There are numerous variations of kites that you can buy. Some of which fly with relative ease and others prove more and more difficult to get a handle on. We have experienced success using Boston Big Game kites along with Power Chute and Mega Mouth fishing kites. Obviously kites need wind to work and the more breeze there is, the easier it will probably be to get your kite flying high. However making a few minor adjustments in gear makes a big difference in how your kite will work in windy, as well as tranquil conditions.
Working with a kite rod and reel packed with 100 pound braided line has a few distinct advantages over a reel packed with dacron. Braided line doesn't allow any stretch, as well as providing more line strength with less line diameter. Essentially this means that the kite linked to braid will have to lift less weight versus the kite attached to dacron. The additional strength supplied by braid will even help ward against breaking off a kite in gusty conditions.
Loading your 50, 80 or 130 class reel with braided line can help make giant tuna kite fishing more potent and efficient. A reel packed with 2oo pound dacron can still be fished with a kite, however the bulky dacron (in comparison to the thin diameter of braid) will make it trickier to fish with a kite during very calm wind conditions.
When we first started giant tuna fishing with kites we employed simple, mediocre kite clips. Now, with a year of experience under our belts, we discovered that using kite clips with rollers makes life a little easier. The rollers allow the main line coming from our 80 and 130 class reels, to slip easily over the clips with less resistance. This helps keep our baits positioned happily on the surface, as opposed to dangling in mid air-due to the friction created by non-roller kite clips.
Employing an elastic bridle to rig live baits will help to minimize injury to the bait. This is important because live pogies, mackerel and bluefish frequently demand a lot of time and energy to obtain. It is vital to keep the baits alive and frisky. As a substitute for traditionally hooking a bait through the top of the back or through the snout, a bridle permits an elastic to be threaded through the bait-much like stitches through skin. This way the hole pierced through the bait is much smaller than that produced by traditionally hooking the bait. The bait will swim long with more vigor due to this small modification in technique.
Braided drop lines also ought to be part of a giant bluefin tuna fishermen's kite fishing aresenal. Drop lines run from the ball bearing swivels, that are spaced throughout the kite reel’s braided line, down towards the ocean’s surface. The length of these lines may need to be changed depending on wind conditions. Afix a roller kite clip to the tag end of the drop line. Your main running line will run through the roller kite clip. Drop lines allow your main line to remain closer to the water’s surface, instead of towering high in the sky.
Working with a kite rod and reel packed with 100 pound braided line has a few distinct advantages over a reel packed with dacron. Braided line doesn't allow any stretch, as well as providing more line strength with less line diameter. Essentially this means that the kite linked to braid will have to lift less weight versus the kite attached to dacron. The additional strength supplied by braid will even help ward against breaking off a kite in gusty conditions.
Loading your 50, 80 or 130 class reel with braided line can help make giant tuna kite fishing more potent and efficient. A reel packed with 2oo pound dacron can still be fished with a kite, however the bulky dacron (in comparison to the thin diameter of braid) will make it trickier to fish with a kite during very calm wind conditions.
When we first started giant tuna fishing with kites we employed simple, mediocre kite clips. Now, with a year of experience under our belts, we discovered that using kite clips with rollers makes life a little easier. The rollers allow the main line coming from our 80 and 130 class reels, to slip easily over the clips with less resistance. This helps keep our baits positioned happily on the surface, as opposed to dangling in mid air-due to the friction created by non-roller kite clips.
Employing an elastic bridle to rig live baits will help to minimize injury to the bait. This is important because live pogies, mackerel and bluefish frequently demand a lot of time and energy to obtain. It is vital to keep the baits alive and frisky. As a substitute for traditionally hooking a bait through the top of the back or through the snout, a bridle permits an elastic to be threaded through the bait-much like stitches through skin. This way the hole pierced through the bait is much smaller than that produced by traditionally hooking the bait. The bait will swim long with more vigor due to this small modification in technique.
Braided drop lines also ought to be part of a giant bluefin tuna fishermen's kite fishing aresenal. Drop lines run from the ball bearing swivels, that are spaced throughout the kite reel’s braided line, down towards the ocean’s surface. The length of these lines may need to be changed depending on wind conditions. Afix a roller kite clip to the tag end of the drop line. Your main running line will run through the roller kite clip. Drop lines allow your main line to remain closer to the water’s surface, instead of towering high in the sky.
Targeting Giant Tuna on Cape Cod
My crew and I hope to focus our efforts on giant tuna this fall. We'll be using live bait to target tuna well over the 300 pound mark.. We will use balloons to target tuna beneath the waters surface, and kites to target surface feeding bluefins. Kite fishing is essentially the same as topwater fishing for striped bass, except the intended catch is about 200 times bigger.
Juvenile bluefish make one of the best baits for the biggest of giant bluefin tuna. Catching 12-18 inch bluefish around Cape Cod is, regreattably, not always easy.. Snack size blues can be found throughout the Cape's many bays and harbors. These areas are, unfortunately, usually located a fair distance away from the tuna grounds. Adding to the challenge is that bluefish always seem more difficult to find when you need them the most.. The tricky part is figuring out a way to transport the feisty chompers, once you finally catch a few, to Cape Cod Bay, Stellwagen Bank and other giant tuna hotspots.
Pogies may be a more realistic bait source for many. These filter feeders can be gillnetted or cast netted in many of the Cape’s back bays and estuaries. If you plan on catching pogies on your own, then expect to invest a lot of time and energy into learning the trade. Befriending a local live pogie supplier is a more feasible option for many giant tuna fishermen.
For those not up to dealing with the complexities of obtaining live bait, artificial offerings are a viable option. Artificial presentations may not be as desirable for targeting giants, however they still catch they fair share of behemoth fish.. Trolling squid bars is one of the more popular techniques employed by the ares top captains. There are a variety of other trolling options available as well. The jigging and popping crowd always amazes the general population by wrangling 200-400 pound giant tuna on relatively light spinning gear.
There is no wrong way to tackle a tuna-the key is discovering what works best for your crew.
Fall is an exciting time to be on Cape Cod. Aside from tuna, the striped bass fishing and whale watching can be incredible.
If the tuna bite slows. switching tactis and pursuing stripers is always an option. Big bass are fequently found in the general vicinity of tuna.. Sometimes 20-40 pound bass are caught on the same pogies and squid bars intended for bluefins. On some days bass are even refferred to as a nuisance by angler focusing on giant tuna.
Captain Ryan Collins is a commercial and charter captain from Cape Cod, MA. His fishing blog, myfishingcapecod.com, is geared towards helping beginner and veteran tuna fishermen improve their catch rate. Visit his blog for more giant tuna fishing tips, reports and hot spots.
Juvenile bluefish make one of the best baits for the biggest of giant bluefin tuna. Catching 12-18 inch bluefish around Cape Cod is, regreattably, not always easy.. Snack size blues can be found throughout the Cape's many bays and harbors. These areas are, unfortunately, usually located a fair distance away from the tuna grounds. Adding to the challenge is that bluefish always seem more difficult to find when you need them the most.. The tricky part is figuring out a way to transport the feisty chompers, once you finally catch a few, to Cape Cod Bay, Stellwagen Bank and other giant tuna hotspots.
Pogies may be a more realistic bait source for many. These filter feeders can be gillnetted or cast netted in many of the Cape’s back bays and estuaries. If you plan on catching pogies on your own, then expect to invest a lot of time and energy into learning the trade. Befriending a local live pogie supplier is a more feasible option for many giant tuna fishermen.
For those not up to dealing with the complexities of obtaining live bait, artificial offerings are a viable option. Artificial presentations may not be as desirable for targeting giants, however they still catch they fair share of behemoth fish.. Trolling squid bars is one of the more popular techniques employed by the ares top captains. There are a variety of other trolling options available as well. The jigging and popping crowd always amazes the general population by wrangling 200-400 pound giant tuna on relatively light spinning gear.
There is no wrong way to tackle a tuna-the key is discovering what works best for your crew.
Fall is an exciting time to be on Cape Cod. Aside from tuna, the striped bass fishing and whale watching can be incredible.
If the tuna bite slows. switching tactis and pursuing stripers is always an option. Big bass are fequently found in the general vicinity of tuna.. Sometimes 20-40 pound bass are caught on the same pogies and squid bars intended for bluefins. On some days bass are even refferred to as a nuisance by angler focusing on giant tuna.
Captain Ryan Collins is a commercial and charter captain from Cape Cod, MA. His fishing blog, myfishingcapecod.com, is geared towards helping beginner and veteran tuna fishermen improve their catch rate. Visit his blog for more giant tuna fishing tips, reports and hot spots.
