November is a pivotal month when it comes to offshore fishing in the Carolinas. Some boats pack it in, making their final trip of the year right after the days get short.
Other crews just swap out their tackle and get ready to tangle with (hopefully) the biggest and strongest fish that show up in the area – giant bluefin tuna.
These fish can show up anywhere they like in the Carolinas during the cooler months, at seemingly less than a moment’s notice. Savvy fishermen have their rigs tied, and all the safety gear is already checked and stowed. Within a day, certain spots on the ocean will be covered in boats, a seemingly odd sight on a cold day. That’s just the way the Carolinas’ bluefin blitz goes.
So how do you stack the deck in your favor when it comes to bluefin fishing? I have always thought the key to success was being able to capitalize on the bites that you do get. For me that starts with using the right reels, and perhaps even more importantly, having them spooled correctly.
Don’t get spooled
It’s a terrible feeling getting spooled by a bluefin, and even worse getting spooled by two at the same time. The dreaded “double-spool hit and run” happened to me once, and I still have nightmares about it. That experience drove me to two conclusions. First, I needed bigger reels. Second, I needed more string on them.
I won’t even attempt to fish for bluefins with reels smaller than 50-wides anymore. I used 30-wides years ago and I saw the knot on the spool bar way too many times for comfort. You just can’t get enough line on them to deal with a larger bluefin, or when you have multiple bites that don’t go the same direction.
Also, I have stepped away from graphite-framed reels for bluefins. They flex and warp under heavy strain, and nothing pulls harder than a tuna in cold water. It’s metal-framed 50-wides, always, all day long in the winter now, if I’m fishing in a center console and standing up to fight these brutes. The drags had better be smooth, too. Poorly maintained tackle gets exposed quickly in this game.
The amount of line you can get onto your reels for bluefin fishing is just like a paycheck. More is always better. Therefore, I’m going to pack as much 100-pound braid onto the reel as I possibly can.
If you have ever fished with Spectra (braid) before, you know how slippery it is. You must do something to keep it from spinning on the spool bar under heavy strain. The easiest way to accomplish this is to tie in about 10 feet of 130-pound mono at the base, so you are actually knotting the mono to the reel, rather than the braid.
As long as you have wrapped the mono on both sides of the spool button, it’s not going to spin and drive you crazy when you’re trying to gain ground on a hot fish. I wear a heavy leather glove on my left hand while I’m spooling the braid and apply as much pressure as I possibly can to get it to cinch and pack down.
More line is better
I’m also moving the line back and forth as rapidly as I can so no mounds appear, and the lateral movement keeps it from digging into itself when a tuna runs. The tighter it packs, the better. It creates a solid base of line, and you get more line on the reel. When it comes to line in this fishery, more is always better.
Depending on the exact model of the reel and how tightly you can pack it, it’s not hard to get 650 or 700 yards of 100-pound braid onto a metal-framed 50 wide, and still leave enough space for a top shot of 100 yards of 130-pound mono. Mono stretches, braid does not. This way the mono serves as a big shock absorber, but the braid gives you the capacity on a smaller reel that you can stand up with, rather than having to wrestle with tackle designed for a fighting chair.
The most important connection in the system is between the mono and the braid. I finish the braid off with a 30- to 35-turn Bimini twist, which is the strongest way to make a double line. When making this loop, I want the total length of the double line to be 9 to 10 feet long. The question is now, what is the best way to connect the top shot?
I have settled on splicing a loop of hollow-core braid to the butt end of the mono and joining it to the Bimini in the braid with a cat’s paw connection. The loop you create locks onto the mono because you actually run the mono inside of it, and any pull on the mono causes the braid to compress around it. It’s the classic “Chinese finger trap” connection. It truly works, so long as you follow a couple of rules.
First, match up the gauges of your hollow-core and your mono. Momoi makes this easy. If you use 130-pound Momoi Diamond hollow-core and 130-pound Momoi Diamond mono, your line diameters are matched, and the connection won’t slip under full pressure.
Second, the legs of your hollow-core must extend just about the same amount up the outside of the mono, with the outer leg extending just a tiny bit past the inner one. Equal lengths are always your friend here.
Finally, you must put the time in and properly serve the end of the legs, preventing the hollow-core from fraying, and stabilizing the connection, especially for when it flies off the reel and through the guides on the bite.
I start serving with 20-pound braid about an inch behind where the legs overlap on the mono. Then I put a clove hitch in the braid and position it so that it locks both legs and the mono together. Next, I pull the clove hitch as tight as I can, then I start tying half-hitches, going both ways, until I run out of braid. The half-hitches must at least cover where the mono exits the hollow-core, and it doesn’t hurt to go a bit more.
I finish each end with a quick stopper knot and a dab of rubber cement. Let the glue dry overnight and make a three-loop cat’s paw connection, making sure no slack is in any side of either loop, and then cinch it down. Crank on the mono and crimp on your leader. Time to do battle with a giant.
I don’t know of any secret to getting that magical bluefin bite, when the rod almost touches the covering board and the reel makes a sound you haven’t heard before. I really think it’s as simple as just trolling over a hungry tuna, or simply being in the right place at the right time. It can take a matter of minutes or fail to happen all season. When it’s your lucky day, just make sure you have enough string on the spool.
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