Big Eyes Jersey Style

[Capt Sal]

Been off shore many times in the last fifty years. What I am seeing posted on this board is incredible. Not trying to sound like an old fart but back ''in the old days''if you landed some yellowfin and a few long fin and ''one bigeye'' it was a super day. Some guys are landing three or four a day and a buddy of mine out of Long Island had six in one day. This is incredible and shows what a come back these amazing tuna have made. I don't how many of you have ever tangled with a bigeye but they have rocket fuel in them for sure. Don't miss out on this !!!! I am making a trip up north from Florida and weather permitting hope to get out and kick some butt. Or at my age get my butt kicked lol:)

[Joey Dah Fish]

Agreed on the Big Eye but what has happened to our yellow fin?

[Capt Sal]

Agreed on the Big Eye but what has happened to our yellow fin?

Bacardi! And I don't mean the rum lol Get big brother to run you out there and gig um up. Sept & Oct are chunking months for yellowfin and that is why the PB boats start there offshore season later than the troll bite. They will take the chunk in daylight hours the later we get into the fall but the weather rules.

[O'Man]

Bacardi! And I don't mean the rum lol Get big brother to run you out there and gig um up. Sept & Oct are chunking months for yellowfin and that is why the PB boats start there offshore season later than the troll bite. They will take the chunk in daylight hours the later we get into the fall but the weather rules.

I'd love to see the Bacardi bite happen like it did in the early 90's. There was a season when so many flats of butters were getting chunked there between the NY & NJ guys that it was a sure thing for months. If I hear that's happening again I just might get off my butt & sign-on an open charter or head-boat.

[Capt. Lou]

In the good ole' days this time of year U had to run away from albacore , yellowfin bite at night was not started yet , likewise sword fishing @"nite from sport boats not practiced until the eighties on a regular basis .
Big Eye bite was very good this time of year &'wolf packs common on the false dawn bite !
Every year was different but what's going on with big eyes for the amount of boats now offshore is very good fishing but in my opinion no better than sixties thru mid eighties period . After that it was spotty except in northern canyons foe several seasons if memory serves .
We took a good number one the nite chunk in the eighties while sword fishing but we never trolled in the deep after dark .
So many new styles & methods & seems that nite bite is decent using this method .

[Dino]

Agree Sal.. really exciting time. literally more 200lb bigeyes hitting the dock than school tuna this summer. If you follow the Eastern Atlantic fishery as well anyone can see the bigeye fishery from the azores to cape verde has been really robust with fish of all sizes in the past 5 years. On the other hand... its a really big ocean with too many factors to keep track of, so whether its bigeyes this year or yellowfins next year I think the great fishing comes and goes and no one can really put a finger on why. I know that the juvenile (5-10lb) baby bigeyes can get really hammered by the purse seine boats targeting skipjack (chunk light canned) tuna in the tropics, so perhaps increased regulation over those guys in the past 10-15 years is translating into more adult bigeyes atlantic wide now. all i know is it is great to see them in such numbers.