any tuna guys here?

[jeepster]

ive had the itch to do some tuna fishing for quite some time, and i know they get pretty close to the coast sometimes, but, i dont really know much else...    would it be stupid to try to go after them in a 20 footer? whens the right time?

[kenzmad]

what make of 20'er? seas can get nasy in a hurry 30-50- miles out. how much fuel do you hold? what is your skill level on the big pond? what kind of safety equipment do you have on board? lots of questions that need to be answered before heading out for a tuna run. that is why I haven't gone out myself. not ready, yet

[lokidog]

Like Kenz said, there's a big difference between a 20' trophy and a 20' Alumaweld. 

I have thought about it with my Trophy but would definitely want to have another boat or two along to be able to call for help if needed.  One positive note is that if the wind picks up it is usually not blowing away from shore.

[jeepster]

what make of 20'er? seas can get nasy in a hurry 30-50- miles out. how much fuel do you hold? what is your skill level on the big pond? what kind of safety equipment do you have on board? lots of questions that need to be answered before heading out for a tuna run. that is why I haven't gone out myself. not ready, yet

my boat is a 20 glasply hardtop with cuddy cabin, i have a 180hp inboard and a 60 gallon tank (i could hold 4 gas cans too), i also have radar, dual radios, gps chartplotter, survival suits, and the standard saftey stuff...

[BigD]

Good questions kenzmad. Have never went myself. I would recommend running out with some other boats if you can.

[kenzmad]

what make of 20'er? seas can get nasy in a hurry 30-50- miles out. how much fuel do you hold? what is your skill level on the big pond? what kind of safety equipment do you have on board? lots of questions that need to be answered before heading out for a tuna run. that is why I haven't gone out myself. not ready, yet

my boat is a 20 glasply hardtop with cuddy cabin, i have a 180hp inboard and a 60 gallon tank (i could hold 4 gas cans too), i also have radar, dual radios, gps chartplotter, survival suits, and the standard saftey stuff...

sound like you are pretty set to go. pick your day wisely as I said the seas can get nasty in a hurry. a 50 mile boat ride in the big surf aint any fun

[kenzmad]

"whens the right time?" 
september or october seem to when they are the closest.

[jeepster]

good to know that my boats capable.

yeah, i like the idea of going out with other boats... i heard that last year the tuna got something like 15 miles off shore?

i wouldnt mind putting together a trip to westport this year

september-october? perfect! thats enough time to get all the bugs worked out of my boat, get new gear...

[kenzmad]

kinda sucks but it is right about hunting season. september and october seem to be the best months

[kenzmad]

check out the guys at Bloody decks. they live and breathe Tuna

http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/washington-state/

[fishngamereaper]

They trickle in around july, get better in August, best in Sept and good in Oct. Every year is different. Last year at times they got 15-20 out of Illwaco. The closet to Westport was mid 20's. I ran 46 for them last year. Go to the boat show and watch a Tuna seminar. They are coming up. Todd does a good job and has alot of info to offer.

There is just to much info on Tuna fishing to put in one post.

[Buckslaya]

Follow the Westport  fishing report for basic information. It will give you info on how close they are. Here is the site-

http://charterwestport.com/fishingreport.php

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Sometimes they come in closer. Depends on water temperature.  El Nino years sometimes see warmer currents pushed closer to shore. Back in the mid-late 90s El Nino pushed warm ocean currents up off Alaska. Had a friend who went out of Sitka some place and caught over 30,000 lbs on a commercial boat. But there were so many tuna that year the canneries quit buying them and he was forced to pedal them out of his boat.  He had a freezer on board and kept them frozen until he sold them.  He went back and forth across Prince William Sound selling them in Cordova and Valdez and then went into Whittier and took truckloads to Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley. I think he may have taken some down the Kenai Peninsula too. Took him quite a while, but he finally sold them all. I bought 10 or so myself from him.

As for heading out off the Washington Coast, I'd watch ocean temps, and weather forecasts. And I'd wait for a real good weather window and also be watching for warmer water close er in then normal. What's your fuel consumption?  Even if you went out 50 miles, in a fast boat, that's only a couple hours of running.  So four hours consumption would be the bare minimum to get out and back. Then figure a couple more hours worth trolling or running around, and another 4 hours worth for back up if you hit bad weather and seas and have to buck heavy seas.  My personal minimum would be to pack 10 hours worth of fuel.

Last but far from least, make sure you are coast guard approved for safety gear. The rules change once you get outside 3 miles.  And have a good marine VHF radio at the least with a weather channel. If it sounds like bad weather is heading your way, don't wait til the last minute to head in. And take a tide book with you, especially if you plan on crossing any bars on the coast, like the Grays Harbor bar, to get out of bad weather. The bars are usually the worst on the hard ebb, a couple hours after high water until almost low water slack. So if you can, plan to cross on the flood or a slack tide.

[RadSav]

If you want to use your 20' boat for tuna I'd suggest you trailer it down to California. 

Even if you have a year where the tuna are just outside the shipping lanes it's risky up here.  I personally believe minimum 32' with a good hull where most buoyancy is at mid ship or further toward bow for northern tuna fishing. Chances are you are going to be bobbing a good long time out there before any help arrives if something goes wrong. 

Your biggest hurdle will be coming back with a hard northwest chop going almost 90 degrees from the swell.  You'll probably be back in green water when trouble strikes which means cold water.  Even in a wet survival suit you'll be hypothermic before the coastguard gets a helo to ya.  I've pulled more than a couple daredevils out of the ocean and most only brought life insurance back to their family.  The fact that it is a question you're asking on here leads me to believe you doubt it as a real sound decision.   Make it a vacation and trailer south.

If you've really got your mind made up try taking a charter for your first trip.  Don't be the average tourist that gets on the boat and sleeps his way to the fishing grounds and back.  Watch the swell, weather, chop and the tendencies of the boat to broach in following seas.  Your 20' boat might be able to stay on the back side of a calm sea swell good enough.  But, ask yourself if you could honestly do that with the level of afternoon wind and chop you experience on the way home.  At least you won't be 40, 50 or 100 miles from port in a 20' river boat when you find out your answer is, "wholly crap I think I might be in trouble."

[Rick]

what make of 20'er? seas can get nasy in a hurry 30-50- miles out. how much fuel do you hold? what is your skill level on the big pond? what kind of safety equipment do you have on board? lots of questions that need to be answered before heading out for a tuna run. that is why I haven't gone out myself. not ready, yet

my boat is a 20 glasply hardtop with cuddy cabin, i have a 180hp inboard and a 60 gallon tank (i could hold 4 gas cans too), i also have radar, dual radios, gps chartplotter, survival suits, and the standard saftey stuff...

Following the rule of thirds,a 60 gallon tank isn't much fuel. Thats 20 out,20 back and 20 for reserve. Its not just the getting out there and back either. You'll be trolling at 7-8 mph while fishing.

Get a fuel flow meter installed in your boat. Load up about 6 buddies to simulate a couple hundred ponds of ice,a couple hundred pounds of tuna and your gear. Figure out how much fuel you're actually burning and then take a look at heading out for tuna.