BACK FROM BAJA - PHOTO HEAVY - DOMINICK

[Dominick]

We got 2 days of fishing in.  I tried to upload a video to photobucket but it wont take it for some reason.  In the video it shows that we ran into a school of porpoises.  There were quite a bunch of boats on them.  The idea for catching schoolie tuna is to get in front of the porpoise.  The theory is that tuna run under the schools of porpoise.  We were using cut Humboldt squid both for bait and for chum.  Once in front of the porpoise the boat is stopped and the hooked bait is thrown into the water followed by a handful of cut bait as chum.  The theory is that the hooked bait and the chum sink at the same time bring the tuna up to feed.  It is a gun and run game of leap frogging the porpoise.  All the boats were doing the same thing.
One cannot post a thread about Baja without the commensurate photo of the sunrise.



We ended up with a total of 8 schoolie size tuna to 25 lbs. Here we are gunning to get around the porpoise.  (By the way we do this on poropise) bada boom.

Here's my fishing buddy Joe hooked into a tuna.  He is using the boat's tackle which turned out to have rods too light to lift tuna. 

Joe draws first blood.

I used the spiral wrapped rod I bought from Alan Chui (Black Pearl).  The rod was exactly what was needed for these schoolie sized tuna.  I combined it with a Penn International Torque 300.  The rod was stiff enough to lift the fish and flexible enough to get a good bend.

Here is the mate Rickie with a cutting board full of cut Humboldt squid.

Here is a small tuna heading for the ice box, or is it a fish box???

Here's Joe with another for the box.


That's what happens when one has the camera.  I hardly get my picture taken.
Here is Capitano Christian bleeding one of the fish.

Joe got this decent size yellow fin.  Check out the grin on his face.

I had the Nep-Tuna cradle reel with me as I wanted to catch a tuna.  Unfortunately I did not catch a tuna but I did catch a Rooster Fish with it.

The rooster fish is a tough fighter but it was no match for the cradle reel with a 9/0 Senator.  We ended up catching 4 rooster then went after some tuna.  We got skunked on the tuna the 2nd day of fishing.

Here are some photos without narration.




This last picture is Salvador the fish cutter.  That knife he is wielding is as sharp as a razor.

[Cortez_Conversions]

Nice trip Dominick!

[Rivverrat]

Dominick, could you please explain / define this cradle reel. How did come about ?  What is the reason they exist ?....Jeff

[bluefish69]

Dominick

Have you ever thought about putting the Squid through a meat grinder for Chum. I used a hand grinder for years.

Mike

[Dominick]

Dominick, could you please explain / define this cradle reel. How did come about ?  What is the reason they exist ?....Jeff

Jeff.  Check these links.  http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=10064.msg168313#msg168313  http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=14857.0 These were made about 50 years or more ago.  I guess they were too expensive and did not catch on.  I never did any research on them.  Dominick
Here's one more link.  http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=19532.0;topicseen

[Dominick]

Dominick

Have you ever thought about putting the Squid through a meat grinder for Chum. I used a hand grinder for years.

Mike

Mike. The tuna are line shy.  So we use Flouro carbon and hook a piece of squid the same size as the chum so that the hooked piece sinks at the same time as the handful of pieces thrown as chum.  It is not like chumming for blues when I was back east.  Back east it was making an oil slick of ground fish which made a chum line that the fish follow to the boat. It is a little different for tuna.  So grinding would make the pieces too small.  Dominick

[bluefish69]

For Tuna here they mix Ground Chum with Cut Pieces

[David Hall]

And you did all this on porpoise?  Ba boom.

[Bill B]

Domnick great report and good looking fish.....glad to see the Nep-Tuna made it and caught some fish.....We are gonna have to get the Nep-Tunas together for a group shot....Bill

[Dominick]

Domnick great report and good looking fish.....glad to see the Nep-Tuna made it and caught some fish.....We are gonna have to get the Nep-Tunas together for a group shot....Bill

Good idea Bill.  But where are you going to get 50 year old sand paper??? Dominick

[Bill B]

maybe I can find a 50 yo can of cool beans and use the label 

[Alto Mare]

Nice job as usual Dominick and Joe. Thanks for sharing.

[Bryan Young]

Looks like a wonderful trip. Thanks for taking us along.

[Shark Hunter]

Great shots Dominick.
Good to see you and Joe on some fish.

[foakes]

Thanks for taking us along, Dominick!

Best,

Fred