our freezers. Prepping tuna the precise manner permits anglers to get pleasure from them for weeks after a visit—grilled, broiled, pan-fried and sashimi.