Tuna Terra Firma
Ó Ed Mitchell 1998
Where is the line between persistence and pig-headedness? Where does determination end and stubbornness begin? At times it's hard to tell. You can get so darn focused, you do not realize that you're also a bit out of control.
The majority of this game takes place in a wide arc from Montauk north and east to Monomoy and Nantucket. Still some opportunities exist to the south. Barnegat Inlet, for instance, can hold action and I am certain there are places for beach anglers to do this business in the Outer Banks.
After procreation, some bonito move in close to feed, providing the first shot from shore. Expect that action to begin in these waters by mid to late August. From there it will build slowly, peaking in early October, after which bonito drop back quickly into deeper waters. By Labor Day, little tunny have joined the beach party, but like the bonito they may stay along the shore until only mid October. In all, the Southern New England shore season is short, six weeks or seven weeks at best.
Picking a Place
With a limited season and a limited amount of casting range, beach anglers pick their spots with the utmost care. Atlantic bonito and little tunny can show up on any shore, but inlets and their immediate adjoining beaches are by far the best bets. Cape Pogue, on the Vineyard, the salt ponds jetties in the southwest corner of Rhode Island - especially the west wall over at Point Judith- are excellent examples. Why inlets? They are narrow gateways through which tremendous quantities of bait migrate with the changing season. That bait may hang near the mouth and along the nearest shoreline for weeks before leaving for open water.
Inside any of these locations, however, there are microcosms, smaller pieces of real estate that are prime ground. And that is why you see local anglers continually jockeying for the best turf. The reason for it is simple. While striped bass at times feed leisurely, these two tunas prefer fast food, often eating in a high-speed drive-through style. To accomplish it, they frequently run along the same bottom contour line time and again. For instance, its possible for a fifty-foot section of shoreline to consistently give up fifty percent of the fish caught on that beach during the season, because the adjacent structure and current there are conducive to tuna swinging in tight.
Picking a Tide
In general, I prefer rising water. On a beach, it seems to bring the fish closer. In an inlet, the bonito and little tunny tend to chew outside on the ebb, and are therefore outside casting range, except for a few anglers at the jetty tip. When the tide turns incoming, those same fish may rush inside, practically at your feet. Remember: when fishing an inlet, the time of current and the time of tide can be considerably different. Some larger salt ponds, for instance, will continue to have an outgoing current for several hours after the time of dead low. Naturally, the flood is delayed accordingly.
Picking A Time
Both species seem to feed heaviest in early morning and late afternoon. For that reason, when fishing an inlet chose a day with flooding current at those times of day. If forced to choose, I think dawn holds a better bite. Expect the fish to begin feeding actively after the sun actually breaks the horizon, spilling light over the waters.
Persistence and preparation are the keys to the highway. If possible plan on fishing a spot several days in a row. Ideally you would try the morning bite, take a siesta, and return for the matinee. In that way you can learn exactly when and where the fish show up most often in that location.
When anglers fail to get a hookup, they often blame the fly or the size of the tippet. In truth the problem is more apt to be presentation. Because bonito and little tunny do not have swim bladders they can accelerate to the surface, smash bait and then dive deep, all without shifting gears. These yo-yo blitzes can be trouble. If you cast directly at a busting fish, by the time your fly arrives, that fish is back down. Far better to gauge the direction in which the school is traveling and then cast in front. Learn to lead them a little.
Practice These Basic Rules
Whether you fish the beach or the inlet, certain basic rules apply. Do not wait for the fish to show before you start casting. It is the wrong tactic! Keep the fly wet. Periodically stop and double-check your tackle. Does the tippet have a wind knot in it? Is the hook point still sharp? Is the drag still properly set? Often a fish strikes suddenly after a long lull in the action. When it happens it can catch you off guard. To avoid missing any precious strikes, here are a few things to do. Make it a habit to keep the rod tip down, so you are always in touch with the fly. Next, to avoid having the line yanked from your grip, dry your hands occasionally. And regardless if you use a one handed strip, or the two handed method, make a conscious attempt to grasp the line firmly between your fingers during the retrieve.
Do Not Panic
Do not get buck fever. When the fish show, stay cool. Use the same smooth casting rhythm you have used right along. Any attempt to boom out a cast often results in a tragic tangle. When you feel the fish take, concentrate on getting the line on the reel while maintaining some tension. Once the fish is running hard, swing your stripping basket out of the way. Now, if necessary, you are ready to move. As the run slows, lower the rod tip a bit under tension. Then when the fish turns toward you, lift the rod tip gradually as needed to keep tight while you reel.
More
Tips.
If you simply can't allot the time necessary to learn a spot well, befriend a local expert. Much of this tuna terrain has a fanatic following, a handful of hard core anglers that rarely miss a good tide. Knowing one is a giant step in your angling success. You can not only get the inside track on how the fish react in a given location, but by staying in touch you can learn if the action has suddenly picked up.
The Two aren't the Same
While bonito and little tunny are related, look a bit alike, and may feed in the same areas, the two are different critters in important ways . Little tunny tend to run in larger groups, move faster, and are more aggressive to a fly. This makes them easier to catch. Bonito frequently run in small squadrons of as few as three or four fish. They also move a bit slower and are fussier eaters, often requiring you to match the local forage more closely. On top of that they don't inhale a fly like a tunny does, and hence you don't always get a solid hookups. So bonito can be considerably more frustrating.
Years Run Hot and Cold
Besides the short season, the amount of bonito and little tunny in Southern New England vacillates considerably from year to year. While the size of the stock may have something to do with it, the large variation we see are more likely attributable to weather changes and physical events such as the presence of warm water rings breaking off the Gulf Stream. As a result, some seasons there are tons of tuna up against the beach, other years you can't buy a bite. You have to get used to it.
No Show Does not Mean No Go
While most anglers leave a spot if they do not see fish actually bust on the surface, bonito may well be near you, but feeding deep. In fact, I am beginning to think bonito often feed deep. Therefore in an area where bonito have been seen recently, it pays to try going down, when fish are not showing on the surface. Using a fast sinking line and a weighted fly probe the deepest waters of the inlet. Cast and do a long count down. Let the fly go deep.
Full Figure Flies
Big bass and big blues like big flies. Turns out, these tuna do too. Sure,
bonito and little tunny are size selective at times and carrying flies to match
prevalent bait is de riguer. But the biggest bonito and the biggest tunny I have
caught were both taken on large white flies of about seven inches in length
riding 3/0 hooks. Both events took place late in the season. In the case of the
tunny, I had been fishing a large school for hours and taking some with a small
fly. Just for fun I put on the big fly and cast it into the melee. A big tunny
grey hounded across the top, coming from thirty feet away to nail it. It proved
to me that these fish, like striped bass and blue, sometimes like a lot of
feathers. So don't leave the full figure flies at home.
Idiosyncrasies
Any place you fish has its own idiosyncrasies, little quirks that mean a lot to your odds of catching fish. On one jetty I fish, during slack tide the local lobsterman shows up to pull his pots. As he lifts as pots, the bait in the trap falls into the water. After filling with fresh baiting, the pot is returned back down. In effect the lobsterman is creating a chum line. Soon schools of baitfish concentrate in the area and soon you have a chance of bonito making a pass through. So I follow the lobsterman down the wall, fishing where the pots have just been reset. There is only one down side. You guessed it, I risk having a tuna wrap me on a pot, but it is chance worth taking.
The End