North Carolina Giant Bluefin 1997 (2)

Ian McTurk and I had so much fun catching Giant Bluefin tuna out of Morehead City, North Carolina in January that we just couldn’t wait to do it again. Therefore the third weekend in February we packed up our gear and headed north again. This time we invited two friends (A.D. Holt and Ed Gillespie) so that we could share the experience. Fortuitously A.D. owns a six-passenger airplane which made this trip considerably shorter and more comfortable than the eighteen-hour round-trip driving marathon we had endured the previous month. “Little Bobby” Unvert and Ken Lescher from Southern California met us in Hatteras. They flew from Los Angeles to Norfolk, Virginia and then drove a rental car down to the Outer Banks.

The fish had moved north since our last trip to North Carolina and now could be found only 35 miles out of Hatteras inlet. That was very fortunate since the weather was not cooperating. It was warmer than it had been in January, but there was one front after another stacked up waiting to roar through the area. Gale-force winds and 20 to 30 foot seas kept us off of the water the first two days we were there. Anglers from around the country and even the world packed the few restaurants and bars on the island killing time and hoping to get a shot at a powerful Bluefin. The group I was with was so incredibly entertaining that these hours of waiting passed by swiftly.

Finally on our last day we were able to get out across the bar. We fished with Captain Josiah “Woody” Woodington out of Virginia Beach, Virginia on his 55-foot Carolina named the No Problem. The water had laid down fairly well but there was still enough swell so that several of my comrades spent a good share of the day chumming. The rum they had ingested the night before may have played a role in triggering their plight.

The fleet trolled for nearly six hours before anyone found the fish. Finally about three in the afternoon we hooked-up on the troll. This boat was outfitted 80# chair sticks that really didn’t stand up well to the heavy drag I attempted to employ. But after fifteen minutes of aggressive pumping we released a nice Bluefin weighing 275 to 300 pounds. Ed and A.D. also each got to tackle and whip one of these awesome creatures. Neither had caught a fish in excess of 50 pounds previously and they were both absolutely “stoked” after the experience. The fish were smaller than those we had caught in January. A.D.’s fish was about 250 pounds and Ed’s about 175. We unfortunately had to leave before Bobby, Ian, and Ken could have a turn on the rod since it was so late. Ken did get to wire one of the fish though and said that was as good or better than pulling on the rod.

Normally we would have stayed and fished until darkness forced us out but time was critically important this day. There are no lights on the runway at Hatteras field and therefore to satisfy FAA regulations we had to lift-off before dark. We just barely made it!

This trip was not as fruitful as the one in January but we still had a spectacular time. The changing weather had affected the bite and scattered the fish. Just being on the water and spending time with such good friends however was more than worth the cost of the trip. And since the fish were smaller, we could legally keep one this time. My share disappeared rapidly the next night as sashimi and Bluefin tuna steaks.