big eye tuna caught at christchurch bay

[Pelyma]

Sorry if I have given the impression that I know what tuna it is - I don't, but from what I have learnt from some really good skippers over the years it would be impossible to be 100% certain from that photo.

[Fin-S]

Hi All,

90% certain it's a juvenile bigeye, very dificult to be sure with the babies and very sad that if it is a bigeye, it will only be 18 months old. Perhaps one of your local conservationists could check out the rules of sale in the UK, but under ICCAT (covering Atlantic tunas) the sale of juvenile fish is prohibited.

On another note our local rag here in Cape Town has as a coincidence, the following:

 

"According to boat anglers who have been fishing off Cape Point, the warm water in the deep still shows signs of plenty of different kinds of bait fish around.

These fish should attract the Marlin and Dorado and other types of warm water game fish.

In fact, there was a Marlin strike in the deep water off Cape Point. Mike Casserley of the Gordon's Bay Boat Angling Club hooked and played a large Marlin for quite some time during the weekend and had the pleasure of seeing the fish leap out of the water a number of times, before it parted the line. This Marlin strike apparently occurred a short distance off Cape Point.

Fin-S had a charter on Monday morning and fished in the deep off Cape Point where they managed to catch three smallish Yellowfin, a number of Longfin Tuna, a few Skipjack and their quota of Yellowtail coming back past Cape Point.

Also on Monday Wicked Lady, fishing 37 miles west of Hout Bay, had an excellent haul of Longfin Tuna - the count for the morning was 83 fish."

 

Firstly it is rather late for us to pick up so many longfin and also blue / black marlin strikes are very rare. Maybe I must swop the tuna gear for some 80lb marlin sticks

[Elton]

So, when's the tuna run this year?

[ayjay]

So, when's the tuna run this year?

 

 

I can give you directions to Waitrose.

[Vagabond]

Interesting that after all the argy-bargy they settled the ID as Big-eye Tuna - which is what I said at post 23 !

[Worms]

So, when's the tuna run this year?

From what I've heard the West Irish coast has been getting a few Longfin tuna in recent years. If it becomes a regular thing I might make a trip. I fancy having a go at 20-30lb mackerel

[Brian Carragher]

Don't know why but I always thought the Irish West coast tuna were blue fin

[Worms]

Don't know why but I always thought the Irish West coast tuna were blue fin

South-west apparently, the Bluefin's are further north according to this. Either will do, honest

http://www.wreckfish.com/albacore.htm

[Nick88]

Surely it must have been just a rogue tuna,coz if im not mistaken tuna are shoal fish,so to catch just one seems a bit of a fluke,no?