FISHING

summer high season because it hasn’t had time to “cure” – that is, recover from the trauma of being caught and then stuffed into the bait pen.

But the bluefin fishing opportunity gets going in earnest in May. The boats have been back in the water for a month or so and have had time to get out and look around. They have an idea of where the fish will be, maximizing your opportunity as an individual angler.

And bluefins still offer a good opportunity in the fall too. My favorite time to go is October. By then the crowds have diminished and anglers who go during this timeframe tend to be better sticks, so tangles are less frequent. Also, the weather is still typically good.

If you do end up going in the summer and want to catch a bluefin, call the landing before booking and make sure it’s a bluefin trip. Otherwise, you may go the traditional route and “paddy hop” for yellowfin tuna, yellowtail and dorado. I prefer this kind of offshore fishing to a “bluefin or bust” kind of trip, but I understand it will be a different trip.

What To Bring

Clothing-wise, layers are always the ticket. The key thing to mention here is that you will fish at night, so don’t forget some long pants and a jacket. It’s also a good idea to have a headlamp. The decks are lit, but as you are shuffling around the boat, it helps to be able to see your line in relation to the other anglers. Obviously, a headlamp helps as well if you are retying or changing up tackle at night. You also need to bring your own bedding these days. I have a camp pillow, sleeping bag insert and

Boats stock up at the bait dock before hitting the open waters of the Pacific. “While the crew is loading bait, the captain may use that opportunity to gather everyone to give a safety briefing and talk about the fishing program,” Sarmiento writes. (JOE SARMIENTO) camping blanket that all fits into one tidy bag ready to deploy in my bunk.

OK; now the good stuff. What gear do you need to bring? I want to mention out of the gate that if you don’t already have this gear, you don’t need to go out and buy it to go on one of these trips. I remember when we first started catching these bigger bluefin. I binged the following year and spent just under a grand putting together a heavy bluefin setup. Honestly, based on the amount of time I’ve spent using it, it wasn’t a great investment.

The San Diego sportfishing landings all have quality gear for rent now. For a day-and-a-half trip, it will be about $100 to rent a high-quality 80-pound rail rod setup. Because of the way the trips go, you can use this one setup for both your 60 and 80 setups. Then all you need is a quality 40 setup (also available for rent, but a lot of anglers will already have one) and you are good to go.

Outside of the setups mentioned above, it’s nice to have a long rod to be able to throw a jig at a foamer – a spot of fish boiling topwater on bait –on the bow. You will also see people bring specialized vertical jigging setups. They’re nice to have, but they’re not 100-percent required.

In terms of reels, bluefin tuna is the species where you need a twospeed lever-drag reel. Having that low second gear is critical at the end of the fight when you’ve got the fish vertical and it’s doing its death spiral coming up.

I’ve seen guys bring out star-drag reels and think just because they have 40-pound spooled on it, they’re good to go. They aren’t. If you get lucky and only get bit by a schooliesized fish – say, 30 to 50 pounds – you’ll have a chance to land it, but it will be tough, take longer than it should and may not have a high likelihood for a successful conclusion (plus, the deckhands and other passengers will hate you).

What To Expect

I mentioned previously about a dayand-a-half-long trip, which is the minimum length I’d say to book to have the full bluefin experience. Do bluefin get caught on full-day trips and overnight trips? Yes, they do, but that range of trip is very limited. You’re also coming across the most pressured fish because the day boats, overnights and private boaters are all hitting the same schools. At a dayand-a-half range, you’ll see other boats, but it gives you a chance to get out and away from the local fish.

When you get out, chances are you will “see” – or at least the captain will see them on the boat’s electronics – multiple schools of fish. You only need one that will stick with the boat and bite. One good school can make the trip. You want to give yourself enough time, though, to run into the right school.

Now, let’s assume you’re going on a trip covering a day and a half. This is how it will go: Your departure time could be anywhere from 5 to 8 p.m. Don’t be that guy who the boat is waiting on. I’ve been that tardy angler, and it’s not a good way to start a trip. Know your departure time and arrive a couple hours prior.

When you board the boat, find a place for your tackle bag and find your bunk. You’ll need to find space to stow your rods, but those are my first priorities upon boarding. Once you’re onboard, the boat will depart and head to the bait dock.

While the crew is loading bait, the captain may use that opportunity to gather everyone (usually in the galley or on the bow) to give a safety briefing and talk about the fishing program. No one is so knowledgeable – myself included – to not need to listen intently to the briefing. Remember, the crew wants you to succeed. If you catch fish, you’ll want to come back and tell your friends. They have also seen the most recent fishing activity and know the details of what’s working. Don’t be that guy who thinks just because you were successful doing something else last year, that whatever you did before is what is working now.

Once the briefing is over, set up your heaviest rig with a heavy knife jig. My heavy setup consists of the Fishing Syndicate FSC-OS 760 3XH (60-130) paired with an Okuma Makaira 30 filled with 100-pound braid to a 50-foot topshot of 130-pound mono. I like having some mono in between braid and fluoro to have a bit of shock absorber.

You can set up the other stuff later, but this rig is what you’ll need on the first night. Don’t be shy; introduce yourself to the deckhands and ask for help getting set up. Have them tie your knots and check your drag.

The knife jigs have become an important weapon. Guys will bring 400- and 500-gram jigs. If the current is fast or wind is pushing the boat, those heavier jigs can be an advantage. I like 300 grams, though, because I feel like it doesn’t just sink straight down and gets more action in the zone. Before you get on the boat, you should either have a tackle shop rig the jig with the appropriate hooks and a heavy leader, or buy a premade heavy leader at the landing.

Often, the nighttime knife-jigging portion of the trip is the most productive part of the entire experience. Be ready. Get that setup together and hit your bunk. You’ll be back up in the middle of the night to fish.

When The Sun Comes Up

Daytime can be good if you find the right school, but it’s typically slower. You’ll need two setups during the daytime portion of the trip – a sinker rig and 40-pound flyline bait. If you only have the one setup that you used at night for jigging, you can convert that one to your sinker rig.

Here’s how that works: Tie a connection knot from your mainline to your fluorocarbon leader, and then affix a torpedo weight (typically 6 to 8 ounces) using a rubber band where they connect. Something I picked up last year – I’m always learning – is instead of tying a connection knot, use a heavy-duty swivel (200-pound test or more) in between your main line and leader. It helps keep your leader from getting twisted up. Use heavy-duty hooks for these two applications. I’ve had lesser hooks straighten out on me.

Because I have it, I’ll set up two sinker rigs – an 80-pound and 60/50-pound setup. I use my Fishing Syndicate FSC-OS 760 2XH (50 to 100), paired with an Okuma Makaira 16 with 80-pound braid to an 80-pound mono topshot, and then 80-pound fluoro leader to the hook. For the 60/50 setup, I use the FSCOS XH (40 to 80) and a Penn Fathom 40 LD2 with 65-pound braid to a 60-pound mono topshot, and the 60or 50-pound fluoro leader to the hook.

For the sinker rig, find a lively bait and hook it from the bottom of the mouth through the top of the nose. This keeps their mouth shut and results in less tangles. You also want to be mindful of not dropping in too fast, as the leader likes to come up and tangle on the main line. Because