Tuna fishing from a grady white

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southernstyle995

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So I just cant seam to get the yellowfin tuna fishing fugured out. I catch plenty of mahi and all and one or two yft every now and then but cant seam to figure out what im doing wrong. Im in the right spot cuz charter boats are hooking up around me. Ive tried pulling lines way out and dropping leader size down to 90lb fluorocarbon and still not much luck. its getting kinda frustrating cuz I want to figure it out. Any things you 265 owners out there with Yamaha F225 4 strokes doing special with boat and trolling spread you want to share. Thanks
 
I have found that fishing for Bluefin is best when using live bait, macks and porgies and lots of patience.
 
We haven't found yft yet with the 265. Got them on other boats doing the same thing we do for BFT.
Spreader bars and bird/daisy chains in close, ballyhoo on the long riggers, a blue bird/daisy chain with ballyhoo wtfb down the middle.
6 or 7 mph on one engine

we start off with two spreader bars, if were catching we swap one for a daisy chain because we hate clearing spreader bars.

The big boats use 4 spreader bars
 
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SkunkBoat said:
We haven't found yft yet with the 265. Got them on other boats doing the same thing we do for BFT.
Spreader bars and bird/daisy chains in close, ballyhoo on the long riggers, a blue bird/daisy chain with ballyhoo wtfb down the middle.
6 or 7 mph on one engine
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one engine may be what I need to try may be creating too much whitewater!!
 
SkunkBoat said:
you're wasting gas too!
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oh really?? it wont be using more because only using one engine at higher rpm and under more load to push boat? I read one post where gradyfish22 said to run motors out of sync to help with virbrations and frequencys to help raise fish
 
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You can also play around with varying the engine trim and the angle of the trim tabs to affect the white water and the clear channels that you want to create. You may have to downsize your leader, there are days we've gone all the way down to 40lb fluoro and if you're not already running a green machine behind a bird as a way back line - start. That and a blue/white Ilander with a ballyhoo are always in the spread as they've been the most consistent producers.
 
Fowl Hooked said:
You can also play around with varying the engine trim and the angle of the trim tabs to affect the white water and the clear channels that you want to create. You may have to downsize your leader, there are days we've gone all the way down to 40lb fluoro and if you're not already running a green machine behind a bird as a way back line - start. That and a blue/white Ilander with a ballyhoo are always in the spread as they've been the most consistent producers.
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Cool deal man thanks for the info. do you troll with one engine or 2? how do you trim your motors and trim tabs wile your tuna fishing? how do those 250's push the 265 I would like to repower mine someday with some f250's
 
In my experience it's all about presentation -- when I fish for YFT at the canyons, S. of Martha's Vineyard, it's usually with a 7-10 rod spread, smaller bars (5 inch squids) + Joe Shutes with ballyhoo. Usually faster (6-7 kts) than fishing for bluefin and with a tighter spread...
 
southernstyle995 said:
Cool deal man thanks for the info. do you troll with one engine or 2? how do you trim your motors and trim tabs wile your tuna fishing? how do those 250's push the 265 I would like to repower mine someday with some f250's
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I typically run both when offshore and one when trolling in the Chesapeake where I only need 2-1/2 knots or so. No particular reason, as Skunk said a single will push you at 6-7 easy enough, guess I just prefer to have power on both. There's not a default for the trim and tabs, I start with tabs fully retracted and engines all the way down then work from there as it's condition dependent. I'd say I'm usually no more than a bar or two of engine trim and then it's just touch and go on the tabs.

I have the old style 3.3L 250s and while they were an unexpected and unwelcome surprise cost (exhaust corrosion had gone undetected and gotten to my powerheads) they were also a huge improvement in every aspect of performance save top speed, as the gearing is the same and I used the original props that was to be expected. In general I'd describe them as just working easier to accomplish the same tasks; boat pops up on plane much quicker - especially when heavily loaded, cruises at the same RPM with better efficiency, holds speed plowing into heavy waves, just all around goodness. In retrospect the only thing I regret is not getting the digital controls but at the time it seemed like an additional cost I just didn't need and the old style was plug and play with my existing gear.
 
Fowl Hooked said:
I typically run both when offshore and one when trolling in the Chesapeake where I only need 2-1/2 knots or so. No particular reason, as Skunk said a single will push you at 6-7 easy enough, guess I just prefer to have power on both. There's not a default for the trim and tabs, I start with tabs fully retracted and engines all the way down then work from there as it's condition dependent. I'd say I'm usually no more than a bar or two of engine trim and then it's just touch and go on the tabs.

I have the old style 3.3L 250s and while they were an unexpected and unwelcome surprise cost (exhaust corrosion had gone undetected and gotten to my powerheads) they were also a huge improvement in every aspect of performance save top speed, as the gearing is the same and I used the original props that was to be expected. In general I'd describe them as just working easier to accomplish the same tasks; boat pops up on plane much quicker - especially when heavily loaded, cruises at the same RPM with better efficiency, holds speed plowing into heavy waves, just all around goodness. In retrospect the only thing I regret is not getting the digital controls but at the time it seemed like an additional cost I just didn't need and the old style was plug and play with my existing gear.
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10-4 thanks, yea I will definitely get digital controls when I repower, one of my previous boats had fly by wire and it is really nice! How far does the green machine need to be behind the bird on the way back line?
 
southernstyle995 said:
10-4 thanks, yea I will definitely get digital controls when I repower, one of my previous boats had fly by wire and it is really nice! How far does the green machine need to be behind the bird on the way back line?
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Typically run it between 6 and 12 feet behind the bird.
 
Fowl Hooked said:
You can also play around with varying the engine trim and the angle of the trim tabs to affect the white water and the clear channels that you want to create. You may have to downsize your leader, there are days we've gone all the way down to 40lb fluoro and if you're not already running a green machine behind a bird as a way back line - start. That and a blue/white Ilander with a ballyhoo are always in the spread as they've been the most consistent producers.
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+1 on the flouro.....Tuna are skittish
 
Last week trolling the canyon off Ocean City, MD, we caught 3 nice YF tuna all on the same exact 30 Tiagra with the same lure within an hour after having trolled 7 hours prior. I had at least 8 rods (30-50s & one 80) out there with various ballyhoo rugged lures. YFT are leader sensitive and all my rods are rigged with floro wind ons from 60-200 lb. I actually think that 80 had 60 floro so maybe that was it. Don’t be afraid to drop leader size as the risk of breaking off is outweighed by higher catch rates. Hell, I’ve caught 100-200 lb tuna on 30 tlds. In my experience, find the bait and mark fish, present a well rigged bait, troll 6.5-7 and you’ll catch yellowfin! The bite can turn on and off hour-by-hour and day-by-day and those fish are constantly moving. Keep at it, and you’ll dial it in!
 

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grady33 said:
Last week trolling the canyon off Ocean City, MD, we caught 3 nice YF tuna all on the same exact 30 Tiagra with the same lure within an hour after having trolled 7 hours prior. I had at least 8 rods (30-50s & one 80) out there with various ballyhoo rugged lures. YFT are leader sensitive and all my rods are rigged with floro wind ons from 60-200 lb. I actually think that 80 had 60 floro so maybe that was it. Don’t be afraid to drop leader size as the risk of breaking off is outweighed by higher catch rates. Hell, I’ve caught 100-200 lb tuna on 30 tlds. In my experience, find the bait and mark fish, present a well rigged bait, troll 6.5-7 and you’ll catch yellowfin! The bite can turn on and off hour-by-hour and day-by-day and those fish are constantly moving. Keep at it, and you’ll dial it in!
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Thanks for the info greatly appreciated!
 
Although the posts above about the keen eyesight of the YFT are true, on Monday (6/29) we caught a 34# YFT at the Triple Wrecks (off NJ) on a good old-fashioned cedar plug that was rigged with heavy 80# test mono, trolled 20 feet off the transom....go figure.
 
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Finest Kind said:
Although the posts above about the keen eyesight of the YFT are true, on Monday (6/29) we caught a 34# YFT at the Triple Wrecks (off NJ) on a good old-fashioned cedar plug that was rigged with heavy 80# test mono, trolled 20 feet off the transom....go figure.
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Absolutely agree - if there is one constant in fishing, it's that nothing is constant. The rigs up tight are more forgiving I think because of all the prop wash bubbles that tend to obscure the terminal tackle and allow you to run heavier gear in that zone. For the rigs in clear water I'll generally start heavier but if we're working good water and seeing other signs of life with no hits then I start to downsize, sometimes it matters and sometimes it doesn't but it's an action I can take to try and effect a change; makes me feel (falsely) like I have some kind of control over how my day goes. ;)
 
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