Tideline Summer 2017

B igeye present one of the biggest challenges in the ocean for a Maryland angler. And we’re not just talking about sheer size—although with the Maryland state record set at 375 pounds, eight ounces, mass quite clearly matters. Bigeye are also rugged fighters that punch above their already-impressive weight. Battles commonly go on for hours at a time even with heavy gear, and few anglers have the stamina to go toe-to-toe with a decent-sized bigeye from start to finish. You think you might be one of them? Or, perhaps you’d be happy to invite your brother-in-law Bubba aboard for a day of fishing, just so you can watch him cry “Uncle”? Then prepare yourself, your boat, and your crew for the ultimate oceanic tug-of-war. Paint a Bullseye Some bigeye are caught incidentally while trolling for other species, for sure, but to have a significant chance of bagging one of these brutes you have to really focus in on targeting this species in specific. This is something of a specialty, and let me be right up front in saying that I’m no bigeye tuna specialist. Most of the tactics and tips you’re going to find in this article (except when it comes to night-chunking— more on that later) come from fishing with professional captains; I was particularly impressed watching Captain Rob Skillman (on the Moore Bills out of the Ocean City

Fishing Center) target bigeye in specific. The first and most important thing I learned from him? Be flexible with your timing. Bigeye work on a different clock than most other tunas. They tend to feed deep, coming up to the surface an hour or two before the sun sets. When targeting bigeye in specific, Captain Rob often doesn’t leave the dock until mid-day and doesn’t plan to return to it until midnight. That allows the boat to arrive at the canyons, troll for a few hours to locate the best spot, and be 100-percent prepared when the witching hour arrives. BIGEYE WORK ON A DIFFERENT CLOCK THAN Finding the best spot means locating pilot whales on the surface and bait on the meter, which has been fairly easy in recent years thanks to the large number of whales in our area—particularly in the Washington. It’s been so easy, in fact, that everyone reading this has doubtless heard of “the bigeye hole”. You’re likely to see at least a cluster and often a fleet of boats trolling there, whenever the weather allows. But this hasn’t always been, nor will it always be, the case. And at times, the bite in the Baltimore or the Wilmington may be significantly better. Wherever you find yourself, remember: pilot whales on the surface are the big red flag. Heavy Lifting Now that we have the right place and the right time, making sure to use the right gear is imperative. These are not light- tackle fish. On the Moore Bills the reels of choice are 80’s. Note that in the MSSA Tuna-Ment, the Boat Over 31 Feet class-winning tuna was a 173.9 pound bigeye which was hooked on a Tiagra 80, on the FFMD boat. Yet on that big Tiagra it still took almost three hours to land the fish. Leaders and rigging needs to be similarly stout. The 150 to 200 pound test range is about right, though some will argue that going even heavier is in order. The use of a wind-on swivel is usually recommended, as it eliminates the need for wiring these beasts. On the Moore Bills they do use wind- ons but the mate still “helps” the angler a bit with his hands, once the leader has crept past the rod tip. DEEP, COMING UP TO THE SURFACE AN HOUR OR TWO BEFORE THE SUN SETS. MOST OTHER TUNAS. THEY TEND TO FEED

Once onboard the fish should be cleated-off with a tail-rope. Otherwise, things may be broken. Very broken.

SUMMER 2017  | Page 13