Pro Tips Archive
- Casting (3)
- Fly Tying (5)
- Freshwater Fishing (15)
- General Tips (7)
- Saltwater Fishing (6)
- General Author (20)
- Dr. Way Yin (1)
- Rene' Harrop (9)
- Rich Culver (1)
- Mark Lance (1)
- Capt. Joe LeClair (1)
- Cale Van Velkinburgh (1)
- Chris Beech (1)
- Rick Kustich (1)
- 2009 (6)
- February (2)
- January (1)
- April (1)
- July (1)
- November (1)
- 2008 (28)
- September (1)
- October (23)
- November (2)
- December (2)
- 2010 (2)
- May (1)
- July (1)
Pro Tips
October 20, 2008
Bluefin Tuna with Captain Joe LeClair
This fall we had several weeks of great fishing for School Bluefin Tuna. These fish were averaging around 100 lbs. We had the opportunity to hook and land several on the Scott Bluewater 15 weight.
This is the fourth season for me on these rods and they are still going strong. I had an angler hook up with a 63' Bluefin Tuna that was around 150 lbs. this past week. I know this angler well and have caught many large fish with him in the past. As soon as he hooked up I told him I wanted to see him release this fish in less than 1/2 hour. It was not an easy task but he put the wood to that fish and we released the fish from the fly at the boat side in 26 minutes.
Anyone who has ever tangled with a fish over 100 lbs. on the fly rod knows that this is not easy to do. Even more people out there who have never hooked up with anything over 20 lbs. have no idea how hard you can and will need to pull back on a fish of this size to get it into the boat. While we were fighting this fish I was coaching the angler on how to best put pressure on the line and turn the fish towards the surface. At one point I noticed that the fish was just a little ahead of the angler and I asked him if I could take the rod and show him how we could do it a bit differently. He agreed and I took over the rod on the bow of the boat for a quick spell.
In doing so I was hoping to show the angler how the rod on a very low angler pointed almost directly at the fish (directly under the boat) could work the Tuna up in the water column without ever loosing pressure on him. The angler jumped back on the rod and did exactly as I had hoped. He was able to keep the movement of the fishing coming up towards the surface of the water instead of lifting the rod above the level of the horizon and then releasing pressure while winding the line back onto the reel. When this is done properly the fly rod tip never leaves the water.
In the world of stand up tackle this is termed 'short pumping' the rod. With stand up gear the angler wears a harness and places the rod in belt while the rod tip never comes down. Because we do not use a harness with the fly rods we have adapted the position of the rod so that the leverage on the line is the same as it is when 'Short Pumping' with standup gear. In the world of fly fishing we have found ways to do this with the larger fish hooked on fly tackle that allows for us to bring the fish boat side in a seriously short period of time.
My job as teacher and coach is very rewarding when we are able to land a fish of this size on the fly rod and sometimes there is years of work with an angler to achieve this type of goal. These are the things that make us tick!
In many cases the world according to the rules of the IGFA and other organizations that have set guidelines for us to follow when attempting a world record on the fly rod can only get in the way of the real world. In the case of my fishing here in the Northeast for Bluefin Tuna I have flat out no respect for the IGFA when they refuse to allow for 30lb. class tippet for our Tuna.
In many cases the world according to the rules of the IGFA and other organizations that have set guidelines for us to follow when attempting a world record on the fly rod can only get in the way of the real world. In the case of my fishing here in the Northeast for Bluefin Tuna I have flat out no respect for the IGFA when they refuse to allow for 30lb. class tippet for our Tuna.
The beauty of this is that before we even leave the dock we usually know what our game plan is for the day and if we are not planning on an attempt any world records we don't have to worry about the rules of the any organization other than our own. This means I can take the time and the leaders I need to fish for and catch the Chicken of The Sea.
I am winding up my season here on Cape Cod and heading to Florida again in November. I am going to be running a new flats boat in Florida. I have sold both my Action Craft 1890SE and Maverick HPX-T and purchased a new Action Craft 1710TPS. The TPS stands for Technical Poling Skiff. Because I have been fishing so much in the winter and spring in the EvergladesNational Park, I have decided to purchase a Carbon Kevlar boat that will fish as shallow as the winter low tides in the Everglades require.
I am winding up my season here on Cape Cod and heading to Florida again in November. I am going to be running a new flats boat in Florida. I have sold both my Action Craft 1890SE and Maverick HPX-T and purchased a new Action Craft 1710TPS. The TPS stands for Technical Poling Skiff. Because I have been fishing so much in the winter and spring in the EvergladesNational Park, I have decided to purchase a Carbon Kevlar boat that will fish as shallow as the winter low tides in the Everglades require.
This boat will draft 6' and can accommodate up to three people. I have outfitted the boat with a Yamaha 4 Stroke 60 horse power motor. In this day and age when the world economy and fuel cost is in fluctuation each week I feel it is important for each of us to do our part. In my case it means it will take 20-30 minutes longer to get to the fishing grounds when we run 25-35 miles into the Everglades for Snook, Reds, and Tarpon, but the amount of fuel we will consume on a small boat like this with a small four stroke motor will be less than half of what I was using in years past.
Captain Joe LeClair
North Eastern Anglers
(774)263-2675
