OFFSHORE SPECIES

Bluefin Tuna without a doubt have more power per pound than any other fish found in the mid-Atlantic offshore waters! In the history of big game angling, no other game fish has whipped more anglers. It's the one fish that takes all your strength from you. Bluefin feed upon their lesser relatives, including members of the mackerel, skipjack, and bonito families. Along their Atlantic range, Bluefin Tuna will take mackerel, bonito, bluefish, menhaden, and herring. These all make good baits, especially alive or at least fresh. Bottom dwelling species such as whiting have been successfully used for baits. The local method of using baits revolves around Chunking from a drifting or anchored boat. Fishermen will find a location where Bluefin frequent and then they'll anchor and chunk. If the spot proves good, semi-permanent anchorages are set by using 40-inch polyballs.  When a fish is hooked, a boat drops from the ball and fights it. Another popular method is trolling Cedar Plugs. Hot spots include but are not limited to, the Hot Dog, 26 Mile Hill, the Lumps and the Boomerang (offshore bottom changes). Typical tackle for Atlantic school Bluefin is not overly large yet substantial. The Penn International II 30 and 50 are popular reels, as is the Shimano Beastmater 30/50. These models will hold 600 yards of 30-lb line, slightly less when loaded with 50-lb test monofilament. Ideal rods for school Bluefin are patterned around the 30/50 stand-up model, 5 1/2 to 6 feet in length, and designed for 30 to 50-lb test lines. Stand-up rods combined with one of the trolling reels mentioned above will give maximum sport with Bluefin that average from 30 to 100 pounds.

White Marlin restricted to the Atlantic, is considered by many local Captains as the top offshore light tackle fish. It will crash trolled baits; and when hooked, often leaps successively by "gray hounding." Due to this penchant for wasting energy by leaping, a characteristic of all billfish, the White Marlin seldom initiates a bull-dogging battle. Showy fish, unlike tuna, are easier to handle on light gear. The usual fishing method is trolling along the continental shelf, although anglers can occasionally encounter casting situations. Also, fly fishing opportunities can be had when the fish are running thick and brought to trolled hook less belly-baits. This usually occurs in late August or September in area referred to as the triple 0 east of the Virginia Carolina border. Due to tag-and-release, the species has made a fortunate comeback, although never found in the great numbers of former times. White Marlin are taken on a number of naturals. Perhaps one of the top baits, often overlooked, is a rigged eel. Whites love eels. Place a small plastic skirt over the eel, green, pink, or blue, for added appeal. Our second choice is the popular 12-pack ballyhoo. Again, add a small skirt for a little extra pizzaz. The third choice would be a split-tail mullet, also finished off with a plastic skirt. Troll all three styles in your configuration, staggering the baits so they will tow long and short. Some anglers prefer 30-lb class trolling tackle for Whites, just in case they get hit by a yellowfin tuna. A 20-lb class outfit is more suitable where other species are less apt to jump on the trolling rigs. White Marlin are often taken on standard 7-ft trolling rods, matched to suitable reel. The graphite models are lighter than gold reels and certainly have the guts to tame Whites. Good choices are the Shimano TLD-15 or 20 and the Penn 45GLS. Remember, if you over-gun for Whites they won't give you their best show.

Blue Marlin are probably the most sought after game fish. Surly a world record fish finds her way into Virginia-North Carolina waters annually. Catching her is the trick! They feed upon squid, cero and Spanish mackerel, bonito, and skipjacks. These prey make excellent enticers, the mackerel whole and the lesser tuna rigged as slab or belly baits. We recommend the use of natural baits for Blue Marlin. The ratio of hook-ups to strikes is higher than with artificials. A number of Florida-based bait companies sell flash-frozen versions, rigged or unrigged. Live bonito, bridled through the "hole" at the top of the eye-socket, make excellent baits for large Blue Marlin. Slow-trolling, by kicking alternate engines in and out of gear, allows the bait to live for a surprisingly long time. Usually the bonito must be caught well inshore of the Blue Marlin grounds. As soon as the Bonito is caught, the bait is either wrapped in a towel or placed in the live well. For Blue Marlin up to 250 lbs, a 30-50 Stand-Up Class rod will do well. It has enough beef in the blank to avoid an extended battle. Most rods run from 5 1/2 feet to 5-feet 9-inches in length, allowing the angler good leverage; and they should have Heavy Duty Aftco roller guides. Reels must have a good proven drag, such as the Penn 30W International II, or the Shimano TLD30II, heir to the original 20-50 Beastmaster. Both reels can spool 600 yards of 30-lb test monofilament. Double the last 30 feet of the line with a Bimini Twist, making a 15-foot section below the knot, and attach a BX5 or 6 Sampo-styled ball-bearing swivel with an Offshore Swivel Knot. For comfortable stand-up angling, choose a rugged harness and belt that fits you comfortably. Whether made by Reliable of Braid, these are important items and should be chosen carefully. Large Blue Marlin require a chair and heavy tackle. Machined aluminum reels are standard, the 80STW Penn International II or a comparable Shimano Tiagra or Fin Nor. Trolling rods for big critters are in the 80-lb Class, usually 7-footers with either Aftco Big Foot or Fin Nor Heavy guides. With the big outfits, an angler has the choice of dacron or monofilament line. Although there are advantages to both lines, most boats use 80 or 100-lb test mono. Many light-tackle (30 to 50-lb test outfits) anglers like to attach a Venezuela Rig to the end of the doubled mono line. Many coastal tackle shops will make a 20-foot rig by using 80-lb black dacron. A Venezuela Rig can be wound onto the reel, just at the end of the battle, and when you want to control the fish at boatside. Leaders for Blue Marlin vary according to the size of the intended target. Smaller Blues may require no more than 150-lb test mono, while big brutes call for 400-lb test mono. Some skippers use a terminal section of 49-strand wire. Good leader lengths run between 12 and 15 feet for smaller fish, longer for the huge Blues.

What's Wahoo fishing like?  Explosive. What a hyper fish! Found worldwide in subtropical and tropical waters, this exciting opponent is one the greatest of light tackle game. Sometimes taking to the air, Wahoo can exceed 100 pounds and tow a fly line in excess of 40 miles per hour. They take you to the backing in 3 seconds! On the East Coast, most Wahoo are caught on trolled baits, natural or artificial-- being towed for Sailfish, Albacore, and Yellowfin. Sometimes you may get a strike at a shiny swivel, losing an entire leader and bait. Wahoo are fairly pumped-up when they hit. You know when they're around. A number of artificials have been developed for Wahoo, notably the Cairns Swimmer and Marauder. This style of lure draws hits, but a good many fish are not hooked, the reason being the depth of the lure-body and its double hooks. Still, when Wahoo are around, the Marauder and Cairns will take the big ones. Although less generic, the Rapala CD18 and MirrOlure Deep Diver are deadly on Wahoo. The trebles aid in hook-ups, and the action of both lures works magic.

The Dolphin is one of the world's premiere light tackle fish. When hooked, it'll leap, often consecutively. And then it bears down, turning its flat-sided body against you. Large schools of smaller Dolphin are encountered while blue-water trolling. The schoolies are usually 2 to 10 pounds, yet fight well on light tackle. Since these delicious fish are distributed worldwide in tropical waters, they are popular quarry. In a sense, they fill the same niche in the ocean as the small Bluefish do in the bay, although found further offshore. Most Dolphin are kept to eat, the smaller ones released. They are oceanic by nature, growing quickly and spawning prolifically. Unlike so many of our premium saltwater game fish, Dolphin do not need drastic conservation measures to restore their kind, but let's not get carried away!

The Yellowfin is perhaps the most colorful of all the tuna. Found in Virginia spring, summer and fall, it's one of the most popular fish. Yellowfin are mighty tasty.  A pelagic species, Yellowfin are fond of deep blue water. In the Atlantic, they will be found in the Gulf Stream year-around. They seem to prefer the cooler edges of the Gulf Stream. The flesh of this fish is light, not dark like the Bluefin or white like the Albacore. Yellowfin can sometimes be distinguished from near cousins, Blackfin and Bigeye Tuna, by their long second dorsal and anal fins, but not all individuals have this exaggeration. In a sense, Yellowfin are an eating-machine, putting on pounds like no other fish. A year-and-a-half old Yellowfin can weigh 8 pounds, and by its fourth year the fish will scale out at a whopping 140 pounds. Striped Bass, please take note! For Virginia trolling, good Yellowfin Tuna outfits fall between the 30 and 50-lb class stand-up styles. The souped up reel is available from Shimano as the Tiagra 50WLRS. It's a heavy reel designed for the extreme muscular end of the sport. By far, the standard Penn International II 50TW and Tiagra 50W have a drag designed for the physical capabilities of the average angler. Any tuna reel should have two gears, high and low. The advantage of a two-speed reel will be discovered just as soon as the Yellowfin sounds directly under the boat. Most rods are 5 1/2-footers, fitted with Aftco roller guides, and designed for 50 to 80-lb mono. On the East Coast, these stand-up rods are designed with a detachable Aftco Unibutt. Preferred over a single-piece model, with its lower hypalon grip, the Unibutt model is easier to grab from a rod-holder while under the pressure of a hooked fish. A good rugged stand-up belt and harness makes all the difference in the world, as far as comfort and efficiency goes. The heaviest models by Braid and Reliable will do the trick. Yellowfin are often handled on 30-lb gear. Excellent graphite two-speed reels, such as the TLD30 II by Shimano, will handle either 30 or 50 lb monofilament. Matching rods run between 5-ft 6-in to 5-ft 9-in in length, rated for 30/50-lb line. Remember to double the end of the line for 15 feet, using a Bimini Twist. Most lures that are purchased come unrigged. It's easier for the makers to let fishermen rig the lures to their preference. Tuna lures usually carry two hooks 5/0 to 8/0, rigged one behind the other and pointing 180% away from each other. The most important step is often forgotten-- sharpening the hooks to a diamond-point. The most popular set up in Virginia is the ballyhoo rig. A sea witch trailed by a ballyhoo fish with hook inserted and wired in place.

Once again there are to many possibilities to cover them all, but also worth mentioning are the King Mackerel and the Amberjack. Contact one of our sponsors and he or she will see that you get in on the action!