Vinaka vaka levu (many big thanks) to Dom, Tom and Daron ;) for making this happen:
Well I didn't waste any time putting the new frame on my first Senator 9/0. I just spooled it up with +/- 600yds 80lb ande envy,
heard there were some big tuna around and guys getting busted off.
Ditched work on Thursday afternoon with my buddies Russell & Wayne and set out from Pacific Harbour around 2pm.
Good thing we did, in 9 years here I've never seen a bite like this here...let alone only 30mins out!
Saw a couple birds, dropped the lines and within 5 minutes a BIG double hookup.
We had only gotten 2 of our four lines in the water.
So as the first testimonial to the DomTom frame, I'll let the pics do the talking:
Woohooooo!!!
Russells line went off first... Saragosa 20000, 80lb braid, Cape Cod jigging rod, Halco Laserpro 2m diver... His battle was to last over 2hrs..
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/DSCN0033_zpsb9bbf567.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/DSCN0033_zpsb9bbf567.jpg.html)
Just seconds behind the first strike, a massive surface strike on my skirt and a huge tail made Wayne & I scream MARLIN!!
It didn't take long to realize it wasn't a marlin.
The 9/0 brought it in about an hour...I had scaled the drag to 26lbs on the way out... didn't even have a chance to double dog it yet OR add Bryans drag kit, OR Lee's handle, OR BP's gear...in other words; bone stock 9/0 with a SICK 1 piece frame! :o
And the reward:
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/DSCN0026_zps9359cdb9.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/DSCN0026_zps9359cdb9.jpg.html)
length 60 ½" , girth 42 ½" ... our dodgy scale weighed it 69kg at the dock
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/DSCN0030_zps878cd763.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/DSCN0030_zps878cd763.jpg.html)
the winning combo... and my new favorite gear
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/DSCN0036_zpsf4032b66.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/DSCN0036_zpsf4032b66.jpg.html)
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/1947323_669232286467131_80072739_n_zpsb7eb0902.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/1947323_669232286467131_80072739_n_zpsb7eb0902.jpg.html)
68kg and a 63kg for Russ..... we felt so bad Wayne never had a chance to get a line in the water... But his top notch boat handling & gaff skills ensured we brought the fish in... couldn't have pulled it off without him ;)
Thank you all, Neptune included, for another day in Paradise and an unforgettable day of fishing !!
and Dom, Tom and Daron.... Vinaka vaka levu.... your guest room awaits ;D
Cheers all!
Well done Erik and crew ;D
Tom may get his CNC machine made ready for another batch of 9/0 frames ;)
:oAwesome
Good stuff Erik! :o
The Pleasure was all mine brother! ;)
So is this first blood?
Absolutly awesome!!!
Thanks for sharing the pics, THIS is why we do what we do!!
Way to go! Nice fish! Bob
Look like Tuna Sandwhiches for a few days....Great Job, And I hope to have some shark picks with the new frame very soon.
Nice fish....
Rgds
Mark
Very nice!!! Thanks for posting.
John
Thanks everyone!
Tom, you're an artist!
i hope some of our hawaiian friends notice the lure... it was a gift from a friend on the Big island, she told me I had to rig it, but DON'T change the skirts... it was the first time I ever ran it, it wasn't even wet for 5 mins until....
Bula Erik: That is what I call fun. I love the feeling a fish stronger than me on the end of my line. Good for you. Now I can't wait to get going on rebuilding my 9/0. Dominick
Bula Erik,
awesome. An epic evening run. Who made the lure head? The top skirt is my favorite
Quote from: Bryan Young on February 22, 2014, 05:50:46 AM
Bula Erik,
awesome. An epic evening run. Who made the lure head? The top skirt is my favorite
Bryan he is talking about a skirt on a fishing lure, not your Saturday evening fashion. :D :D Dominick
Quote from: Dominick on February 22, 2014, 05:57:42 AM
Quote from: Bryan Young on February 22, 2014, 05:50:46 AM
Bula Erik,
awesome. An epic evening run. Who made the lure head? The top skirt is my favorite
Bryan he is talking about a skirt on a fishing lure, not your Saturday evening fashion. :D :D Dominick
Oh boy, and I thought Hawaiian shirts were bad ::)
Quote from: erikpowell on February 22, 2014, 12:09:53 AM
Well I didn't waste any time putting the new frame on my first Senator 9/0. I just spooled it up with +/- 600yds 80lb ande envy,
heard there were some big tuna around and guys getting busted off.
Ditched work on Thursday afternoon with my buddies Russell & Wayne and set out from Pacific Harbour around 2pm.
Good thing we did, in 9 years here I've never seen a bite like this here…let alone only 30mins out!
Saw a couple birds, dropped the lines and within 5 minutes a BIG double hookup.
We had only gotten 2 of our four lines in the water.
Woohooooo!!!
The 9/0 brought it in about an hour… I had scaled the drag to 26lbs on the way out… didn't even have a chance to double dog it yet OR add Bryans drag kit, OR Lee's handle, OR BP's gear…in other words; bone stock 9/0 with a SICK 1 piece frame! :o
Tom's frame has officially been christened, way to go buddy ;)
I think I'll make this one my background for a while, I just love to see those older Penn in action. Thanks for sharing, Erik . Congrats to you and your friend...nice fish.
Way to go. That's a nice Ahi on a "old fashion" single speed reel! Even if it does have that awesome frame.
Erik, BEAUTIFUL Allison tunas ;) really we'll done! Thanks for sharing
Bob
That says a lot about a stock 9/0. 152lb Tuna! I bet if the Hex gear was in there, it would have cut that fight time down. ;) You don't know how good you have it Man! I think I'll call in sick and go catch a Giant Tuna! ;) I could go down to the Ohio and catch a big Shovelhead Maybe. ;)
Quote from: BMITCH on February 22, 2014, 01:45:53 PM
Erik, BEAUTIFUL Allison tunas ;) really we'll done! Thanks for sharing
Bob
;D. I just wish I could call in sick before I have to call in dead.
Nice hook-ups. Beautiful fishes on your day off
Quote from: Bryan Young on February 22, 2014, 05:50:46 AM
Bula Erik,
awesome. An epic evening run. Who made the lure head? The top skirt is my favorite
Aloha Bryan, Boy, I'd sure like to know who made that head too.
The lure was given to me by a friend from the Big Island a couple years ago. She said it was made by a friend of hers there and it was a local favorite. The day before we went out I was rooting through a box of unrigged lures and came across the lures Heidi brought me.
That pink one just screamed at me "I'll be the one"... So I rigged it up with 2 meters of 200lb & a generic 7/0 stainless game hook.
Maybe some of our hawaiian friends here can ID it for us. ;)
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/SANY0795_zpsd7ea57b3.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/SANY0795_zpsd7ea57b3.jpg.html)
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/SANY0802_zps45935781.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/SANY0802_zps45935781.jpg.html)
(http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q680/fijigreen69/SANY0805_zps315c13d9.jpg) (http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/fijigreen69/media/SANY0805_zps315c13d9.jpg.html)
Heidi actually gave me two lures... the second was a rounded chrome bullet head about ⅝" around and ¾"long with 3" skirts... brown over pink... weird color to me but she told me not to change it, it was special. I size my hooks by the lure head, Peter Pakula style. (head should fit through the gape of the hook) and that lure got a 5/0 stainless short J.
I think this chrome head could have been a JB head but I'm not sure... I'd really like a few more!
Well the next day of our big tuna hunt, THAT one was the first to go off... on my TLD20 2speed w/65lb powerpro to 100' 50lb topshot.
I was running this one about 40' behind the bigger pink one that day...
Long story short, after almost 2 hrs at 25lbs of drag, somewhere between the 20th-30th death spiral under the boat ( that fish spent almost an hour trying to cut itself off with the motors ;).. he nicked me on the prop.... and the next in-gaff range spiral, the mono broke about a foot above my swivel... CRUSHED :'( :'(
We had plenty of good looks at this one, and with the previous days' catch (and days following) we're confident it was 75-80kg range.
I wish I had hooked this one on my trusty 9/0
We had almost 2 weeks of giants around before cyclone came and blew them back to where they came from.
Many were caught in the 50-80kg range... a bunch of those were just off the reef in 1000m. 80kg was our town record. Suva claimed 90kg.
a local marine biologist friend told us there was an cold water current anomaly welling up from NZ at the time, and it was the closest it has come to Fiji since 91 or 92..... sigh....
Lesson- above all the other tasty treats we were pulling, this guy went for the funny brown over pink skirt on the little bullet head.
I was hoping I'd get to use that lure again. >:(
Thanks a lot for all the high 5's guys!
Dominick, tune up your 9/0 buddy.. you got a winner there. ;) and a cracker of lure selection to boot! ;)
I saw your collection on Daron's thread. All your Cabo lures are perfect for here. You're good to go.
Quote from: erikpowell on April 01, 2014, 04:25:38 AM
Dominick, tune up your 9/0 buddy.. you got a winner there. ;) and a cracker of lure selection to boot! ;)
I saw your collection on Daron's thread. All your Cabo lures are perfect for here. You're good to go.
Bula Erik: The photos you saw was everything I bring down but the photos did not have my Marlin and Tuna lures. I'll post photos tomorrow. Dominick