Tuna death circle

[BMITCH]

Ok, this maybe in the wrong place...feel free to move it. So, when you have a tuna coming towards you the end game usually is a series of "death circles". Tuna goes out away from boat - you give line or put some pressure and pull. Tuna starts it circle in and you gain line at this time question is which way do they circle?? Clockwise or counterclockwise Is it dependent on which side of their mouth they are hooked on?? This then begs the question on offset circle hooks. Offset right or left which side of the mouth is most likely to be hooked. Just wondering if anyone has experience in this.

Bob

[erikpowell]

Most of the dreaded, longer lasting death spirals I've experienced have been clockwise. That's in the South Pacific.
we've often pondered the same.

[Jeri]

Hi 

I've caught tunas both sides of the equator, and never noticed any deliberate direction either side of the 'the line'. Unlike the water going down the drain in a sink, that changes according to which side of the line you are, but have never noticed any fish behaviour that is affected by this.

I would think that once a circle hook is in place, irrespective of which way it is kirbed – it is in!!! The only factor that might come to play would be the side of the mouth that it is hooked – outside the circle of turn, or inside, but then again once those hooks are in place, very little lets then release.

I would suppose that the fish would favour working with the hook on the inside of the circle, pulling away from the direction of pressure, trying to pull away with the hook on the opposite side would have the leader going over its head, and that would be an interference. It would try to get away from the restriction???

Just my 2 cents.


Cheers from sunny Africa


Jeri

[Tightlines667]

I have seen thousands of tuna brought to gaff, and I can assure you that they circle both ways.  You can actually change the direction the turn if you can control their head as they begin to head away from the boat.  But come to think of it, I'm not sure if it's related to hook type/size or hooking position.  I have definitely seen many fish with clear indicators of line rub on both sides of the head/body, probably indicating that they circles both ways throughout the course of a given fight.  I would think they might tend to circle with the hook shank pointed towards the surface.  I know the fish exerts the greatest pressure as goes downwards/under the vessel /when circling towards the boat.  Maybe this fact causes the fish to tend to want to circle counterclockwise when the hook shank points ventrally (I.e. Lower jaw), and clockwise when the shank points more dorsally.  Since most fish immediately sound (after the obligatory head shake/regurgitation move), they will tend to get hooked in the posterior corner of the mouth with the shank facing more dorsally (ESP. With circle hooks).  If hooked in this manner on the fish's left side it will tend to go clockwise, right side counterclockwise.  It would be interesting to collect some objective data on this to test my theory. 

I would hypothesize that:

Hook shank dorsally/left side of mouth = Clockwise
Hook shank dorsally/right side of mouth = counterClockwise
Hook shank ventrally/left side of mouth = Clockwise
Hook shank ventrally/right side of mouth = counterClockwise

I would also think that because most tuna tend to point their right side towards the water's surface when they naturally turn on their sides (I seem to recall seeing this in many videos of free swimming or feeding tuna?), they would tend more often to get hooked in the left corner of the jaw with the shank pointing more dorsally, and hence would tend to spiral in the clockwise direction when under pressure.

I may be overthinking this one, or not accounting for some other factor...it may just be random.  However, I might have to ask a few if my trained fisheries observers to check this one out for me in the real world.  They see several hundred tuna brought to gaff monthly, so maybe I can get some loose observational data here? 

[BMITCH]

I too think it is directly related to which side of the mouth the fish is hooked on. If you can imagine the hook in the side of the mouth I don't think the fish would have the line coming over or under them with relation to the boat. So that being said..the hook would most likely always be facing up, in the direction of the pressure.
  I have also observed the rub marks on both sides of the fish which  I think is a result of the fish getting his head down and being able to change direction. Unfortunately on most occasions I'm WAY to excited to actually get the fish in the boat to take note of which way he is circling or which side of the mouth they are hooked on. Hopefully next year I will get the opportunity to see first hand which direction and side of mouth hey are going and hooked on. Thanks for the input guys. I was just curious as to what others have seen/experienced.

Bob

[Tunacious]

I've heard it stated by fishing captains and also in some fishing videos that the direction of the tuna's death spiral has to do with the earth's magnetic field. 8 or 9 times out of 10, the spiral will go in the same direction...at least for the northern hemisphere. I don't know if the spiral would reverse in the southern hemisphere. I was a Business major...not Science.

[alantani]

no doubt they are capable of swimming counterclockwise, but i have only seen clockwise.  curious, can't think of any particular reason why that would be.  perhaps it's the same reason that most people are right handed. 

[TomT]

I haven't caught enough tuna (unless you count barrilete) to be an expert at this, but my memory says the death spirals are clockwise--maybe from the tuna's view it is ccw!!
TomT

[UKChris]

Maybe it's like the way bathwater goes down the plughole - it depends on whether you are in the Northern or Southern hemisphere 

[Keta]

I think it depends on what side of the mouth the hook in in.

[Normslanding]

Both ways.

[theswimmer]

According to Peter Goadby, ( I wish I had this guy's creds.)
http://www.amazon.com/Saltwater-Gamefishing-Offshore-Peter-Goadby/dp/0070115443

Sharks and Tuna usually circle counterclock wise.
The other species had no decernable pattern.

[Tightlines667]

According to Peter Goadby, ( I wish I had this guy's creds.)
http://www.amazon.com/Saltwater-Gamefishing-Offshore-Peter-Goadby/dp/0070115443

Sharks and Tuna usually circle counterclock wise.
The other species had no decernable pattern.

Interesting observation there.  I know that book is sitting on my dad's coffee table right now.  I may have to take another look at it over XMAS.

[theswimmer]

I am not stating that he is correct, just that his level of offshore work give him a unique perspective.
The pics are incredible. My copy was my Dads

[Dominick]

I own a copy of that book.  It is a great reference book on everything fishing.  Every person who enjoys fishing should own one.  It looks like these are a bargain on Amazon.  Dominick