Old Fashioned Tuna Fishing....

[Darian]

Found a video of commercial Tuna fishing as it was done in the 40's/50's (maybe later, too). Action city!! Check out the link:

http://thefishingisgood.com/?p=98

[James W]

Heck, they're still out there doing it the same way today!
This is exactly how line caught albacore are caught. Sometimes you just can't improve a good idea.
Tough work for tough men, but as I understand it, pretty lucrative.

[Darian]

Kinda cool that some ideas never go away. I had no idea that this technique was still in use. I thought all Tunas were rounded up into Tuna pens and farmed or caught by purse seiners; long liners??? :confused:

[SeanO]

Google up "Jack poling tuna"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhhnKmCMIvs

[mems]

Aloha, I have been out with guys who still do it this way. We were at an illegal buoy and it was loaded with ahi and mahi. The guys used straight poles and jig style hooks with no barb. They threw out chum and sprayed water on the surface. They had a dangler and slid the big tuna on board as they jumped up to grab a squid skirt hanging off the dangler. Problem was when we showed up there was a school of small ono getting to the bait. So I got to get out my fly rod and hook an ono who took off and brought the school with him. Then they could catch the ahi and mahi while I fought the ono. Once I landed the ono I would do the same thing and catch another. It was pretty wild. Most of the ahi were in the 30-50lb class, but it was still a challenge to get them in before they got their head turned. Mahi same story. They lost a couple of poles to big fish who turned. They got 4,000 lbs in 2 hours. It was hard work, not sport fishing. Mems

[Baja Fly Fisher]

I just had some fresh ahi that was caught out of san diego. I pan seared the chunks, ummm, ummm. It didn't quite taste right without a big bowl of fresh gohon (rice). My buddy Edwin is on his way down for a tuna trip out of san diego this coming week
I will be expecting a package of fresh ahi delivered to my door... Go get'm Edwin :-)

[Tony Buzolich]

I had an uncle Matt Pitalo that captained a tuna boat out of San Pedro. Somehow he lost half his arm in a wrapped line while working the boat.
My aunt would tell us stories of how he was gone for months at a time following schools of tuna to South America and Tahiti. I wasn't old enough at the time to tag along or else I might be still out there chasing them now.
Tony

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I have heard many times that all fish populations are down about 80% in the past 50 years.

I watched those old tuna movies many years ago.