Water to table: Bigeye brawl

I had four people pm me asking when I was going to post a “Water to table” thread in the last two weeks. Since I guess they have been missed, here was this weekends adventure:

We left dock at 3:12 am. 3 min before schedule. We headed out on glass calm seas for the first time in a long, long time. It was going to be about a 3 hr ride out, so we settled in running at a comfortable 26 knots. We were headed to a waypoint 78 miles out where satellite pictures showed there was a warm water eddy off the gulfstream with a sharp 4-6 degree temperature break along with a sharp contrast in chlorophyll along a shelf to one of the canyons. We knew it was out there but with a 12 hr delay in the satellite shot, would we find it?

We arrived to see greenish blue water.  Hmmmm not good.
We saw some life: skipjack and flying fish, so we gave it a shot for 30 minutes.  Nothing, so we moved.


We ran for about 10 min north, and there we found the weed line, temperature break, and the water turned more blue. We were headed to a notch in the canyon, but decided to throttle back and give it a whirl short of the target. We trolled for 45 minutes along that line and did not get a knockdown. We pointed the boat north to that notch, and in 15 minutes things started to look better: the blue became cobalt blue, we saw tuna chicks flying, a few sharks and sunfish, but still no bites. 
Finally off in the distance, which according to the electronics, was right at that notch, we saw mammals: porpoise and pilot whales. Bingo!! 


As we came up on them, the females with their calf’s were “snorkeling”:  waiting for the males to push the bait they were rounding up 500-600 feet below us (we could see it on our sounder.)  We decided to stay in a 1/4 mile circle waiting for it to happen. 
Then it did. 
The sea became alive:
The big bubbles came up.  
Then a half dozen pilots came to the surface in a rush getting a badly needed breath of air, porpoise were jumping, tuna chicks dancing on the water picking up scraps, and there were flashes of color down below. The whales were happy and feeding as the squid shot by like mini torpedos swimming for their lives. 
There was so much energy in the water you could feel it in your bones.

We almost forgot we were fishing. 

Seconds later the first reel goes off ZZZZZZZ..... then the second... then the third....  “”Fish on!!!!” Is being yelled. “Clear the lines!!”
As we went to reel in those that did not have fish on them, those lines got hit.  Move onto the next rod- that one gets hit... it was mayhem!
Fish are crashing the bait with splashes like cars are being dropped in the water behind the boat. Within 30 or so seconds, 8 of 10 lines are hooked up and reels are screaming in pain as line is coming off faster than anyone could possibly wind it on. We throttle back and clear the 2 lines that did not get hooked.

We settle in as much as we can when you have 8 hooked fish and 6 people on board. We were mobbed by a school of tuna. As I was fighting a fish, when I was not gaining line on that one, I was reeling in another line from a rod in a holder.
Insanity.
For the next 45 min we were doing the tuna tango not knowing for sure the type of tuna we had on. People handing rods over and under other people’s rods. Forward, back, side to side....  I wish I had pictures, but it was pure glorious chaos.  

Then one came in the boat. A bigeye tuna!  We had bigeyes on!!  Excitement builds even more. These are arguably the hardest fighting tuna pound for pound. They will test every part of your equipment and find its weakest point be it knots, frayed line, a weak drag, or poor technique - they will find it. Having caught many yellowfin and bluefin, I can say these bigeye are in a league of their own in both fight and as table fare.
We battled our finned combatants, some going as long as 90 minutes. One by one they came to the boat. We pulled them in, freed the gaff and prepared for the next one. As soon as they were in the boat we stuck them to bleed them for meat quality, but could not immediately get them in the box as it was loaded with ice and people were dancing all over the deck. So we left them on the deck until things calmed down. After they passed and could control them we got them in the box. It was not until the last two were still out that I could get a picture.  
It was a bloody murder scene. 

Once we got the the last one in, the tally was 5 for 8 landed. 



We cleaned up, and fished a bit more,  and argued who would be forced to fight the next fish. When everyone was insistent that they would not be the one, we pointed the boat toward the barn for the ride home in glass calm seas. 


Back at dock we weighed them.  They alll came in at 101-107 lbs. 


We cleaned the fish and chunked the loins. 


And although I ate about 2 lbs raw, we still “cooked” a few dockside. 


Last night was a tuna ceviche, and tonight it was pan seared on the egg. A 50/50 mix of grilling olive oil and sesame oil, a bit of onion salt, garlic powder, a pinch of old bay, and a healthy coat of fresh cracked black pepper, then   into a screaming hot cast iron pan on the large. 






Dessert was cheesecake with fresh fruit. 


It was a great trip which will not be soon forgotten. 


Thanks for letting me share this adventure with you.