Saltywater Tackle

Saltywater Tackle is proud to be part of the great fishery that we had this winter in North Carolina, We know for a fact that we end up pleasing many friends and customers and we left great memories and joy for many anglers, Many of them end up booking trips for 2013 before they even departed from North Carolina, This is our last Bluefin tuna report for North Carolina for 2012 as we have our eyes open on the Cape, he have a good feeling that the Cape will go on fire this year! Our last trip on the Sea Breeze with Captain Ned Ashby was a blast. I guided a family that flew all the way from Russia to experience Bluefin tuna fishing and boy they were not disappointed! The group consisted of: Igor and his wife Leyanna, their 18 years old son Genia and their friend Sergey. We took the drive with the AC on all the way from New York to North Carolina, the temperature was close to 75 degree giving me the warning signal of the Bluefin tuna migrations, the weather was in our favor in the beginning of the season and all of a sudden we get hit by the warm weather that put the fish into the migratory mood, However I still believed that Captain Ned will do his best to get us into the fish and he did!! The guys have never caught big fishes before, and with the tips and advises I gave them, it paid off big time, The morning of the 23rd was calm and warm but filled with Great Spirit, As soon we made it to the desired location and we were the first to arrive, Captain Ned shouted from the bridge calling the mark at 120feet, I dropped to 200 feet and give 4 to 5 crank and I get tight, the MC Works SD5310 was bend in half giving me the signal it is a big fish, the fish dumped half of the spool and settled down with a give and take for another 15 minutes until the line broke ( most likely due to another fish that run through the line) Not bad for a start! Then all of a sudden while blind casting Genia comes tight on topwater, the fish hit a Yambal GT Harrier in mahi color, the boy fought it like a champion and without any harness for a good 10 to 15 minutes and then he passed the rod to his father that ended up landing a nice 80 inch fish, it was a great moment to see the joy on their faces and I was glad to see them accomplish the task. We then moved in and while casting again Igor and Sergey get tight with massive fishes that hit their lures, Game on!! Sergey fail to set the hook from the excitement while Igor get the screaming from all of us to set the hook, his Daiwa Dogfight was screaming and smoking that we ran a hose to cool it down, By the time the fish settled he had a round 30 yards of line left on his reel, He struggled big time and the reel seemed to have seized at a certain time but the luck was on his favor, after close to 50 minutes he landed a nice fat 82 inch on the Race Point 250!! The boys had a couple of miss on that day and we end up going 2 out of 6 March 24th Same conditions and the sea is calm with warm temperature calling for short sleeves and shorts Made it to the fishing ground and get greeted with many boats with no signs of tuna, after an hour and while searching Captain Ned shouted from the top, be ready!! Tunas where sunbathing and nobody was around except us, I made the cast followed by Igor, 2 twitch and I see the fish charging followed by Igor fish, both fishes body’s where half way out of the water and I knew right way from the look that we have good size on our lines, The fight is on and after 14 minutes my fish made it to the gaff, the Race Point 200 claimed another 72 inch in North Carolina, Brooklyn will be fed good this week 12 minutes passed by and Igor manage to land his fish estimated at 67 inches on the Race Point 250, he fell in love with the rod that he end up buying 2 more as soon as he came back to Brooklyn Took some shots for the lovely day and thanked Captain Ned and first mate George for their effort, By the time we start taking pictures we had close to 6 boats around us We moved away and we spotted small pods again, we gave the shot to Sergey to see him getting dragged to the gunnels, his ASWB lure gets inhaled and game on, It took him close to 15 minutes to land a nice 64 inch, so far every person onboard manage to hook and land fishes, my job is done and I am relieved as I knew it is going to be tough but I guess somebody is up there watching for me!! We called the day off while cruising close to the Norwegian cruise boat thinking of docking side to side to check their buffet March 25th The boys from Brooklyn is joining what is going to be the last trip of the season for Saltywater Tackle in North Carolina and I am a bit worry as the tunas are on the move and the time is against us, Made it to the ground and beyond, Captain Ned end up putting close to 105 miles one way to find life, and we found a bit of life! I casted my Moutoukenmaru ahead of the porpoise and the charge of that small fish was insane, she hit with anger and manage to dump half of the spool! We saved the day and nailed a nice 60 inch fish to close the season!! All fishes been landed on single assist hook with 100% hook up ratio, I will do my best to implement this system on all our trip for successful releases. Thank you to all the guys that fished with us this season, we lead and we will keep on dominating the sea with our skills and time spend on the water!! A big thank you to Captain Ned Ashby and first mate George from Sea Breeze, Captain Brynner Parks and first mate Billy from Smoker, Captain Dan Rooks and first mate Mike from Tuna Duck, You guys made it possible for all of us, we share with you the unforgettable moments in our life and we thank you for all your effort, Tackle used: Rods: Race Point 200,250,300. Hot’s Tide Lez 77XXXH. Reels: Shimano Stella 18000 & 20000, Daiwa Dogfight and Daiwa 2010 model. Lures: Carpenter Gamma 160H, Moutoukenmaru, Carpenter Bluefish, ASWB, Yambal GT harrier, Line: Shout Sesame PE Premium, Sunline,Varivas Tight lines Sami

Back to Back and North Carolina did not disappoint me this year! Mogi-san, Jun-san, Yagara-san, Sakai-san and Kouda-san are among Mogi-san first group to North Carolina, I picked up the group from JFK and after a short visit to the shop, we took the long drive to Norfolk Virginia to pick up Yagara-san from Norfolk airport in Virginia, due to some delay on Yagara-san’s flight we stretched the ride to 12 hours and arrive at Oregon Inlet at 12:30 am beaten, Since the stay was close to 2 weeks I checked the rates to rent a house and with the help of Captain Ned Ashby from Sea Breeze, I manage to get a nice house to fit my crowd, they were all fascinated by the size of the house, we were running out of time sorting out all the gear but manage to sleep for 1 ½ before my alarm went off, While driving and looking to see how the moon was shinning, it was getting iffy to see it at full! from the time we left the house till we made it to the boat the excitement was on their faces. Both Sakai-san and Kouda-san are inexperienced tuna fisherman that they are about to discover the fight and size of tuna that we have in North Carolina, Knowing that I have Captain Ned behind the wheel gave me all the confidence that I need and with close to 4 years of fishing with Captain Ned I have that confidence in him, I know for a fact that he will do whatever it takes to put us into the fish! I was not disappointed!! We were the first to arrive and he shouted from the bridge, “drop your jigs”! I looked at him and I watched the guys dropping their jigs with a smile on my face knowing what they are about to experience in a few second! I was not disappointed!! Yagara-san and Sakai-san comes tight right away, they both fought the fish and have it to boat side in short time, Sakai-san fish was about 63 to 65 inches and Yagara-san was tangled with one of the big boys, the fish was close to 80 inches without any doubt, Yagara-san landed the fish with 45lb of drag, we released both fishes and carried on! Mogi-san had asked that once an angler gets tide to stop dropping more jigs, he wanted to give the anglers the freedom to move around without any tangling, Again Captain Ned call from the bridge, and the jigs goes down through the water column like dancing musical notes, I was looking at the water knowing deep inside what is going to happen. Again, Game on! Jun-san comes tight and during the final stages while fighting the fish close to the boat he high sticked the rod and the rod just gave up! He broke the MC-Works SB516SS !! The time came in and Kouda-san gets tight, He was putting so much pressure on the rod while fighting using the black magic belt, as much as I love the belt I always mention to the guys to be careful as the leverage is different especially when the fish get close to the boat, we have to remember that this a stand up belt. Kouda-san was huffing and puffing giving all what he has to finish the fight, the end was not for his favor, right close to the boat side and again while high sticking, the rod gave up! He broke the unbreakable MC- Works SD538XX! I have to stop to mention couple of fact about this fishery! Many guys are promoting tackles nowadays targeting experienced and inexperienced fisherman, we have to remember that anything could happen to tackle while targeting these hefty fishes, we can’t horse the fish the way we do it with 150lb fish, the game has changed and it goes to the fishes favor, in order to land those fishes we have to obey and play their game, I remind you that there no rod and reel that fits this class of fish nowadays, We are pushing the limits with tackles and I don’t expect less, Yes, we will see breaking rods and reels and high end lures in 2 pieces, I guess some had forgotten the amount of money you drop on the ocean while chumming! It is part of the game and I am sorry to see it failing but again remember those are not 100lb fish, Giving the opportunity to see the entire guy beaten and happy I took my rod and went to the corner, I dropped to 250 feet and after 5 to 6 cranks my time comes to have the opportunity to feel the pain, the fish dumped 2 /3 of the spool in no time before she settled down and it was a hell of fight, I was on my knees at a certain time hoping and praying as I know I get a hefty one, I had landed couple of 80 to 81 inches on the jig this season but I know this one was bigger, I could feel the weight and the stubbornness. After a brutal 35 minutes the fish finally start to give up , with pressure applied at all time while circling I start gaining line at half the clock, I made it happen inch by inch and made sure to give here what she wanted, A black beast showed up from the depth and the call was made!! Stick it in!! it took me 49 minutes to land the fish :) First mate George gaffed the fish and it took 3 guys to bring it in, Saltywater Tackle OBX jigging rod accomplished the task and I am very happy with the result after the adjustment. Took some pictures and we moved on and this time the fishes where all over on topwater, They where busting as if they own the ocean, Jun-san made the cast and gets inhaled with a massive fish while I took the chance and casted on the top of him, his fish was a bigger class, I had a 63 inch fish in less then 3 minutes , I then sat and watch him for the next 90 minutes, what a brutal fight, at a certain time he had it close to the last colors but we never saw the fish, until the line came off! The line gets cut off in the middle of the shock leader and we believe another fish ran over the line as right before the breakage he felt a bump to the line. the fish measured at 84 inches and weighted 287lb gutted after 6 hours sitting on the deck of the boat, so it is close to 300lb mark if not a bit over! [B]all fishes fought and landed free style !! no harness been used at any time!![/B] Tackle used: Popping rods: Carpenter BLC83/40, Endless Passion, Race Point 300 (prototype) Jigging Rod: Shimano Blue Rose, MC Works SB516SS and SD538XX, Saltywater Tackle OBX Reels: Shimano Stella 18000 & 20000 Line: YGK, Sunline , Varivas Lures: Carpenter Gamma & Moutoukenmaru Jigs: Hot's drift tune & Debutan, Deep Liner, Shimano enjoy the pictures, Will be back at it on Sunday!! Tight lines Sami

Oregon Inlet March 2012 with Mogi-san and group, part 2! After the long drive to New York to drop the first group to JFK, I found myself on the road again to welcome the 2nd group. The 2nd group consists of Mogi-san, Sano-san, CB One field tester, Aramaki-san and Cato-san, I picked up the guys from Norfolk Virginia and we headed straight to Oregon Inlet. We charter Smoker for the first half of the trip as Captain Ned from Sea Breeze was already booked; I fished with Captain Brynner in a couple of occasion and had a great time on board his boat, he is a fun guy to be around and very knowledgeable to the area!! We started the day with Captain Brynner shouting from the bridge, calling fish at 60 to 90 feet, all the guys dropped the jigs while I decided to give them the shot to score I took my popping rod to make a cast, sure enough I come tight and I land the first fish of this trip, a nice 130lb to 140lb made it to the boat side to be released right away. I’ve decided to experiment a new rigging method for those fish, as the release is becoming very common and the hits are countless on those trip I asked Mogi-san to enforce the use of assist hook running from the barrel swivels all the way to the belly of the lure with a single hook attached to the tail, Sure enough we score 3 fishes in 2 days using this method with 0 failures and the results are encouraging!! All fishes been landed with the assist on the side of the mouth, we did not miss a single hit, I will enforce this method for all the guys that will fish with me in the future!! The morning bites was not bad, Cato-san get several hits on the jigs but couldn’t keep them on the hook. In 2 occasions he gets shaved!! all of a sudden Sano-san get tide and during the fight the treble hook open up his, he then decided to switch right way to the single assist hook! As the day progress and things start to slow down, Captain Brynner get a call, some of his buddy get a bite on topwater, we get to the area to see whale and porpoises and some mark here and there, Cato-san and Sano-san make a cast and they both comes tights, Game on!! After a short fight Sano-san land an estimated 110 to 120lb fish in less then 10 minutes he landed the fish on the new CB One Bluefin tuna prototype rod, in the other hand Cato-san still fighting the other fish, unfortunately after a while the fish manage to gain it is freedom, we ended the day with many hits but only landed 2 fishes, we called the day off to start another day tomorrow! Our second day started almost the same as the first day with one exception!! Cato-san comes tight to fight one of his best fights ever, what a performance!! You get to be here to believe it, 3 ½ hours of fighting but after 2 hours he gave up and asked to put on the harness, During the fighting time the fish made it to leader 6 times and always manage to keep it is head down, For the last faze and right while the leader is rapped up around the hand, the fish make a sudden plunge and the leader brake, Cato-san showed us a great performance and amazing angling spirits!! He then went in tears tanking the Captain and the mate!!! You have to see it to believe it. Things start to slow down towards the afternoon but the hope is still high! While some decided to jig, Aramaki-san decided to cast to see that lure getting inhaled, after 11 minutes he land a nice 63 inch fish and we call the day off ! Tight lines Sami March 19 Oregon Inlet went on fire! Reporting the last 3 days: On the 3rd day Mogi-san get inhaled by descent size fish that gave him all what she got and still manage to gain it is freedom at the boat side, it was good to see Mogi-san getting into the action and sweat a bit The action was a bit slow on our 3rd day but Sano-san still manage to land another fish and we missed one more, so we end up the day with 2 out of 3, The 4th days happen to be the day!! many fishes been caught that we literally lost count, the fish where on the feeding and there was many different sizes that ranged from 50lb up to 160lb in the morning, We had a couple of incident and broken rods, the first one was due to a mistake and bad luck and another was due to the size of the fishes. It is amazing how a small incident remind us that those fishes are more powerful then us, they own the ocean and we have to be respectful to them, While I am fighting my fish and right at the boat side, all of a sudden the fish decided to charge me and run under the boat, I tried as fast as I could to get the rod out of the belt and point it down but unfortunately the rod butt get stuck between my thighs and the gunnel, resulting at a stress point on the rod butt! The rod butt gave up and I almost went overboard if it was not for first mate George! Lucky enough I had George right behind me to grab me, i still manage to land the fish During the same period Aramaki-san hooked up to lose it right away when his line and my line crossed each other. The action didn’t stop, Sano-san and Kato-san on a double and we decided to kill Kato-san fish and released a nice 65 inches, took some photo and moved to another pod. The afternoon came in and we start to see bigger fish in the area, Moving towards the porpoises Captain Ned gave us the go to make a cast, I decided to jig and sure enough I get tight at 200 feet and I can tell right away it is a big fish, the new MC Works Southern Deep 5310XX was bend all the way to the middle, the fish was giving me a hard time and the line was peeling out of the reel, in the mean time Sano-san get inhaled by a big fish and turn to me and say Sami-san, big fish!!! I didn’t take him seriously in the beginning until I saw the bend on his rod, while both of us struggling my line get shaved and I lost the fish, Sano –san on the other hand is in trouble, he hooked up to the beast, that fish fought like a champion and she gave him the best she has!! At a certain period and while horsing the fish, the rod just gave up and broke!! Sano-san was almost outside the boat fighting that fish, we got it to boat side and while First mate George is trying to gaff the lip, the fish decided to take a plunge and the leader just broke, what a great fight to end the day, we had the leader in the hand when all this happen!! We called our day off with great memories!! Our last day started with a big surprise that did not last for too long. We were the first guys to arrive to the spot today, Captain Ned gave us the signal from the bridge to drop the jigs, Kato-san and myself dropped and get tight after 4 to 5 crank, Big fish!!! The line is screaming and legs are shaking and deep inside I am saying it is a new 150lb fluoro so it is going to hold, on the other hand Kato-san gets shaved and after 10 minutes my line broke, however there was a bump right before the breakage and I am sure another fish ran into my line. Mogi-san got hit twice but couldn’t get tight and that was the best it is going to get to the last day!! We ran and ran and all what we got on the last day is Yellowfin tuna!! All in all what a great trip and to fish with Sano-san from CB One is a great pleasure! I had a great time and will be back at it very soon! A big thank you for Captain Ned Ashby from Sea Breeze and Captain Brynner from Smoker for their outstanding service, not to forget first mate George and Billy!! Thank you guys Tight Lines Sami