[vstheboombox]

I was looking into doing some tuna fishing on the Pacific Ocean. Through one of the Oregon fishing charters. Thought it would be fun to take a saltwater rod.
Anyone know what kind of setup would be needed for Albacore Tuna? All I've found is that it needs to be a 10wt. Just wondering what people might know on here as far as rods,reels, line types, flys, and how tuna charters let you fish on the fly? Just let line troll out and then strip in?

 

[Parera]

10 wt won't work.

 

[fish0n4evr]

The guys at Puget Sound Fly Co can tell you everything you need to know about hooking up with Albacore off the Oregon Coast.

 

[trico22]

The guys at Puget Sound Fly Co can tell you everything you need to know about hooking up with Albacore off the Oregon Coast.

+1
Used a 12wt and don't need anything lighter.

 

[vstheboombox]

Thanks, I'll check them out. I haven't really found too much stuff on the saltwater aspect of fly fishing. However in case anyone is interested I found this article.

http://oregonflyfishingblog.com/2013/08/25/tackle-recommendations-for-saltwater-fly-fishing/

 

[Cutthroat1954]

I fished for small tuna using a 12 wt., and anything less would have been hard on me and the fish! A 12-14 wt. rod isn't out of the question. They tend to dive once hooked so you are doing a lot of lifting.

 

[jabster]

For that size of tuna a 12wt would be highly recommended. As a rule of thumb the deeper the fish goes the more rod you will need. You can't really over do it with fast fish that go deep. Of course you can fight the odd fish now and then with a lite rod and do it quite fast if you know what your doing, but man does it get to you! Lite rod and a deep swimming fish is murder:saevilw:

Ps. What kind of prices are they charging for the Albacore fishing and when is the peak season? I'm always looking for new stuff to do and that sounds like a lot of fun!

 

[ozswitch]

For mactuna (false albacore) a 10wt is plenty good, I use nothing above a good salt water 10wt for mac and northern bluefin tuna here in our bay, fish between 8 and 15kg (16-30lb?), learn to change the fishes direction often and you will be surprised how quick it will give up the game.
A good reel with approx 250-300m of 30-50lb braid backing is adequate with an intermediate or sinking line.... again knowing how to fight the fish helps here so as to not drag the battle out.

 

[Parera]

For mactuna (false albacore) a 10wt is plenty good, I use nothing above a good salt water 10wt for mac and northern bluefin tuna here in our bay, fish between 8 and 15kg (16-30lb?), learn to change the fishes direction often and you will be surprised how quick it will give up the game.
A good reel with approx 250-300m of 30-50lb braid backing is adequate with an intermediate or sinking line.... again knowing how to fight the fish helps here so as to not drag the battle out.

He's not fishing for false albacore.

 

[jabster]

Wise words Oz. Just judging from the average size ( around 30lb) of the Albacore(not false albacore) around Oregon that a 12wt would be a safer bet. I have used a 8wt with albies that weight around 8-14lb on average and it was murder on my body. aroud 20-35 hookups that day... I lost count. They came in as quick as with the 10wt that I mostly used after that, but man was the heavier rod nicer on me.

Tuna are super fun. A shame that you usually have to pay a small fortune to fish for them.

 

[vstheboombox]

From what I've been hearing August and September are really good. My buddy went out last year in Sept and they did really well. This will be my first time Im going mid sept. Prices range from $225-$300 for about 12 hours. Some charters do 18 hours as well.

 

[jabster]

From what I've been hearing August and September are really good. My buddy went out last year in Sept and they did really well. This will be my first time Im going mid sept. Prices range from $225-$300 for about 12 hours. Some charters do 18 hours as well.

225-300$? Really? Can you PM me some links to these charters?

 

[matuka mike]

225-300$? Really? Can you PM me some links to these charters?

my guess is per person ? with what, a dozen others ?
man, this is a long thread about speycasting for tuna

 

[ozswitch]

He's not fishing for false albacore.

Yea sorry, Albacore are basically the same as our big eye tuna - I should of just referenced the long tails as generally speaking they are bigger fish than the mac tuna (and big eye) - it would stand though, that if you are chasing fish around the 15-30lb mark that a 10wt (good salt water built rod) would still be my first choice, however if your albacore get a lot bigger then yes a 12wt or bigger would make it easier on the fight - make sure your reel is in good working order and fill it well with good backing, some tuna will just play the deep game, some will play it fast and long up top, some will do both, either way tie good knots and when the fish goes one way you need to steer it back the other way, if u don't it will just keep swimming round you in circles, as soon as you turn it, turn it back the other way and so on, as I said u will be surprised how quickly it gives up the game.
I dunno about you but I would rather get the fish in quick and released (or kept if u so decide) while its still whole....sharks have the uncanny ability to lurk around where tuna are moving, nothing makes a fish run harder or faster than a big shark on its arse looking for an easy lunch.
Best of luck, they are good fun to fly fish for

 

[sandfly]

still have one out of 3 (broke the other 2 on fish) 12 wt. fenwick hmg's and 2 out of 3 medalist 1499CJ anti reverse from when we chased blue fin off of the jersey coast. 45-60 lbers will tear up a 12 wt. at times, and yes both rods blew up when a big fish went straight down from the boat.

 

[scruffy_fish]

I went on a Blue Fin Tuna charter a few years ago and brought my 12 wt. After trolling around and hooking up on 40-50 lb. fish. It was time to bring out the fly rod. The captain said he didn't think the rod would handle these fish.

He gave me a 15wt with a Hayden reel. Tied on a green machine, and the first cast, I was into a tuna. Long story short, I killed the tuna in under 10 minutes by stopping him and tuning his direction every time he surged. Captain said he had never seen a tuna brought to the boat so quickly. Fish was 45 lbs. and made two really long runs. Putting the wood to him did the trick, make them know who is boss. If you give them there head your in for a long fight. Our sister boat hooked up and their sport took over two hour before they killed there fish of the same size.

The 12wt was on the border line of handling that fish, but the 15wt was, I think, over kill. I now own a 14 wt with a Hayden reel for my tuna fishing. Anything over 100lbs in the tuna family is going to require a bigger stick.