Offshore Playbook Final by hogylureco

CAPT. MIKE’S TUNA PLAYBOOK Light Tackle Edition

NOTES FROM 10+ YEARS OF FILMING VIDEOS FOR SALTY CAPE.

CAPT. MIKE HOGAN

Fish Smart. Fish Simple. By. Capt. Mike Hogan

Systematic Approach

Tells

Understanding how and why they are feeding

Approach Tactical Approach that complements the situation

Outfits The right tool for the job

Lures

Match the hatch!

Example: Anatomy of a tuna trip with Capt. Mike

A Systematic Approach The Hogy Playbook In the “olden days” when I was fishing more days than not (insert deep-long sigh), I would have my entire tackle selection in a partially filled five-gallon bucket and 6 rods: maybe (3) top water (3) jigs, depending on the day. A few light trolling rods stowed in the console. I ran charters that way and did very well. I fished with the same 5 or 6 lures in the same 2 or 3 colors all season. That style of preparation was far more common then as it is today. Today, it’s MUCH different. It's not uncommon to see guys lugging 25lbs of lures on a trip and enough rods to command marina respect with Lake Eerie walleye anglers. Just look around at any major tackle store at all the suff. So much. Too Much. I personally got caught up in “gear creep” too. I had my wake-up moment a few years ago when we had engine troubles before a tuna trip. Loading and immediately unloading and immediately re-loading our 3 pickup’s worth of gear truly spot-lighted the absurdity of gear creep. Too many rods, accessories, tackle bags. We were ready for casting, jigging, trolling, live baiting, cod, AND stripers. Perhaps scallop dredging and lobstering too! Realistically, there was a 99% chance we were just going to end up jigging tuna then maybe a couple of cod. As planned... We brought EVERYTHING just in case and spent stupid amounts of time managing gear, time that could be spent fishing or scouting. We easily lost hours of fishing. What’s that worth? Furthermore, all that gear was in our way all day. What was impact of that? But what was the most damaging was with too many “options” and tired brains, we were prone to “fishing ADHD”. We felt compelled to use the gear we were so invested in. Rather, as experienced anglers we should have been focused on cracking the code: where was the hot bite?? Simply put - we had the gear-belly-bloat equivalent of having a hard time tying our own shoes… We became bad fishermen even though we all knew better. We were bad fisherman because we tried to “do everything” which rendered us far less effective.

A few Thoughts on Tactics + Tackle... The New (Old) Me I now focus on a collection of simple processes and the core lures that support them. I make a commitment to what my intentions are for each trip. I know my core lure selection offers me more than enough options and audibles. I am confident. Decks are clear, and fishing is better. I have contingency plans but with more focus and deliberate intent. I reduced how much gear I bring by 2/3rds and my fishing game greatly improved as a result.

MESH CRATE SYSTEM

Why? I greatly increased my time focusing on hunting fish. I think about my “tools” much less. I easily estimate this approach cuts carried gear value by 2/3s for me. Our company inventory levels did too! In the same tune, my lure company cut 2/3s of our SKUs that didn’t directly map to our playbooks and our core mission. Just like my fishing game, business was better without all the bloat caused by gearing for every micro situation. Does this mean I think there is no place for highly technical techniques? Absolutely not. The point I’m trying to make here is that if you are super busy (like me), regardless of whether you’re balancing a hectic family-work-life balance -or- your running 150 charters in a short season, simple always wins when push comes to shove. So what does “Fish Smart. Fish Simple.” mean anyway? Fish Simple means we cut out unnecessary complexity. Hold the BS. Fish Simple means lures are pre-rigged the way a pro-guide would legitimately fish it out of the package. Regardless of cost.

My rule today is that my lures must fit in one milk crate and my rods should be carried by one person in one trip to the boat. Fish Simple means we focus on “core” everything. Size, Shape, Action, and Color. Fish Simple means we make lures that catch fish, not fishermen. Ask any charter captain and they’ll agree: 9 times out of 10 a simple design with good action is more effective that an “exact replica baitfish” style lure. Fish Simple means we have a system around a minimalist selection of lures that work seamlessly with relevant techniques. Fish Simple means we treat lures like a craftsman does tools. If you’re thinking too much about how and when to use it, this playbook has failed you.

Priorities: What are you focusing on? What’s important for this trip? Targeting Big fish? Any fish? Relaxing day on water? Processes: How are you going to execute? This is where Clay might ask if your actions are reconciled with your intent? Are you well poised for success? Resources: Are you sourced to execute? Have right lures? Outfits? Do you have the knowledge you need? Information?

By asking yourself these questions in I read once in a book by Clay Christensen reference to your fishing system, you'll where he defined Capability: as the be well poised to fish like a professional. culmination of priorities, processes, and resources; each of which were mutually If you haven't done so already, by exclusive but collectively exhaustive. That taking the time to fully automate your definition always stuck with me. “processes” and systematize your gear as much as possible - you'll be blown While it’s a great code for just about away by how much "deeper" you'll fish everything you could imagine in life, it’s and how many more fish you catch with perfect here for fishing. less gear. AKA more fun, less B.S.!

Fish Samrt. Sish Simplee Capt. Mike

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

ABOUT THIS PLAYBOOK I love the simplicity playbooks bring. I invite you to check out my own personal playbook that serves as my “recipe book” of sorts, letting me know what gear to have in my “pantry” and what lures to bring out to “cook with". But as importantly, a good playbook establishes a fast filter to process information quickly when on scene and low on sleep… This playbook breaks down fishing by: Outfits: Light enough to enjoy, heavy enough to land fish responsibly. Lures: The Hogy System AKA "The Mesh Crate System" :) Approaches: Simple & easy to execute approaches proven for decades by locale captains. Techniques: Fast and Slow. Top and Deep. We hit all the spots! You'll find that these are the same chapters we employ in every episode we film for Salty Cape. As we all know, there is more than a few ways to “skin a catfish”. The playbooks we publish here are “my” versions of how to “do it” on the water. Ask ten lifelong anglers you might get ten entirely different playbooks. The important thing is to find “your” playbook that works for you. I certainly hope mine helps you catch a few more fish. Fish Smart. Fish Simple. ...and enjoy! Golf Bag Approach:

-Capt. Mike

CAPT. MIKE HOGAN Publisher: Salty Cape

Founder CEO - Hogy Lures

"Obviously you're not a golfer..." I do like the golf analogy here. The crate based system reminds me a little of golf in the sense that when a golfer leaves the house in the morning, it's just one bag to grab with minimal thought on gear. You know what's in there. Your focus is on the game. #simplicity

Capt. Mike's Hogy System Gear Filter Fast to “scramble” a trip. Time is short. Green means go! Simple selection where it’s always ready and easy to restock. A minimalist gear approach. No, I’m not MacGyver, but still I know too much clutter works against me. Resilient: I want options when I’m out there. That means lures and outfits with multiple jobs to be done. Even if I must rely on secondary strengths here and there. Easy to Replace: You want to be able to replace your “favorite tools” when you need them. Fast and conveniently. Highly Fishy: Goes without saying… I know it or plan on knowing it like the back of my hand. Easy to Use: I often have guests with me on a personal day (i.e. not filming). I want lures that fish themselves with minimal thought. Durable: I need my gear to stand up to abuse, professional grade both literally and figuratively. I am bad at taking care of my gear. If it stands up for me, I’m impressed. Entire Lure Collection: Fit's inside a milk crate or roll up bag (Trolling). Rod Collection: I can carry it to the boat in one trip.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

Table of Contents PAGE Casting A. Overview of Casting Outfits B. Casting Approaches C. Casting Retrieves E. Casting Lures

Jigging A. Overview of Jigging Outfits B. Jigging Retrieves C. Jigging Lures

Trolling A. Overview of Trolling Outfits B. Trolling Spreads C. Trolling Approaches

Finding Fish A. Field Tech B. Tells C. Forage

End Game A. Fighting & Landing B. Cleaning Guide

Rigging A. Rigging Guide

Groundfish Gear Checklist Spot Checklist

6 7 8 10 12 14 15 17 19 21 22 23 25 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 36 37 38 40 46

CHAPTER: CASTING I like to have a few outfits rigged up with different lures, particularly if I don’t fully understand what today's tuna is eating. When I approach fish, every angler on my boat will start with a different lure style, i.e a plug, a softbait, and a jig. In a perfect world, I would have six casting set ups as follows: Multiple Imitators: Varies shapes, sizes, and colors. e.g., harness jig and sliders At Least One Attractor to call them in, e.g., poppers and dog walkers All levels of water column: Top water and sinking e.g, Hogy Epoxy Jig Lure and Pro Tail Paddles With the system-based arsenal above, I can instantly adapt to any of the approaches in this section. Capt. Mike's Tuna Casting Playlist

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

CASTING RODS HEAVY OUTFIT

MEDIUM OUTFIT

7.5-8’ Heavy Spinning Rod: I like to have a heavy setup in the mix for big plugs, heavy jigs, and weighted soft plastics. This rod can cast heavy lures up to 6ounces. This rod will also do double duty for groundfishing on a slow day in the tuna grounds.

7’ Medium-Heavy Spinning Rod: This outfit doubles as a heavy inshore rod. A sightly lighter outfit is perfect for targeting smaller class tuna.This is our favorite gear for throwing smaller jigs, plugs and topwaters when fish are feeding on micro-forage.

A few things I like about this outfit:

Sometimes you don't always need a rod that can throw 6oz plugs and jigs. Having a lighter outfit available allows you to present smaller offerings, such as a 3oz ProTail, and makes for a fun fight on fish in the 40" and under range.

1. Extended foregrip: I like a longer foregrip because it gives great leverage when “taking a break” with a big bend in the rod. 2. Short Rod Butt: I really dislike tuna spinning rods with too long of a butt section. I find long butts hard to maneuver during the short game and put my fishing grip in an awkward position to fight fish off my hip as opposed to a center “belted position. This allows me to keep a 45-degree articulation with my elbows (saving arm strength” and allowing me to dip my knees and engage my core muscle group while fighting the fish. I hate next-day-sore-tuna- back-syndrome” 3. Super durable: I put a ton of heat on my tuna. I like to “l land it fast – or break it off” Faster landing = healthier release & better meat.

I like using a lighter outfit during the final months of tuna season here on Cape Cod. The fish are generally on the smaller side and don't always need to be caught on heavy gear. The lighter outfit also comes in handy because this time of year you are taking lots of casts throughout the day to try and entice finicky fish feeding on butterfish. It's far less taxing on the body to be casting a light outfit all day, and allows you stay fresh for when an opportunity arises.

JIGGING OUTFITS

When to use: Tuna up to 150lbs Action: Moderate

When to use: Tuna up to 300

Power: Medium Heavy

Action: Moderate

Length: 7'

Power: Heavy

Reel Size: 8000 - 14000 class.

Length: 7'6"-8'

Lure Sizes: 2oz to 4oz

Reel Size: 18000 - 20000 class.

Typical Line: 60lb Braid

Lure Sizes: 3oz to 6oz

Leader: 60” of 80lb Fluorocarbon Leader

Typical Line: 100lb Braid Leader: 60” of 130lb Fluorocarbon Leader

Check out this video we filmed during the 2022 Salty Cape Filming season. We were casting heavy lures to 55’ fish. We landed our fish in about 5 minutes each.

Check out this video we filmed during the 2022 Salty Cape Filming season. We were testing out our new tuna rods on 50" class tuna. We were casting plugs up to 4oz.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

CASTING APPROACHES BLIND CASTING Seeing that you are in an area with bait and feeding tuna, you are already 75 percent of the way to success. The ideal time to blind cast is when you are in a defined area with lots of life. Here’s a few scenarios where it makes sense.

3 BEST BETS BLIND CASTING

Tuna Epoxy Jig: Best used for long range, fast retrieves near the surface. Keep rod tip up for surface skip, or rod low for side to side wobble.

WATCH VIDEO

TUNA EPOXY JIG

CHARTER GRADE SLIDER

Harness Jig: The best option when Sand Eels or Half Beaks are the primary forage. Fast, twitching retrieve, or rip and drop for explosive strikes.

TUNA HARNESS JIG

BOAT BLIND CASTING APPROACH 1

Scattered feeding fish in a defined area: If they are active, they will find your lure sooner or later and your time will have been better spent with lures in the water than out of the water while you run around looking for obvious signs

Scattered finicky fish: Boat traffic is the top reason fish get spooky. If this is the case, it is time to go stealth mode.

Acres of feeding fish: Why risk spooking the fish? Just cast and wait your turn.

WALK & GUN The slow approach is the ideal way to target tuna and is usually associated with good fishing where there are numerous schools and plenty for everyone.

3 BEST BETS WALK & GUN

Tuna Epoxy Jig: Best used for long range, fast retrieves near the surface. Keep rod tip up for surface skip, or rod low for side to side wobble.

WATCH VIDEO

TUNA EPOXY JIG

CHARTER GRADE SLIDER

TUNA HARNESS JIG

Slider: Good for fishing the swing, windy conditions and covering ground throughout peak periods of tide. Hold the rod at 45 degrees to let the slider's slow wobble do the work. Vary retrieve speed, accelerate on missed strikes. Harness Jig: The best option when Sand Eels or Half Beaks are the primary forage. Fast, twitching retrieve, or rip and drop for explosive strikes.

WALK & GUN APPROACH When: This is a great approach when there are a number of fish breaking in a wide area.

Keep it slow and easy. No need for hard running. Idling up to a school at 10 knots or less is ideal. There is no need to hurry in this situation as there are plenty of scattered feeds and they are popping up and down. If you go slow and happy, you might not even get to the school before seeing fish. The main goal is to be slow and deliberate to keep from spooking fish as you close in on the distance.

Approach slowly when a nearby school pops up.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

CASTING APPROACHES RUN & GUN There is a time and place for running and gunning but great care needs to be taken not to spook fish or disrupt other fisherman. Running and gunning is appropriate in situations where there are widely scattered fish that would otherwise not be accessible without motoring.

3 BEST BETS RUN & GUN

TUNA EPOXY JIG

WATCH VIDEO

Tuna Epoxy Jig: Best used for long range, fast retrieves near the surface. Keep rod tip up for surface skip, or rod low for side to side wobble. Slider: Good for fishing the RUN & GUN APPROACH swing, windy conditions and 1 To many people, running and gunning is the name of the game but it is covering ground throughout highly disruptive to tuna. Tuna and bait fish get very spooked by loud peak periods of tide. Hold the hull noise, engines screaming and changing RPM’s with boats running rod at 45 degrees to let the through schools. Unfortunately, this happens way too often, even when slider's slow wobble do the there are plenty of fish. Resist the temptation to charge around if work. Vary retrieve speed, unnecessary. It will be tempting to cover lots of ground but will work to accelerate on missed strikes. your disadvantage unless you can truly get on top of the fish.

CHARTER GRADE SLIDER

Harness Jig: The best option when Sand Eels or Half Beaks are the primary forage. Fast, twitching retrieve, or rip and drop for explosive strikes.

TUNA HARNESS JIG

You’ll want to count how long the fish are staying up feeding for. If they are up for only 3 or 4 seconds, you won’t have a chance unless you are already on scene. The magic number is 10 seconds. If they are up for 10 seconds consistently, it’s time to motor.

WALK THE DOG A walk-the-dog style retrieve with the Hogy Dog Walker is great presentation in that it creates a more subtle, waking commotion on the surface that drives fish crazy. Unlike poppers, which some anglers fish way too fast, when you get a spook plug doing its head swinging, side-to-side action, you will typically be moving slowly at a steady pace though the water, which can elicit more reaction strikes than a popper. You would use a Dog Walker when you know fish are in a general area but are relatively scattered. A Dog Walker is also an excellent choice to raise fish in deeper water.

BEST BET WALK THE DOG

Charter Grade XL Dog walker: These simple Dog Walkers have been carefully tuned for easy walk-thedog action with minimal effort. Weighing 3oz they are a dream to cast on medium-heavy offshore gear. The Charter Dog Walker features multiple rattle chambers for extra sound and vibration, tuna grade through wired construction, and 4X HD rigging.

CAPT. MIKE HOGAN OWNER - HOGY LURES

WATCH VIDEO

WALK THE DOG APPROACH 1

Rod Position: Your rod tip can be pointed in any number of positions when fishing a spook or walk-the-dog plug. Some anglers fish a spook with the rod tip pointed at the water, while others prefer an upward angler between 30 and 45-degrees above horizontal. When watching anglers who are experienced at walking-the-dog, you will see that same side-to-side swing no matter how the rod is held.

The idea is to give the rod a quick snap, producing enough controlled slack to allow the head to swing left-and-right. “Controlled slack” means producing enough freedom for the head of the plug to swing while maintaining contact and forward movement in case a fish hits the plug. A spook can also be fished like a pencil popper, with the rod held at a 45-degree angle while it is pushed-and-pulled.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

CASTING RETRIEVES FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE. FISH HOGY. Many pros carry fewer different types of lures but higher quantiles of each. Why? They bring the lures that work for their particular methodology and use a systematic approach to the various situations they may encounter. (+backups)

The Hogy 3-Step Casting System

A Fast Skippy Retrieve: This is a tip-up, fast-crank retrieve. Great for imitating fleeing sea herring, half beaks and mackerel. This is the preferred retrieve to breaking fish or blind casting in calm water when you know fish are in the area. Steps: Cast out, collect line. Point the rod at a 45-degree angle and increase reeling speed and rod tip height simultaneously. As you reel, twitch your rod back sporadically. This will cause your Epoxy Jig® Lure to pop in and out of the water simulating a fleeing bait fish.

B Tip Down Method: Reel-Reel-Reel-Pause / Reel-Reel-Reel-Pause. I like to alternate this retrieve with the skippy retrieve. It is similar in that it is a very high-speed retrieve but opposite in the sense that your rod tip is pointed low –literally in the water. This will allow you to have a very high retrieve speed without breaking the surface. Another variation I include with the retrieve is sporadic “stalls”. I will randomly pause for three seconds and immediately pick back up. This will often draw a strike.

C Drop and Reel: This retrieve starts with the medium sub-surface retrieve but this time, you will introduce long pauses for up to a minute to let your bait settle as deep as 30’ before reeling again. This is an excellent retrieve for finicky fish. The Hogy Epoxy Jig’s® Lure relatively lightweight allows for a slow decent, which mimics a wounded or recently killed bait fish. The drop can also put your lure in the strike zone of suspended fish you may be marking on your fish finder. I like to try different “start-again” retrieves after the drop. Sometimes I will start slow while others are a hard start. I will switch over the course of one cast.

CAPT. MIKE HOGAN OWNER - HOGY LURES

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

CASTING RETRIEVES POP N' FLY RETRIEVE

POP N' FLY RETRIEVE The Pop-N-Fly retrieve is a technique that allows anglers to present a small, light fly on a heavier spinning outfit. Small flies like the 4″ Tuna Rigged Protail Fly are nearly impossible to cast on a heavy spinning outfit. That’s where the addition of a large hookless plug comes into play. By tying your fly to a larger plug via leader connection, anglers can utilize the casting distance they get from a large plug to present a very subtle and stealthy fly. The Pop-N-Fly technique is especially deadly when tuna are feeding on very small forage.

RIGGING To start fishing the Pop-N-Fly, you will need a handful of gear.

1 The 7″ Charter Grade Popper is super long casting. We choose the Clear color for the Pop-N-Fly because it’s as close as your going to get to an invisible presentation. The reason for removing the hooks from this plug is because this isn’t your primary lure presentation. The Popper acts as a form of transportation for presenting your fly. Not only will this Popper allow you to present a small fly, but it will also aid in attracting fish to your fly. The surface action given off by the popper grabs the attention of any near by fish, and puts their focus on your presentation.

The Protail Flys are designed to imitate micro-forage with an ultra-life-like swimming action and profile. Each fly comes rigged with a Mustad 8/0 tuna live bait hook, making it capable of handling tuna up to 100lbs. This fly only weighs 7.5g, so casting them on a heavier spinning outfit is nearly impossible.

3 Leader Connection: We recommend anywhere from 24″-50″ of 70-80lb fluorocarbon leader for your fly to popper connection. Since this is a presentation for finicky fish, we want to minimize the hardware as much as possible. That’s why we recommend a knot connection for this technique. A palomar knot connected to both the rear of the popper and your fly is all it takes to start fishing this rig. One thing to keep in mind is the longer your leader is, the harder it’ll be to cast your presentation.

RETRIEVE

1. Once the surface activity has been located, slowly motor to the outside edge of the feeding area, making sure to quietly approach the school. 2. Make a long cast towards the outside edge of the surface activity. 3. Use a slow, sharp twitching motion for surface popping action. Utilize occasional 5-10 second pauses for finicky fish.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

CASTING LURES CHARTER GRADE SLIDER

HARNESS JIG

XL TUNA POPPER

PROTAIL PADDLE

Sliders are great for imitating tuna that are keyed in on mackerel, sea herring and half beaks. Sliders are also great for blind casting as their large size presents a very visible target. You’ll want to fish sliders on a medium retrieve with your rod pointed so that it is slightly upward – almost horizontal to the water. The lure is designed to have a slow, side-to-side wobble built in.

When tuna are keyed in on sand eels don’t underestimate its casting ability. The soft tail has a deadly wobble when on a straight retrieve. THAT SAID, My favorite way to fish the Harness jig is the “Kerplunk” method which is my sill way of saying to cast and drop the Hogy Harness Jig into a pile of birds or life and let it drop. It’s amazing how many fish pick it up on the drop. I let it sink for a bit, then reel up and drop again.

Big poppers are really your best bet when blind casting to tuna, assuming there’s not too many birds to mess with your lures. The Large style Hogy Charter Grade Popper has the body of our slider (see below) but the cupped face from our widely poppers in smaller sizes. The result is a typical “NOISY” popper that can transition to a walk the dog action by dropping your rod type, making this lure extremely versatile.

The Hogy Protail Paddle makes a deadly casting bait for tuna keyed in on herring, small bunker, butter fish or other small baits. The 6.5” Hogy Protail comes in a number of weights but the 4oz, 5oz and 6oz are the most popular sizes offshore as they are heavy enough to cast with Stella 20,000 sized reels. . You can retrieve the Hogy Protail Paddle at slow speeds to the very fastest.

WATCH VIDEO

HARNESS PROTAIL

TUNA EPOXY JIG

XL Dog Walker

TUNA RIGGED PROTAIL FLY

The Protail Flys are designed to imitate micro-forage with an ultra-life-like swimming action and profile. Several years in the making, the Hogy Protail Fly has deep roots from Capt. Mike's time as an Orvis-endorsed fly fishing guide on Cape Cod. These heavy-duty softbait flys are made with the same durable soft plastic as our popular pre-rigged Protail Series.

WATCH VIDEO

The Hogy Harness Pro Tail series was designed specifically to imitate large baits such as bunker and mackerel. This 9” version the same basic shape of the classic Pro Tail Paddle but scaled up to a much bigger “tunariffic” profile. The Harness Paddle also features Hogy Harness Jig rigging system molded inside the jig, connected to an oversized hook resulting in a massive softbait suitable for giant tuna on all class tackle. The 9”, 6oz versions is ideal for jigging. WATCH VIDEO

Large 7” tuna sized Hogy Epoxy Jigs® should be in every self-respecting “Tuna Crate” There’s pretty much nothing you can’t accomplish with these highly versatile jigs. If matching the hatch, color patterns exist for mimicing sand eels, sea herring, mackerel, sardines and half-beaks to name a few. The Hogy Epoxy Jig® can be fished in three different ways, making them very adaptable to just about any casting situation you may encounter. WATCH VIDEO

The Charter Grade XL Dog Walker is tuned for easy walk-the-dog action with minimal effort. Our new new XL Dog Walker offers heavy casting weight of 2 5/8oz. They are a dream to cast on heavy inshore and mediumheavy offshore gear. The Charter Grade Walker features multiple rattle chambers for extra sound and vibration, tuna grade through wired construction, and 4X HD rigging.

WATCH VIDEO

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE. FISH SIMPLE. FISH HOGY.

Trouble Shooting Tuna: Casting

CHARTER GRADE

HEAVY THUMPING

THE BITE

SUBSURFACE SLIDERS

PROTAIL PADDLES

TUNA RIGGED EPOXY JIGS

ALL PURPOSE

HOGY EPOXY JIGS®

THE BITE

THE BITE Bottom grubbing tuna keyed in on large sand eels.

Surface feeding tuna keyed in on larger half-beaks, butterfish & sand eels.

Scattered tuna feeding on butterfish.

Fast moving tuna chasing surface baitfish schools. Actively pursuing schools underway is necessary.

THE CHALLANGE

Surface foaming tuna can be ultra finicky when keyed in on specific baitfish. Matching the color and profile of available forage will produce significantly more bites on a consistent basis. When fish are spread out and showing in singles and doubles. The Charter Grade Slider can be blind casted to quickly cover ground and locate actively feeding fish.

Tuna feeding on butterfish can be notoriously picky and tough to catch. Long range casts & imitative bait profiles are necessary for success.

When tuna are seen breaking on the surface, but always out of casting reach. Long range casting lures are necessary to put fast moving fishing into range.

When you’re marking tuna down deep on the fish finder but seeing limited surface activity. A fast sinking, imitative sand eel profile produces picky fish.

THE SOLUTION

Offered in a variety of casting weights and sizes, the Pro Tail Paddles offer an ideal casting package for imitating butterfish. With casting weights available to 6oz, the Pro Tail Paddle can be casted on XH Tuna Spinning Tackle. Heavy Duty VMC rigging is suitable for tuna upwards of 200lbs. Cover ground quickly with fan casting techniques on a fast steady retrieve.

The Tuna Rigged 4oz Epoxy Jig offers incredible casting distance and accuracy on heavy tuna spinning outfits. The Tuna Epoxy Jig offers an excellent side to side kick on a steady retrieve, aiding to quickly cover large swaths of productive water when tuna are moving fast. The Epoxy Jigs through wired construction and 4X VMC Treble Rigging offers superior strength for large Bluefin.

The Tuna Harness Jig’s hydrodynamic profile and heavy weight is ideal for reaching depths of 180’+ in heavy current and varied sea states. The long tapered UV Infused Speed Tail offers an imitative sand eel profile perfect for tuna keyed in on oceanic sand eels. Ideal for slow-pitch style jigging retrieves, the Harness Jig offers incredible action with short 1’ 2’ jigging motion.

THE SOLUTION Simplicity is key. Charter Grade Sliders offer excellent side to side kicking action on a steady retrieve. Occasional stop and pause can be imparted when fish follow without committing.

Charter Slider

Subsurface Swimmer.

Protail Paddle

Heavy Thumping Action.

Hogy Epoxy Jig®

Ultra-Imitative Jig.

Tuna Harness Jig

Sand Eel Imitator.

CHAPTER: JIGGING My jigging arsenal is ratcheted down significantly as compared to my casting approach. Think about it, if you’re about to start jigging, you likely have some sort of idea of whether tuna might be down below and what they might be feeding on. In my experience, tuna are in one of these three states: Hanging on the bottom: to me that probably means sand eels. ·Suspended at a specific depth: maybe feeding on herring or macks? ·All over the place: the best scenario as they tend to eat anything in that scenario :) With the above in mind, I typically have just two lures ready to go. A Hogy Sand Eel Jig and a Hogy Harness jig. I will focus on basic colors: olive, green, silver and pink. Depth will dictate what weights to use. My rule of thumb is “the minimal amount of weight to hold bottom” as the heavier it is – the faster the jig will sink but the lighter a jig is, the more action it will have… Capt. Mike's Tuna Jigging Playlist

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook HOGY TUNA JIGGING PLAYBOOK GEAR GUIDE JIGGING RODS

FISH SMART. FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE. FISH SIMPLE. FISH HOGY.

HEAVY OUTFIT

MEDIUM OUTFIT

LIGHT "HYBRID" OUTFIT

5' 6"-5" 9" Heavy Conventional Rod: This is my go-to outfit when targeting fish up to 400lbs. It is so much easier on your body with conventional gear where you can strap into a harness and have a different leverage angle, especially on the heavy, more powerful outfits. This is our favorite gear for jigging larger jigs and soft plastics when there are an abundance of very large fish around.

5’ 8" Heavy Spinning Rod: I string this outfit the same as I do as with my 7’ casting rod: with 100lb holocore with spliced loop for loop-to-loop wind on connections. I prefer casting wind-ons with spinning as the heavy fluoro can be a nuisance on the spool. This rod has enough back bone for ANY tuna you would be willing to catch on stand up. Certainly, any jigs you would want to fish.

When to Use: Tuna up to 400lbs Action: Moderate Fast Power: Heavy Length: 5'9" Reel Size: 25000 2-Speed Lure Sizes: 8oz to 16oz Typical Line: 100lb Braid Leader: 25' of 65-130lb Fluorocarbon Leader

When to use: Tuna up to 300lbs Action: Moderate Fast Power: Extra Heavy Length: 5'8" Reel Size: 18000 - 20000 class. Lure Sizes: 6oz to 16oz Typical Line: 100lb Braid Leader: 60” of 130lb Fluorocarbon Leader

Hogy Hybrid C. Rod with Avet LX6: I string this Avet LX class reel with 65lb Braid + 65lb top shot + 25’ jigging wind-on leader. I leave the mono top shot on for trolling. I have been enjoying jigging with the Hogy Hybrid rod for school tuna up to 100lbs this season. This rod does well, even when paired with 16oz jigs for cod and haddock. I used the same Avet LX6 reels I have used in all our filming this season. This rod is soft, happy and fun to use. I keep this rod rigged with the same jigs I would use for cod and tuna.

JIGGING OUTFITS

When to use: Tuna up to 100lbs Action: Moderate Fast Power: Medium Length: 5'6" Reel Size: Avet LX6 Lure Sizes: 6oz to 16oz Typical Line: 65lb Braid Leader: 25” of 65lb Mono Top Shot

Conventional or Spinning? I really hate answering something like this with: "it depends..." But the answer here is one of those situations. I will say that I prefer "fishing" with spinning outfits and "landing" with conventional outfits, assuming I have a belt and maybe a harness... With spinning outfits, you are jigging the lure with the rod in your strong arm, in my case right hand, and reeling with left hand, the less arduous of the two. (Assuming you're right handed.) And in theory, the same dynamics apply when fighting a fish. With traditional conventional reels I am working the rod with my left arm and cranking with my right (More Work) BUT and it's a big "but", a conventional outfit is much less taxing fighting a fish in a belt/harness system allowing most of your body to join the fight with proper fighting techniques (pumping with your whole body). LASTLY, and this is just personal preference, I feel like I can work a bait in a more sexy fashion with spinning, others say conventional. All in all, my personal rule of thumb is tuna < 150lbs = Spinning and tuna > 100lbs = Conventional. But at the end of the day, if all you got is one or the other -> SEND IT DOWN!

Check out this video featuring a Tuna Jigging Clinic - A deep dive on the anatomy of jigging sfor large bluefin tuna.

Check out this video we filmed during in 2022. We were jigging 8-12oz jigs for 60" fish. We landed our fish in about 10-15 minutes each.

Hogy Hybrid Conventional Rod

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JIGGING RETRIEVES FAST JIGGING Fast jigging is associated mostly with metals The bites tend to be more aggressive but you need to also pay careful attention to bites on the drop.

3 BEST BETS

Teaser Assist Sand Eel Jig: Our top choice for imitating mackerel throughout the water column.

FAST JIGGING

SAND EEL JIG

Harness Tuna Jig: Tuna love sand eels, the Olive Sand Eel Jig offers the perfect profile for imitating a variety of sand eel sizes. TUNA HARNESS JIG

HOGY EPOXY JIG

The 4oz Hogy Epoxy Jig is an ideal “fast” jig in depths under 180 feet of water. This lure will make commotion on the drop and come “alive” with just a medium retrieve speed, allowing for adequate time “in play” before reaching the surface.

BOAT FAST JIGGING APPROACH 1

Drop to the bottom or below targets identified on fish finder. Engage and reel quickly while jerking the rod - cranking fast a furiously to the surface.

Drop back and repeat.

SLOW JIGGING The best jigging technique for fishing with soft baits, often underutilized. It’s a great technique for fish you see on the fish finder that “won’t bite anything”.

3 BEST BETS SLOW JIGGING

TUNA HARNESS JIG

EPOXY JIG

FLUTTER PITCH

BENEFITS

Tuna Harness Jigs: a very natural option for slow jigging as they offer tremendous action at the slowest speeds, regardless of the shape. Paddle tail versions will thump with short sweeps of a rod tip. Eel tail versions body’s will quiver even when left in the holder at drift.

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The Hogy Epoxy Jig: The light body design results in a slow and fluttery decent to the bottom. As 4oz Epoxy Jig require very little effort to fish in under 180’ of water while slow jigging. Flutter Pitch Jig: This jig has a “flattened” design and a latitudinal center of gravity which allows for even the heaviest of versions great action at slow speeds as it shifts its center of gravity in current. The flutter Pitch Jig is ideal at the deepest of tuna depths in heavy current. Larger sizes imitate herring, pogies and mackerel.

1. You’re able to stay in a key strike zone for a very long time. 2. Natural and subtle movements used to present a slow and easy bait for a lazy tuna to eat is a method that is deadly, especially with a softbait tail. 3. An easy technique for inexperienced guests on your boat

SLOW JIGGING APPROACH 1

Drop to a specific depth that you are targeting.

Slowly raise your rod tip and let the lure fall slowly.

Every few moments, change the depth by 10-feet using slow cranks, and repeat the slow jig method.

Drop back to the bottom and repeat.

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JIGGING RETRIEVES TWITCH JIGGING Twitch jigging is a variation of the Slow Jig with the only difference being a series of sharp fast twitches in the rod. It’s almost like you are vibrating the lure with rapid rod tip twitches. This technique works particularly well with the Hogy Sand Eel Jig. Its long, slender profile responds with a lot of jerking rod tip motions. The huge benefit of this technique is that you can really dial in a certain depth. This is a useful method when “sniping” fish you have identified on the fish finder.

3 BEST BETS TWITCH JIGGING

TUNA HARNESS JIG

SAND EEL JIG

EPOXY JIG

Tuna Harness Jig: Long tails on eel bodied softabaits quiver all the way through the tip of the tail. Our top sand eel imitator. Not ideal option when numerous dogfish are in the area.

Sand Eel Jigs: The sand eel jig is a tough duty sand eel imitator. What this lure lacks in finesse is made up for in its ability to sink quickly, stands up to dogfish and rig in a variety of conf. Epoxy Jig: Hogy Epoxy Jig’s light body design results in a jig that is highly responsive to twitch jigging. Ideal in depths 180’ and under.

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TWITCH JIGGING APPROACH 1

Drop to a specific depth that you are targeting.

Twitch your rod with fast, short movements.

Every few moments, change the depth by 10-feet and repeat.

Once you have too much line out from the boat drifting away from your lure, reel in and repeat.

FAST JIGGING BENEFITS You’re able to stay in a key strike zone for a very long time. Faster motions might trigger a reaction strike. Allows metal lure depth and softbait action.

DEAD STICKING If you are drifting for an extended period while blind casting, it’s often a good idea to drop a softbait down deep and park it in the rod in the holder. It’s truly embarrassing to think about how effective this technique is as compared to all the energy and efforts anglers put into fooling tuna. While dead sticking you are literally just putting the rod in the holder and letting the boat do EVERYTHING. This is 100% a soft bait method as the plastic is flexing with each rock of the boat.

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JIGGING RETRIEVES SEARCH & DROP With the recent developments of fish-finding technology, this technique is becoming more and more popular. In this technique, you are literally cruising around looking for targets to drop on. Search and Drop is the most tactical variation of jigging in that the captain and crew work hand in hand ready to coordinate the drop. Each angler is poised and ready for the drop at a moment’s notice.

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Go-To Hogy Imitations: If you are dropping on fish that you are marking on the fish finder, you'll want to get the lure down as quickly as you can to catch the fish while it is still close to being under the boat. Tuna Harness Jig: I like eel tail softbaits for tactical drops, as you don't want the "parachute" effect of a paddle to slow you down. Sand Eel Jig: This highly imitative sand eel jig is ideal for jigging when sand eels are present. The bait is so long and slender, it has incredible action with hardly any rod movement. A simple rise and fall of the rod tip is deadly.

BENEFITS 1. Pinpoints finicky fish. 2. The steady RPM’s of the boat will not spook the fish. 3. Covers ground while still being able to study topwater and fish finder.

SEARCH & DROP APPROACH 1

Identify an active area.

Find a happy cruising speed, maybe 8-knots for searching.

Have anglers holding their rods at all times, ready to free spool their lure at a moment’s notice.

Along with watching the electronics, constantly look for changes in the water and be ready to cast at any water that looks “pushed” or otherwise altered.

SAND EEL JIG

HARNESS JIG

This lure is an all-star when tuna a keyed in on massive amounts of sand eels on the lower third of the water column in relatively shallow water. This long, narrow, metal jig is easily manipulated with rod tip action and holds its depth really well. The smaller size is good for finicky fish in shallow water and the larger sizes are better suited for deeper water.

It’s hard to beat this lure for vertical jigging when tuna are keyed in on sand eels. Although olive is the logical first choice, my two favorite “confidence” colors are bone and silver. Similar to all of our tuna grade soft baits, the Hogy Harness Eels are UV infused which makes them far more visible in deep water. The Hogy Harness Jigs have a custom paint job to match the eel tails. Bulk packs of replacement tails are available.

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EPOXY JIG

The Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure leads the hot albie market with smaller versions of this tunagrade edition. The Hogy Tuna Grade Epoxy Jig® Lure is thruwired and features the ultrastrong, and ultra-sharp VMC Tropic Star Hook. Hogy Tuna Epoxy Jig® Lure can be fished on top, subsurface or in a drop and reel pattern. They are also effective on a slow drop – slow jig and a twitchy presentation.

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FLUTTER PITCHJIG

This fat thin jig is all about the slow pitch! This lure is specifically for vertical jigging and comes pre-rigged with a pro-grade teaser assist-hook. This baitfish design is perfect for imitating herring, mackerel or sardines. The Flutter Pitch Jig is designed with a flat Body with a raised elevation along its lateral line results in a deadly flutter when fished slowly.

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Trouble Shooting Tuna: Casting

SAND EEL JIGS

HIGHLY IMITATIVE

THE BITE Open water Tuna feeding on plumes of Sand Eels in various levels of the water column.

THE CHALLANGE Tuna bucket feeding on dense sand eel schools. Matching the size, shape and color in a highly imitative fashion is essential if you want to compete.

FLUTTER PITCH

SLOW PITCH & TWITCH

THE BITE Finicky Tuna feeding on various finfish.

TUNA EPOXY JIG SLOW FLUTTER

THE BITE

Tuna keyed in on suspended sand eels, mackerel & herring.

Scattered tuna feeding on large sand eels in open water.

THE CHALLANGE THE CHALLANGE When Tuna on keyed in on herring, scup and butterfish the flutter pitch jig offers an imitative profile and excellent slow flutter fall action.

When tuna are feeding in the upper water column, but not busting on the surface the bite can be downright tough to get dialed in! With a variety of colors, the Epoxy Jig can easily imitative a variety of baits.

THE CHALLANGE When tuna are targeting big sand eels in open water, you'll need up upsize your offering.

THE SOLUTION

The Sand Eel Jigs have simplified the challange of "matching the hatch" by offering a variety of lengths, weights and imitative colors that shine when stripers are keyed in on sand eels. While the Hogy Sand Eel Jig is designed for all speeds, it's particularly deadly at high speeds zipping through all levels of the water column.

The Flutter Pitch Jigs are perfect for working the lower to mid-water column for finicky tuna. Using a simple lift, reel and fall on slack line kicks the Flutter Pitch Jig into action! Erratic flutter fall action triggers bites from finicky tuna feeding on larger baitfish species. Attractive teaser assist hooks add extra attraction when the bite gets tough!

Tuna Epoxy Jigs are best worked with a slow, twitch jigging or dead sticking retrieve. We've found the jigs excellent during flat calm conditions where suspended tuna get super finicky and don't seem to commit to traditional presentations. Make sure to adjust your leader size and drop down in lb. test as the bite gets tougher.

Sand Eel Jig

Flutter Pitch Jig

Durable Sand Eel Imitator.

HARNESS JIGS

MATCH THE HATCH

Hogy Epoxy Jig

Deep Water Flutter Fall Action. Upper Water Column Flutter.

Specialized tuna Harness Jig softbaits are ideal for imitating large to jumbo sized sand eels. Work this lure on a lift and drop retrieve, paying close attention for any bites on the drop. If you find yourself greeted with finicky tuna on big bait, slow twitching a tuna Harness Jig in the mid-water column is a sure-fire way to get bit. Easy to swap-out Harness Speed Tails make replacing the soft bait quick and painless when dogfish are a nuisance.

Harness Jigs

Big Bait Imitators.

CHAPTER: TROLLING

With or Without outriggers, my mission is the same: To simulate a bait ball behind my boat. I grew up fishing for tuna and my heart can skip a beat just thinking of the everawesome click – pop- boom – screaming drag magical sequence of events when a tuna or two smoke a couple of your spreader bars. I literally have two trolling spreads, one with outriggers, and one without. Even still the two versions are essentially the same spread, just the sans-rigger spread consists of bird bars that will swim on their own, and the with-riggers spread has the big flexi-bars and multitudes of small pulsing squids. The flexi-bars call in more fish, but you need to deal with outriggers, so that’s how I prioritize my spread. What’s on my T-top that day… Oh yea, ALWAYS harness jigs in my wash on flatline clips. Remember, you stop to fight a fish; and now you have two vertical jigs ready to drop. I have about a 10% hit rate on that move but over the course of the season, it’s an extra ½ dozen tuna… Capt. Mike's Tuna Casting Playlist

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook HOGY TUNA JIGGING PLAYBOOK

GEAR GUIDE TROLLING RODS

FISH SMART. FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE. FISH SIMPLE. FISH HOGY.

MEDIUMHEAVY OUTFIT

LIGHT DUTY OUTFIT

TZC-59MHSB-SR 5’9″ with Shimano Talica 25: I load my TAC25s up with 100LB holo-core and a top-shot of 80lb mono. The drag system is comparable to a Shimano TIAGRA 80 but the outfit weighs less than a wire line trolling outfit. I can carry my entire spread to the boat in one trip. I have trolled up tuna to 400lbs in deep water with this set up and have had zero issues. I fish this outfit with a wind on leader to a swivel

Hogy Hybrid 5′ 6” with Avet LX class reel + 65lb Braid + 65lb top shot. Ok, I know I talk about this rod all the time… I had one custom made just like when I was in 8th grade for multi-purpose use. Back then we would call it a “boat rod”. (Holy crap, 30 years ago??) Anyway, I found it in my basement a couple years ago and did my best to find a version that was on the market. I got close but. But… Anyway, this rod is made with a high quality but oldfashioned glass blank. It’s hard to break… Don’t worry, you can if you try! The rod is soft and parabolic and with all the bend, it is very forgiving on “spreader bar caught” tuna that just needs a teeny bit of slack to shake off. This outfit is so compact and light, you can literally carry an 8-rod spread to the boat in one trip.

A few features that I like about this outfit:

JIGGING OUTFITS

Light Weight: The rods are so light-weight that I can carry an entire spread's worth to the boat in one trip, something you cannot do with classic 30s or 80s Versatility:I love this outfit because it can catch rat sized yellowfin, but has enough power to land bluefin up to 300lbs. It also doubles as a "ok" jigging rod. Short Rod Butt: Easy “hip-fighting” Super durable: I beat the crap out of my gear…

When to Use: Tuna up to 300lbs

A few features that I like about this rod: 1. Parabolic Action: Very easy and forgiving for rocking boats. Hard to give slack with this outfit… 2. Cork: I just like the feel and the look. 3. Short Rod Butt: Easy “hip-fighting” Good for kids and small framed people. 4. Super durable: I beat the crap out of my gear…

Action: Moderate Fast When to use: Tuna up to 100lbs Power: Heavy Action: Moderate Fast Length: 5'9" Power: Medium Reel Size: 25000 2-Speed Length: 5'6" Typical Line: 100lb Braid Reel: Avet LX6 Leader: 25' of 80lb Mono Typical Line: 65lb Braid Leader: 25” of 65lb Mono Top Shot

Check out this trolling video we filmed with these outfits back in 2020. These outfits are ideal for my Highly Efficient Tuna Trolling Spread.

Check out this trolling video we did with the Hybrid rod during the 2022 Salty Cape filming season: The rod was so light and easy on those 55” fish. . We landed our fish in about 5 minutes each.

Hogy Hybrid Rod

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

TROLLING SPREADS CAPT. MIKE'S CLASSIC SPREAD I fish the same bluewater spread anytime, anywhere. I like big, lightweight spreader bars loaded with smaller bulb squids. I’ll fish five bars to simulate the ultimate bait ball. I’ll have two weighted lured on flatline clips, where I move their placement in the spread. I rarely deviate from this spread, other than changing colors. In addition to being a highly successful spread, I like the efficiency of a dialed in spread. I know just how it swims, I know where it goes and how fast to fish it in any sea conditions, I know how the spread does on turns, etc. This allows me to focus on finding fish, not tinkering with lures. Side Note: This spread is ultra light despite its massive footprint, allowing me to fish light weight with an ultra-strong trolling outfit. I like lightweight bars capable of trolling up to 7 or 8-knots to cover ground.

THE SPREAD Outside Rigger 1: 40-inch FlexiBar – 6-inch UV Green Mack Inside Rigger 1: 40-inch FlexiBar – 6-inch UV Olive

GEAR BREAKDOWN

POCKED BIRD BAR

I like to fish the bird bar way, way back for a variety of reasons. The bird function of the bar allows the bar to swim well without outriggers, which is important when fished further back. The commotion can add attraction because it is far away from the boats wake, also an attraction. The bird bar will float, so if you back off, you can leave the further back bar out while you fish the fish and avoid tangles. You can see where the bird is. It is so far back, it may be difficult for other boats to know where your lure is, including you!

HARNESS JIGS

Flat Line 1: Pre-Rigged Harness Jig 6oz. Olive Sand Eel Flat Line 2: Pre-Rigged Harness Jig 6oz. Tinker Mack Outside Rigger 2: 40-inch FlexiBar – 6-inch UV Rainbow Inside Rigger 2: 40-inch FlexiBar – 6-inch UV Amber Squid Center Line: WWB: Pocket Bird Bar

IMPORTANT NOTES 1. Fish fast or slow and in any sea condition. Typically: calm = fast, rough = slow. 1. Floating Bird bars can often remain “out” while battling fish. It never ceases to amaze me how maybe “drifting” bars get hit. 2. Two Hogy Harness jigs, one in each corner for two reasons. (1) Tuna maybe attracted to commotion of big bars but want something small, essentially making the bars a series of billboards. (2) When lines are clear and tuna still battling, Hogy Harness jigs and be fished vertically by an extra angler. Often with great success! 3. If you get a hit, accelerate an extra 2 or 3kts and count to 30! I’d say 40% of the time this move will induce another strike.

VIDEO: STEP-BY-STEP DEPLOYMENT

The Harness jigs have become my ALL TIME favorite flat line clip lure and have permanently replaced cedar plugs on my boat. I fish harness jigs on each flat line clip, about 10 feet in front of each of my closest spreader bars. They swim in and out of the wake and have the appearance of a confused, lone baitfish. They can be dropped down and jigged while fighting a fish. This has resulted in dozens of hook ups on my boat over the years and why I like the lightness of my rod and reel combo so much. It’s easy enough to switch gears and jig. They swim well near a spreader bar without getting tangled. I like how they swim close and further away. They are the ultimate sand eel hedge. If tuna are keyed in on sand eels, sometimes they prefer the Harness Jigs over small, olive-colored squids that likely brought the fish to the wake.

BULB SQUID FLEXI-BARS

These days, I primarily fish large spreader bars rigged with small bulb squids, even in the Canyons. For starters, the 6inch common size is perfect for matching the majority of baitfish that school tuna feed on. Secondly, as importantly, they are MUCH lighter so they can be fished on large bars for greater presentation with minimal drag and still used on lighter gear. Lastly, they can be trolled faster, allowing for more ground to be covered. I like our Hogy Flexi-Bars because the ultra-light bar pulses with wave action rather than tumble, allowing for rougher trolling or higher speeds in calm water. They are quite light in terms of drag and they can be fished on 20lb. class gear (like my outfit above).

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

TROLLING SPREADS NO OUTRIGGER SPREAD Outriggers work great for setting up a traditional trolling spread! But lets be honest, outriggers can be a pain to deal with. Especially if you’re sole experienced angler or fishing in rougher conditions. That’s where our No Outrigger Tuna Trolling Spread comes into play! We want to simplify the game for anglers, and this trolling spread does just that! You don’t need much to get started with this No Outrigger Trolling spread. A handful of light-tackle trolling rods rigged up with Hogy Directional Bird Bars and your ready to troll!

APPROACH

GEAR BREAKDOWN You don’t need much to get started with this No Outrigger Trolling spread. A handful of light-tackle offshore conventional rods (30-100lb line class) rigged up with Hogy Directional Bird Bars and your ready to troll. Even a tuna jigging rod will work! Check out Capt. Mike's light tackle hybrid outfit here: HOGY HYBRID ROD

Conventional reels Capt. Mike uses the Avet LX6 2-Speed

The name of the game with this spread, along with any type of trolling is focussing on the life. Keep you eyes peeled for birds, whales, bait, and of course tuna. You’ll want stay as close as possible to all this life to enhance the likelihood of a fish seeing your spread. Don’t be afraid to use your electronics to your advantage. If you see fish down deeper, or a cluster on your side scan try and “tease” them into your spread by imparting a little action on your bird bars. This can be done by simply cranking a bar in a few feet or picking up the rod and giving the bar a bit more action.

BIRD BARS

CENTER LINE

A classic "straight-line" bar is positioned as close to the centerline as possible.Often from a T-Top or a leaning post.

INSIDE PORT AND STARBOARD LINES

DEPLOYMENT Now that you know what gear you need, it’s time to setup your spread and start fishing! This can be done in 3-4 quick and easy steps

I recommend classic "straight-line" bird bars for the "inside" lines for two reason: 1) You can fish them near the wash which often draws fish. 2) it is much easier and faster to clear lines with a straight line classic bar when fishing a fish. You can control where it goes.

PORT OUTER DIRECTIONAL

1 First let out your Center Line Bird Bars. (If you have one!) Due to it's position

down the centerline, it will stay out of your way for the rest of the deployment. TIP: Send this one WAY BACK in search of the lone wolf tuna!

2 Pick a side! Each directional bird bar is color coded so you quickly know which side

of your boat to let it out on. The Port side is a redish/pink color, think “port wine” color for the “port side”! To minimize tangles, let the outer bar out first. It will swim out of your way. Once the Outer Directional bar is deployed, let out your inside line on same same of the boat. It’s a good idea to stagger the lengths of these two bars to cover more water. I prefer to keep the "inside line" by the prop- wash, and the "outer line" much farther out.

3 Repeat on the opposite side!

This is your port side bird bar. We color coordinated each directional bird bar faster spread deployment. The port side bird bar is a redish pink color, similar to that of port wine. So think “Port wine” for the “Port side”.

STARBOARD OUTER DIRECTIONAL

VIDEO: STEP-BY-STEP DEPLOYMENT Hi-Vis Green bird for starboard placement.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

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TROLLING APPROACHES Capt. Mike's Apprach to Starting A day Trolling

30 MIN SEARCH PATTERN Military “RECON”: (the process by which you collect information about your target) tactics can be used while tuna fishing to increase your chances of finding them. Here is my classic 30-minute search pattern which should provide enough time and range to investigate all the “tells” in an area. Best search patterns consider sea conditions, life, and bottom structure. In rough seas you'll want to consider a zigzag pattern to accommodate for a smoother ride. A more linear approach like in the diagram work better in calmer waters allowing for a more organized approach to finding . fish. The 100% Everyday Spread: I fish the same offshore spreads anytime, anywhere. I love the efficiency of a dialed-in spread, one that you have full command of. I know from past experience it looks sexy, that it works, just how it swims, I know where iit goes in the wash, how fast to fish it in any sea condition.

I know how the spread does on turns, literally EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. This familiarity allows me to focus on finding fish, not tinkering with lures. Simple. Set it and forget it. Bait Ball Effect: I have two variations of “everyday” spreads. One for larger boats WITH outriggers, and one for smaller boats WITHOUT outriggers. Either way, I am trying to accomplish the same thing: a big juicy bait-ball dancing behind my boat! I like MOST of my lures to match in size and profile with a couple of audible options. WITH Outriggers: For me, trolling with outriggers is ideal as they allow me to fish a couple more rods and with larger spreader bars, namely the Hogy Flexibars that I designed for this spread specifically to pulse and dance just on the edge of the wake on light trolling rods. I just LOVE a bunch of big, lightweight spreader bars loaded with smaller bulb squids. A spread with 5 Hogy Flexi-Bars bars can be fished in Bluewater anytime, anywhere from Cape Cod to Key West and is ultimate simulation of a GIANT BAIT BALL. My secret weapons are the two Hogy Harness Jigs flanking the inside bars a few feet under the surface, simulating a few vulnerable baits lost from “the pack.” Lastly, my third component is WWB (way way back) Center rigger with a floating bird bar is targeting tuna that missed the spread and may be suffering from FOMO. WITHOUT Outriggers: This spread is essentially the same as above but consists of 4 smaller FLOATING bird bars with larger bulb squids. I use the larger squids in this situation to increase visibility to offset for potentially fewer rods and a smaller footprint. I fish the same Hogy Harness Jig Flatlines.

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TROLLING APPROACHES Capt. Mike's Apprach to Starting A day Trolling

Approaching Breaking Fish on the Troll Keeping calm while under pressure of crashing tuna in the area is huge, particularly if the feeds are relatively infrequent. The competition for approaching feeds can be daunting and even worse, just because the tuna are crashing, it doesn't necessarily mean they are easy to catch. Here's my highly sucessful systematic approach to breaking tuna

1. Match the hatch but also have a few alternatives in your spread. One off colors such as "shrimp" and one attractor like "rainbow. 2. Work The Tells: I am obviously going to key in on the breaking fish but I am also going to watch the fish finder for targets in the process. Sometimes the deeper, loner fish separated from the school are more aggressive. With either the Hogy Pro Tails or the Perfect Squids, I can drop to the bottom quickly. 3. Tide/Current: I’m chasing schools and I am more focused on approaching the school properly than I am on the relative current direction but I will be sure to make note of boat/tide direction with every hook up. Sometimes the direction in which your are trolling relative to tide/current really matters. 4. Light: Same goes for positioning relative to the sun. 5. Depth: We are targeting topwater fish, but we are poised to drop on a fish if we see on the fish finder. In doing so, we’ll take the boat out of gear and put the reel into free-spool for a moment if over 40 feet deep. 6. Depth: We are obviously targeting topwater fish here, but we are poised to drop on a fish if we see on the fish finder. In doing so, we’ll take the boat out of gear and put the reel into free-spool for a moment if over 40 feet deep. + 1 for the Hogy Harness Jigs on a flat line clip! 7. Approach: If I am approaching breaking fish, I will pick up the boat speed to as much as 5 or 6 knots to cover some ground and back off once near the school. I’ll give the school a wide berth and try to approach from up wind and have my lures pass in front of the fish, NEVER across the school or from behind. This will spook them. It’s important to note here that stripers won’t mind aggressive approaches the first couple of times but they will become increasingly boat shy as the morning wears on. If all boats exercise the same consideration, the action will be hotter for much longer and everybody catches more fish.

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TROLLING APPROACHES TROLL SCANNING FOR BLUEFIN TUNA

VIDEO: TROLL SCANNING

Troll scanning is a great way to cover ground while fishing all levels of the water column. I refer to this technique as a hybrid between trolling and jigging. While I’m at idle speed, I will send two lures way back on jigging or casting rods. I generally like fishing two of the same type of lure to avoid tangles while turning as both lures will react the same way. If I see anything – ideally, targets on a fish finder but signs could be surface milling bait, whales, bird life or nervous water — I’ll take the boat out of gear and let the jigs drop for at least 60 seconds, at most a few minutes, for a good target before raising them to the top again with the boat back in gear. Incidentally, the lures rising back to the surface is when most strikes happen on the troll scan. If it’s a long drop on good targets, I’ll fire two jigs over the side on the targets. Sometimes all hell breaks loose and multiple rods will go off. Champagne problems as they say.

WHEN Scattered fish at verious levels in the water column. No discernible patterns.

HOW SCAN FOR TUNA TROLL HOLDING DEEP

LURE RECOMMENDATIONS

I know some people will question the engine noise and the easily spooked fish in this situation. I run a diesel engine boat and feel my engine noise is not an issue; the pitch is different and quieter. My RPMs are consistent but I also believe it to be important with gas or diesel engines. I think outboards but they are more likely to pick up and bury the throttle — hence the bad rep on spooking fish. I bet if anglers ran their outboards like diesels while cruising around, less spooking would occur. Variable depths: You want lures that will fish close to the surface on the troll but drop quickly when the boat is out of gear. For that reason, I like the Hogy Pro Tail Paddles series for the job. They have a lot of drag so they rise to the surface when trolling but they come in heavy weights up to 16oz, so they drop fast when out of gear .I will simply put (2) 6.5” Hogy Pro Tail Paddles way back and idle along, vectoring toward anything that looks juicy. Look for signs: I “break for any targets” when troll scanning around scattered pods. Cast on every stop: If you are stopping and dropping, chances are there’s a reason. If it’s good enough to stop, it’s good enough to blind cast.

6OZ OR 8OZ HARNESS JIG

9" HARNESS PRO TAIL

TECHNIQUE Trolling Technique: This spread is best trolling at 4-8 knot speeds. Speed is usually determined by sea state and how aggressively fish are feeding. Slow speeds in rough conditions, faster trolling in greasy calm conditions. When fish are located on the fish finder, drop the boat out of gear for 30 to 60 seconds. This pause allows the Harness Jig to sink deep in the water column, after the pause, resume trolling speed, giving the lure a quick pulse towards the surface. Most strikes occur during this pause and drop technique. Flat Line Clips: Starting with a flatline clip, you want to thread the flatline clip through the cleat so it is secure and then, if applicable, send the flatline clip out the scupper. Grab the running line, reach over and connect it to the flatline clip. This creates a low profile and you’ll need less line to get the lure in the proper position. Let the harness jig out so it is roughly twenty-five to forty feet back. No Flat Line Clip Option: If you don’t have a flatline clip, you can use a rubber band. You want to calibrate it where you think you want the harness jig and then take the running line and the rubber band, fold it over the line to keep the angle low, and, although some people clip it on the handle, Capt. Mike personally puts it on the reel seat for a much lower presentation.

CHAPTER: FINDING FISH I have access to a high number of fishing reports that I almost always rely on as my starting point, but more often than not, "yesterday's news" presents itself more as a clue than as a fishing prescription. Conditions change so fast. Yesterday’s reports are so often obsolete, and step 1 turns into studying “the forensics” to figure out where the fish went. As a lure maker, I must admit my bias toward focusing on how each of these factors impact what lure I select or recommend but if I am being honest with myself: “which lure to use" is likely the last very last question to address in “cracking the code.” FACTORS AT PLAY: Seasonality - Migrations - Weather - Wind direction - Water clarity - Local forage types - Amount of said forage - Boat traffic

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FINDING FISH BE THE REPORT I have noticed over the years how focused anglers have become on reports, even to a point where it might be counterproductive. Here are a few thoughts on how anglers chasing these reports are going about it in the wrong way:

BREAK IT DOWN The key to success is to know when to stick around and when to run. The sharpies know how to break down the situation and make calculated decisions based on experience, rules of thumb and common sense. Here’s how I have learned to break down the situation over the years that I have been tuna fishing.

TIMING

For starters, where the tuna are is anybody’s 1 best guess when they first show up at the beginning of the season. Someone has to be first! SEASONALITY: Here on Cape Cod, you should be If you don’t head out and look, the best you’ll ready to make these loops by early June. The bite can happen earlier, but mid-June is a good starting know is where they were yesterday! Keep in point. The bite in this region can run hot and cool mind early fish are movers too. throughout the whole season. Like all tuna friendly locales, tuna baits in this area can be herring, pogies, mackerel, sand eels, half beaks, butterfish, A report just tells you where they were yesterday. bottom fish and small bluefish. My sense is you Tuna move fast and the ability to find your own most frequently see sand eels and half beaks, but I fish is frequently needed. I would say this is the have never tracked my findings. In any event, you should be prepared for any of these baits case at least 75-percent of the time, at least to some degree. The fish may have moved only 10 throughout the season.

miles but if you are too hung up on “the spot” 2 you’ll miss valuable time sniffing around to find “YESTERDAY”: If you have good reports, start your own fish. I can’t tell you how many times I there. Replicate as much as possible and work from have scrambled based on a good report only to there to adapt to the new days’ conditions. Many discover that the fish had moved.

3 A report might take you to where there is unpleasant boat traffic or mediocre fishing. By running your own playbook, you might find a bigger and better situation. It’s a fact — boats put fish down. There may have been a good bite at 8 a.m. but by 9 a.m., it’s over. Have you ever pounded a spot with the fleet all day only to end up getting skunked? I never regret picking up and moving out of a crowded fishing situation with less than par fishing.

STRATEGY When you are tuna fishing, you really don’t have much structure to anchor fish to an area. You are pretty much at the mercy of the direction the bait is heading, the ability of Bluefin tuna to find said bait and lastly, and most importantly, hoping the fish are in the mood to eat. There are a lot of moving parts to assess, to say the least. Putting together a logical and adaptable strategy before heading out will greatly up your game.

1 GATHER INTEL: List of questions to ask yourself a. Time of bite? b. Time of slack tide? c. Was bite best at slack tide? d. What bait were they feeding on? e. What is the wind direction and speed that day?

2 EXTRAPOLATE: Compare conditions during last report and today’s weather and extrapolate time of slack tides and extrapolate where wind and current might push fish. If it’s a recent report, tide differences will vary only by a couple of hours. Develop your plan. Obviously start where the last know information left off. If no fish or inadequate tells, head the direction the wind and tide differences might have pushed the fish. If still poor fishing, time to run the spots. It’s handy to have a float plan ready to go so you can gauge how long it will take you to hit the other “known areas” within rang. Sometimes a hot spot just needs a couple of hours to develop. A loop with a return could hedge that bet.

times, the playbook remains unchanged, but many times, a new day in the same spot calls for a few small adjustments to fully capitalize. If the fishing is not happening, look at what has changed.

3 TIDE: If you know what time the fishing was good yesterday, consider adjusting for the timing of today. Often, the bait, and consequently tuna, move with tide over the cycle. The fishing can move as many as a couple of miles over a couple hours of fishing. If you are fishing without a report, use this same concept to your advantage. The stage of the tide at hand might help suggest where to “put lines in.”

4 TIME OF DAY: Obviously a non-issue if you are

It’s simply badass to skip the reports and find replicating a report, but there’s a few good rules of your own fish. After all, it’s the thrill of the hunt thumb here. Early morning fish and sunset fish that keeps us coming back. The fact is, the most tend to be far more aggressive. Tuna can bite all day and slack is always king. efficient way to get tuna is at the fish market.

3 CREATE BACK UP PLAN: If you don’t have any reports, a simple float plan will help you cover “the spots” efficiently.

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FINDING FISH ELECTRONICS Using sonar technology can be an effective way to locate tuna in deep water. The use of sonar can help detect the location of tuna, baitfish, structure and even birds. The sonar emits a pulse of sound waves that bounce off the fish and surrounding objects, and the returning echoes are then displayed on the fishfinder's screen. By analyzing the displayed data, anglers can determine the depth and location of the fish, as well as their size and proximity to other objects such as bait, the bottom, and underwater structures. Using sonar technology to locate tuna requires some skill and knowledge. Experienced anglers often use a combination of visual observation, sea surface temperature readings, and sonar data to locate fish. Additionally, the type of sonar device used can impact the accuracy of the results. For instance, side-scanning sonar provides a wider view of the water, making it easier to detect fish at a greater distance, while traditional sonar devices are better suited for finding fish directly beneath the boat. It's also essential to understand the behavior and habits of tuna to predict where they might be located. By combining sonar data with other fishing techniques and knowledge, anglers can increase their chances of successfully locating and catching fish.

SIDE IMAGING

*SAME SCHOOL OF FISH

One type of sonar that has gained some serious traction over the past few years is side imaging. The best and simplest way to describe side imaging is by picturing your traditional down imaging sonar, and now project that out on each side of your vessel for up to 300' both ways! You can imagine how useful this sonar can be, especially while searching for fish offshore. Whether I know fish are in a general area but I can't locate them with my eyes, or I am exploring unfamiliar waters, I always make sure to have my screen split to show my side imaging. My favorite way to use side scan is to site cast for fish you can see!

DOWN IMAGING

Looking for whales, birds, breaking fish, and nervous water is your number one best bet for finding fish. But what if you don't see any immediate life? Does that mean that there aren't fish in the area? Maybe. Or maybe it's because these fish aren't showing on the surface. That is where your fish finders down imaging plays a crucial role. By observing your down imaging while drifting or slowly idling, you may reveal things you can't see from above. Whether it's one or two fish on the bottom, or a giant school of fish like the image above. Down imaging is one of your best friends while your searching offshore

RADAR

Birds are your best bet for finding fish from a distance. Knowing how to use your radar to find clusters of birds in the fog may be the determining factor in a catching fish. Nowadays, radars come pre-set with a "bird mode", which is a designated setting for locating clusters of birds on your radar.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

FINDING FISH TELLS BIRDS

WHALES

Radar: If you have high power radar, you can use it to find birds. Most units today have “bird mode” but if yours doesn’t, you can tune yours by turning the gain all the way up and removing the clutter. Size: For starters, bird size will likely tell you what size bait you’re dealing with. Any birds, including stormy Petrels, are a good sign. But the bigger birds, such as Shearwaters, Gannets and Large Gulls are usually a great sign and tend to be the best indicators of tuna. Activity: You’ll want to identify birds intentions. The Holy Grail is tightly vertexing birds with lots of aggressive contacts with the water. What is happening here is a predator(s) is pushing up bait, allowing the birds to capitalize on the distracted and easily accessed bait. Slightly lower on the spectrum is lots of birds diving, in a fairly defined area. The bigger the bird better. Lastly, the weakest of the bird activity is a series of terns “kissing” the water. This often occurs from terns feeding on very small bait without any help from predators below. Loitering: A bunch of birds “hanging” out can be a good sign, meaning that something just happened and they are waiting for it to happen again. It could also mean they are just hanging out or a dragger went by. Who knows! One way to test this is to approach the birds. If they are annoyed but try to stay close, that’s a good sign. If they simply take off, they can be written off.

THE ELEMENTS

BAIT

Whales aggressively bubble feeding are a good sign that sand eels are in the area. You know there’s bait to hold tuna. Cruising whales are less “telling.”

Do you see bait on the surface? On the finder? That’s a good sign. Is bait clustered? If so, it might mean the school is in defense mode. Lots of bait “paving” the finder could also be a good sign, but could also mean a lot of bait but no predators. This is a good time to rethink the birds. The birds are pretty good at knowing where the bait is. Do you see birds loitering and bait? That’s a pretty good sign. What do you know about the bait? What kind is it? If you don’t know species, is it big or small? Packed? Scattered? Answers to any of these questions will guide you.

WATER Funky Water: Nervous water, boils, or even rip lines that may pen baitfish, making them vulnerable to tuna. Slicks: Fish-made slicks often mean something is getting eaten. Hopefully by tuna. If you are marking bait, see birds AND slicks, you’re three-quarters of the way there. Investigate the slicks for marks. Targets/Breaking Tuna: If you see targets and nothing else, you’re in pretty good shape. If you see targets and all of the above, you’re in great shape! And breaking fish! Well, enough said. Water Temperature: Bluefin are associated with cooler and tends to be more bait driven as opposed to gulf stream-based Yellowfin, albacores, etc. where the temp. breaks are the Holy Grail. Pay close attention to temp breaks.

WIND

Direction: Did it change from yesterday? If so, where might that wind direction have pushed the fish over the night? Did it change to the East or Northeast? Still seeing marks? Well that just stinks, because that wind kills fishing! In that Moving Tide: If you know what time the fishing was case, you might be better off grinding it good yesterday, consider adjusting for the timing of out where you know the fish are. You’ll today. Often, the bait, and consequently tuna, move with be in the same boat in any other spot! tide over the cycle. The fishing can move as many as a couple of miles over a couple of hours of fishing. Use this same concept to address fishing slow down. The fish may have moved with the tide.

TIDES

TARGETS

If you see targets and nothing else, you’re in pretty good shape. If you see targets and all of the above, you’re in great shape! And breaking fish! Well, enough said.

TIME OF DAY

Twilights: Early morning fish and sunset fish tend to be far more aggressive. Light: On dark, rainy, or foggy days, tuna often feed closer to the surface throughout the day. Sometimes switching to a darker lure for greater contrast in low light will help increase the lure’s visibility.

Current Speed: Let’s say you are marking tuna and/or bait and they are toward the bottom in 300’. Knowing your current speed is important as it will help you select lure weight and size, line type, and boat speed to get down there. Strong currents can also help point to where the fish might end up over the course of the tide. Baitfish often work their way down tide. Slack tide is often the best time for peak tuna fishing. During this time, the bait will rise to the surface and this is when the action can really heat up, especially for topwater action. Big moon periods have the shortest tides and are often considered less desirable. A note here; tides can be difficult to look up offshore. Once you identify slack and record it, you’ll be able to extrapolate future times by adding about 50 minutes per day and four hours per tide cycle.

Migrating fish: Are fish following the general direction of the wind? Ask yourself if the past day-to-day variations on where they were was consistent with the prevailing wind direction. If they are moving with the wind, use this Intel to project where you might start.

WATER TEMP

Bluefin tuna migrate regardless of water temp and target local baits. YFT in waters south of Cape Cod often host warm water eddies that pinch themselves off fom the Gulfstream. These addies typically rotate in a clockwise fashion and often drift toward the coast depending on wind conditions. These "eddies" bring temperature breaks between cool wtaer and warm where bait will get corralled by the invisible fence of warm or cool water. Teemp breaks serve as defined structure in a vast ocean. Needless to say, are prime tuna hunting grounds.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

TOP TUNA FORAGE

HERRING

MACKERAL

HALF BEAKS

Big schools of herring are the ultimate score. Tuna go nuts for herring and the surface can look whitewashed when the feed is on. Not only are herring great because they drive tuna crazy, but they often call in lots of birds to, making it easier to spot the food chain. Bone, blue, black and silver are go-to colors. If Bluefin are busting on herring, lure selection isn’t always that critical. You will mark herring on all levels of the water column.

Mackerel are also very important forage for tuna. The challenge with mackerel is that they tend to be more skittish and move quickly. Unlike huge feeds with sand eels and herring, mackerel feeds tend to be shorter lived and far more scattered, making it hard to approach breaking fish. Black silver and green silver are the top colors for imitating herring

Similar to mackerel, half beaks are fast moving and feeds are often sporadic but tuna’s feeds on half beaks can last longer than mackerel. Half beaks are easy to spot as they are high jumpers and tend to jump in unison. They key to chasing tuna keyed in on half beaks is to get ahead of them if you can. The feeds can often be short lived, but when they go down, they often come back up quickly. Though often difficult to decipher, understanding the direction they are heading is the name of the game.

TOP COLORS 1st Choice: Blue 2nd Choice: Bone

LURE SELECTION

TOP COLORS

1st Choice: Green 2nd Choice: Black and Silver

LURE SELECTION CHARTER GRADE SLIDER

TOP COLORS

1st Choice: Purple 2nd Choice: Silver

CHARTER GRADE SLIDER

LURE SELECTION HARNESS JIG EPOXY JIG

HARNESS PROTAIL PROTAIL PADDLE

SAND EELS

What fish doesn’t love sand eels? One way to tell if there are a lot of sand eels in the area it through a lot of whale bubbles, which indicate feeding. Tuna will feed on sand eels at all levels in the water column. When tuna are keyed in on sand eels, they will most often dart through bait balls, in sort of a bucket-feeding format.

TOP COLORS 1st Choice: Olive 2nd Choice: Bone

LURE SELECTION EPOXY JIG

BUTTERFISH

Tuna keyed in on butterfish can be very finicky, particularly if feeding on juvenile butterfish. Feeds are super short, often only for a handful of seconds. Often tuna will scatter and isolate single butterfish on the surface making it extremely difficult to stage these fish. The name of the game is to be ready to charge up on a quick feed and fire off a cast.

TOP COLORS

1st Choice: Silver 2nd Choice: Bone

LURE SELECTION

PROTAIL PADDLE

EPOXY JIG

SQUID

Tuna keyed in on juvenile squid can as finicky as tuna when they are keyed in on small butterfish, the techniques remain the same as targeting Bluefin keyed in on isolated butterfish, but your lure and color selection will need to be adjusted a little. Again, the feeds are super short, often only for a handful of seconds. The name of the game is to be ready to charge up on a quick feed and fire off a cast with a perfectly matched size and color lure.

TOP COLORS

1st Choice: Pink 2nd Choice: Bone

LURE SELECTION CHARTER GRADE POPPER

SAND EEL JIG

PROTAIL FLY

PROTAIL PADDLE

CHAPTER: END GAME Regardless of whether you intend to release a tuna or keep it for the table, it’s in everybody’s best interest to land it quickly. To that end, while I enjoy light tackle gear as much as the next guy, I think it’s morally irresponsible to target tuna with prohibitively long fighting times. I think smaller fish (say up to 100lbs) out to be landed in less than 15 minutes and larger 100+lb fish on jig/pop gear in less than 45 minutes. After 45 minutes not only do your odds of losing the fish go up exponentially but the long fight time also increases the likelihood of injury to a released fish. If keeping the fish, the clock continues to click. You have a challenge. On one hand, you want to get right back at chasing fish and the other, a properly bled and cared for tuna tastes significantly better. Having a system to expedite the process from hook to casting again without “rushing” will pay huge dividends in both more catches and better table fare.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

FIGHTING & LANDING HOW TO FIGHT AND LAND A TUNA CONGRATULATIONS, NOW WHAT? Congratulations! You have done everything right. You followed a report, adjusted for condition changes and you found your own fish. They were scattered, you trolled your Hogy Harness Pro Tails rigged on your jigging outfits and the starboard road folded over and the reel is screaming! Now what?

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS 1

The angler picks up the rod, faces the fish and lets it run.

The crew clears the decks. The angler advises how much line is on the reel

Many anglers will be startled by how much line is coming off the reel at this point. It’s ok. Let it run. Let the fish tire.

Once the run is complete, idle toward the fish slowly while the angler puts more line on the reel while maintaining pressure. If you can put the line back on without idling, do it. The fish will tire more quickly. The goal is to get as much line back on the reel without letting the fish rest too much so that it can make another big run.

Be ready for the fish to swim toward you. If this happens, reel as fast as you can. Sometimes this change in direction can be so aggressive that the captain will assist you by re-positioning the boat.

As the fight gets closer to the boat, it will become more vertical. If you are on a center console, work the fish aft, preferably the corner where the captain can easily step aside to assist. Pick the upwind side of the boat, this will prevent drifting over the fish.

LANDING ARSENAL GAFFS I carry 2 gaffs. The first is a 60″ gaff that is my primary gaff. I know a lot of anglers prefer a 6’ gaff so they get extended reach but I prefer the shorter gaffs. For starters, I prefer getting closer to the fish to ensure a nice, clean head shot so that I do not damage the meat. The second reason, and really the more important one as far as I am concerned, is that it is much easier to deal with around the boat when not using it and also when landing the fish. You have less pole flying around batting at your crew when you are landing the fish. I carry the second 48” gaff for help with a large fish once it is gaffed.

HARPOON

I carry a Poon Harpoon that I have had since 2008. I have mine rigged with 100’ of 3/8”¼” nylon rope. I am not targeting fish over 300lbs with casting and jigging gear so that amount of rope is OK. If targeting larger fish, you may want to carry as much as 300’ of line.

VIDEO: HOW TO RIG A POON HARPOON

Tuna will make big circles that will get tighter as the fish gets closer to the boat. Let the fish run a little while it is swimming away from the boat and collect line as it circles back around. Now is the time to put extra pressure on the fish. You want extra pressure but you don’t want to break off the fish.

As the fish gets close, the angler is responsible for advising line position relative to “anything bad,” which includes the fish swimming under the boat or line hitting trim tabs, swim platforms, or engines. It’s the captain’s responsibility to listen, watch for himself and be ready to re-position the boat. There are often many boat adjustments needed near the end game to avoid trouble. Usually, this only entails driving a circle around the fish and keeping the fish at the most ergonomic position on the aft quarter of the boat.

As the fish gets very close to the boat, it will likely freak out a bit and with a burst of adrenaline, it will likely rip more line out.

It’s time to gaff the fish. At this point, the gaff is in whichever hand you want to gaff with and the other (gloved) hand is on the leader controlling the fish. The outboard side of the tuna’s head is the target location to gaff the fish.

Once the fish is stuck, grab the gaff with two hands. If the fish is large, it’s a good idea to put a second gaff into the fish at this point. Don’t hurt your back lifting the fish in!!

VIDEO: LIVE HARPOONING

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CLEANING GUIDE HOW TO FILLET A TUNA

VIDEO: HOW TO FILLET A BLUEFIN TUNA

SUSHI ANYONE? Congratulations! You have successfully caught and landed a bluefin tuna. Now lets dive into one of the most important parts when it comes to harvesting a tuna. Since you have already properly "field dressed" and packaged your fish, you should be left with a firm, easy to fillet tuna. We like to break down this whole cleaning process into a few easy and simple steps:

FILLET TOP LOIN

Rib cage

Backbone

In my opinion the top loin is the primo meat on a tuna. This portion of the tuna is where you will find the firmest and darkest meat. I like a shorter 6" blade for all my initial "pilot cuts". My first cut comes in up towards the meatiest part of the tuna head. There is a lot of meat here so don't overthink your cut. From here follow the backbone all the way down to the tail section of the fish. End your fillet a few inches up from the tail. Now you can virtually split your fish in half by making a cut directly on top of the back bone. Now it's just a matter of joining your two cuts until the top loin just falls off the fish.

FILLET BOTTOM LOIN & TORO

Toro Now it's time for the bottom loin. Again we start with our short knife to create our "pilot cuts". Our first cut here is outlining the bottom of the fish. Then an incision behind the pec fin outlining the belly meat or in Japanese, the "toro". This a fatty cut of tuna that is extremely sought after. Next I break out my larger knife and finish off my cuts by going all the way to the rib line. Lastly, I like to separate the fatty belly meat from the leaner bottom loin meat. That way there is no confusion on which cut of fish I am handling.

HOGY FILLET KNIVES Razor Sharp Stainless Blades – All new Hogy fishing fillet knives utilize premium, razor-sharp G4116 German Stainless-Steel blades with a beautiful black finish. Hogy fillet knives will maintain their edge longer in both fresh and saltwater applications and make the job of cutting baits, filleting fish of all sizes, and steaking large game fish easier than ever before. Non-Slip Super Polymer Grip - We use the most comfortable and slip-resistant, super polymer grips for your safety and comfort. These handles feel great in your hand and ensure that you always have a solid grip on your fillet knife. These handles also clean up easily and stay looking good longer.

6" FILLET KNIFE: PILOT CUTS, TRIMMING

3 SKIN & TRIM FILLETS

I like to trim away any dark meat left on my fillets. This darker meat will often give off a "fishy" taste so its best to just trim away. Removing the dark meat also helps with preserving the quality of the fish. I then particion the loin into steaks, usually into 5" wide pieces for easy storage. Lastly, I slide my longer knife between the meat and the skin for a completely skinless fillet of tuna. Now it's time to package up and enjoy!

TUNA BEERS This is debatably the most important part of this whole process! No tuna cleaning is complete without a finely curated beer to cap off a successful day offshore. One of Capt. Mike's go-to "tuna beers" is a Cisco Brewers Whale Tail.

8" FILLET KNIFE: SKINNING LOINS

9" FILLET KNIFE: BROAD CUTS

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

CLEANING GUIDE HOW TO FIELD DRESS A TUNA KEEP IT FRESH! Great job! You executed everything perfectly and have now successfully found, caught, and landed a bluefin tuna. The hard work is done and now it's time to simply dress and prep your fish to keep the meat as fresh as possible. Follow our simple Tuna Field Dressing Guide to make this whole process as simple and quick as possible so you can get back to fishing!

WARNING: CONTAINS SCENES VIEWERS MAY FIND DISTURBING.

BLEED EM'

Once your fish has been successfully gaffed and landed, it's time to bleed it to preserve the quality of the meat. This can be done a couple different ways. Method 1: This first method works best on fish that can easily be taken aboard your vessel. You want to make sure your fish has been dispatched before making your initial cuts. These fish are extremely powerful and you don't want to be handling a flopping fish with a sharp knife. A simple brain-spike will dispatch your fish quickly and humanely. Once your fish is no longer alive, make an incision right on the chin. there is a major artery right here and seizing it first will expend a lot of the initial blood. Next, an incision on the fishes lateral line, about 5" from its pectoral fin will yield another cut in a major artery. Your last cut will be made inline with your first lateral line cut, this time at the end of the fish towards the tail. At this point you should be seeing a lot of blood being removed from your fish

Saltwater hose Lateral line incision

Chin incision

TIP: If your boat comes rigged with a salt water wash-down hose, insert the nozzle into the mouth of the fish. This steady stream of salt water will help flush out more blood at quicker rate. Method 2: This method is mostly catered towards commercial anglers targeting fish over 72". Assuming you opted to harpoon and tail gaff your fish, you may want to go about bleeding them while they are still in the water. With a tail rope secured, and either a swim hook or gaff secured in the fishes mouth, put your boat in idle to start moving water through your fish. Follow the same incisions listed in Method 1, and instead of a wash-down hose you are utilizing the forward motion of your boat to flush water through out the fishes body, therefore removing all the blood.

Anus fin incision

GUT EM'

Once your fish has been successfully dispatched and bled, you're going to want to remove the gills and entrails to reduce the overall body temperature of the fish. This greatly improves the quality of the meat. Using a sharp knife, make a cut about 4" wide in the anus of the fish. Reaching inside this incision with two fingers you will feel a "cord like entrail". This is simply a connection point for the rest of the intestines. Simply cut this cord to allow yourself to pull out the entrails in one fluid step. Lifting the gill plate, cut both ends of the gills to remove them one at a time. This may take some maneuvering and additional cuts, but just keep in mind you want to be removing all of the gills. Now that the gills are removed simply reach down the cavity of the fish and pull out all of the insides. Be careful to not puncture any of the entrails. All of these "scraps" can be tossed overboard and fed to the crabs. You have now succesfully dressed your fish!

Gill removel

TIP: It may be worth while to take a look at the stomach contents of your fish. This will give you an idea of what the primary forage of your fish was. Valuable knowledge for any angler!

ICE EM'

Assuming you intended to harvest a tuna and brought plenty of ice, the final step in this whole process is to ice down and store your fish. I like to stuff the cavity of my fish with as many bags as of ice I can fit. This helps with ensuring an evenly distributed icing process. I then place my fish in my ice downed hatch and seal it up! TIP: Add a few inches of fresh saltwater to your box. This lowers the temperature of the box greatly.

2" of fresh saltwater

CHAPTER: TUNA RIGGING I tend to keep my rigging procedures and components as simple as possible and I try to do as much as possible at home prior to the trip. That said I often need something from my rigging kit. Having a rigging kit as comprehensive as your offshore grade first aid it will save more than one trip.... Below, find our up to date tuna rigging videos:

Capt. Mike's Tuna Rigging Playlist

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

The only real difference between tuna jigging and casting lures, and striper casting and jigging lures is the size of the outfits, the heaviness of the leaders and the strength of the terminal connections. The lures themselves are not all that different in size, which means that by upgrading your terminal connections for tuna, you can use the same gear.

BRAIDED LINE You have two choices with braid: hollow core and traditional solid style. For my reels 18000 and above, I use hollow core and since braid is very expensive and will last multiple seasons, I am pretty consistent with my sizing. 100lb on my 18000 and 130lb on my 20000 sized reel. I like hollow core because you can have a spliced loop that is strong and smooth but also has minimal drag going through the guides while casting or if under strain with a big fish. The loop will allow you to simply and quickly change pre-made wind-on leaders. Your local shop can put a braid in your line for you if you don’t know how or have the time. If you break off your loop while fishing, you can create a new loop with a Bimini hitch or the faster and easier Spider hitch, which isn’t quite as strong. (TIP: I reverse the line on a spool after a season. Your shop can do this for you)

LEADER MATERIAL Some anglers use mono leaders for casting and jigging and in addition to the huge cost savings, there are some advantages. 1) Mono is softer and suppler. That means it will take less memory set than fluorocarbon and that is not worth it as heavy fluorocarbon leader can sometimes act like a slinky on your reel. 2) Mono has some stretch, given its shockabsorbing characteristics and connections hold better when there’s a lot of pressure at boat side. 3) It crimps better than fluorocarbon leader. It’s more forgiving. THAT BEING SAID, I personally use fluorocarbon leader 100% of the time for the simple reason that it is less visible underwater. Tuna have such keen eyesight and I believe that mono over flouro would trade in a number of those single fish days to skunky days. I’ll live with the headaches. TIP: Flouro gets dirty. Keep alcohol wipes and wipe them throughout the day. I also replace my fluorocarbon leaders after every trip, even on fishless days. A simple teeny, impossible-to-see-by-the-naked-eye, nick in the line will hold light and lose its stealth. There are a number of knots you can use to tie leader directly to braid. Some of them are fascinating and ultra-slick through the guides, giving you extra casting distance, but I prefer the ease and convenience of a loop-to-loop connection of a wind-on leader. I figure I will have more fishing time if I can put a new leader on in a quarter of the time.

LEADER SIZE & LENGTH

TUNA RIG LIKE A PRO Everything comes down to a solid connection when target trophy tuna. Here's how to rig your own bullet proof leader to lure connections. p r c r im . t" y o u ie n p i r a a P " h a sh t i w b la c k

CRIMPED LOOP CONNECTION

The best rigging connection on heavy leaders 80# and up.

.5" Bla ck Ch a fe L o 13 0 # op F lu o r o Lea 1.3mm der A lu m in u m C r im p

Swivel 220# Crane Ring lit 220# 1.4 Sp

KNOTTED CONNECTION

For rigging with light leaders 80# and less. Swivel 220# Crane lit Ring Sp 4 1. 0# 22

80# Fluoro lomar Knot Pa +

OFFSHORE RIGGING

Tackling the largest of offshore gamefish requires a keen eye to details and perfection in rigging technique. Hogy's full lineup of offshore terminal rigging allows you to quickly build or repair your offshore presentations.

With tuna, the lighter the fluorocarbon, the more likely you will be to get bit. Unfortunately, practicality often gets in the way of the fun and you have to live with fewer bites but more landed. For Bluefin likely to be over 100lbs, I use 100lb leader for casting and 130lb leader for jigging. For smaller, school sized fish, my default is 80lb but I carry 60lb for problematic days when the fish are being super picky. The longer the leader, the better as tuna do not like seeing the braid to flouro connection. But it is difficult to cast, therefore I make casting leaders much shorter. My default casting leader is 12’ whereas my jigging leader is 30’ or 40’, especially on conventional reels. You also need extra leader for jigging because the presentation is entirely different. There is far more line in the water in contrast to the water around it. With a cast leader, only a small percentage of the line might be visible on the surface

CONNECTION My general rule of thumb is that I tie direct with a loop knot at 60lb test and below, and crimp the line above. 80lb can really go both ways and I will crimp it if I feel I need the chafing gear. 100lb and above is crimped all the way. In most cases, I will crimp with ½” chafe gear to a 220lb swivel and attach a similarly sized split ring to the swivel. This is the best way as the swivel will minimize torque on the connection during a battle. The split ring gives added abrasion resistance and easy lure changes.

MATERIALS

Split Rings: I’m always swapping out plugs. So having a split ring connected to by crane swivel speeds this process up. Also handy for swapping out hooks if the split ring gets tired. I keep a Hogy Split Ring Kit on Hand. Crane Swivel: Having a crane swivel on the business of my wind on leader infront of my split ring is SOP for team Hogy. 120lb test is sufficient. Chafe Gear: A teen piece goes a long way. “Just enough” to form the smallest loop possible to the crane swivel. Wind On Leaders: I carry 12’ casting lengths and 25’ Jigging lengths. 80, 100 and 130lb in each length.

PRO TIPS: CRIMPING

1.Reduce crimp visibility by coloring with a black sharpie marker. 2. Eliminate unnecessary break offs by leaving a 1/16" flange along crimp edges when crimping 3. Measure line diameter to crimp size. Improper pairing of line to crimp size will greatly reduce strength and reliability 4. Use the proper style chafe gear for connections. Black Chafe for leader loops. Stainless Chafe for hook connections.

CHAPTER: GROUNDFISH Not every trip to the tuna grounds ends up in success (as much as we’d hope it does!). Fortunately, there is world-class ground fishing opportunities for Cod, Haddock and Pollock in the same waters. You can utilize the same spinning and conventional outfits used for tuna casting and jigging to jig up a nice assortment of tasty groundfish species.

Capt. Mike's Offshore Groundfish Playlist

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

GROUNDFISH COD & HADOCK

LIVE BOTTOM

Hogy Jig Biki Rig 5/0 or 7/0, Diesel Mack Rig 3/0: Cod can be so keyed in on small bait that they often will only hit the teasers. The 3/0 + hooks are big and strong enough for cod and will penetrate their tough mouths. Tactical Jig: Sand Eel Jig or Flutter Pitch Jig in under 200’ of water I recommend the 6.5oz and 8.5oz versions. In water over 200-feet with a strong current, I usually start with a 12oz jig and move up to a 16oz jig in heavy current. The Hogy Sand Eel jig gets down the bottom quickly due to its long slender profile and is fished fast. If Cod or Haddock are favoring a bigger presentation, the alternative is the Hogy Flutter Pitch Jig which will closely resemble a herring or similarly sized baitfish. Strategy: I look for two things when searching for cod; a plateau, such as ledges, that you can spot on a chart or a live bottom that looks “furry” on the fish finder. I start by locating a circular, topographical elevation or recess. In stating with the topography, I’ll try the shallowest point first and drift over the deep side. Once I’m in the area of where I think will be a good place to drop, I’ll invest some time into looking for a live bottom, which shows up as an alternate color. From my understanding, a live bottom consists of sponges, growths, crabs,, etc. In other words, a habitat in a big, open ocean that is capable of holding a flourishing food chain. Ideally, you might mark a few fish. But more often than not, you don’t. At least I don’t anyway. I’ll play around with drops if the area looks really good. Sometimes, on the first drop, I’ll pick up a few dogfish right away. If this happens, I’ll make a move to the next spot. It’s amazing to me how short of a move it can take to completely change the fishing. Where I am fishing, East of Chatham on Cape Cod, there are so many topographical changes that you’ll have plenty of spots to work.

SLOW TWITCH COD

Tip: Pay close attention to your bottom machine when looking for live bottom areas. They often show up as "blue fuzz" right along the bottom.

OUTFITS I take a very simple approach with my outfits for groundfishing for the sake of efficiency and repurpose a couple of rods I use every day. Ideally, you want moderate or “parabolic” action rods. They are forgiving and will result in few pulled hooks. Inshore Shallow: My striper rods… 7’ M or MH spinning road with 30-40lb braid with 4000 sized reel for up to 60’ of water or jigs up to 4.5oz. Inshore Deep: My dedicated inshore jigging rod. 6’6” M action Jigging paired with 8000 sized reel with 60lb braid for jigs 4.5oz to 8.5oz. I also use this outfit for small tuna to 40lb.

LIGHT TACKLE HADDOCK

CHAPTER: GEAR CHECKLISTS

For busy people like me, “over-packing” is deceptively easier because you don’t have to think. Just load a bunch of stuff and go... But that’s a trap!! You'll be all over the place. DON'T DO THE OFFSHORE DAY-BEFORE SHUFFLE! A ready to go “perennial” system will save prep-time and fishing time because you did all your thinking at the beginning of the season which is why I love the "golf bag" analogy to the Mesh Crate system. It's just "grab and go" knowing that you have a complete set of clubs but in our cases, we're better because we are talking about fishing! :) The Hogy System: Fishy: Should speak for itself here!! You want the best lures that catch the best fish. Simple: Gear that is so simple that a novice could use with 30 seconds of coaching but more importantly, completely understood by you to the nth degree. Like a golfer’s relationship to clubs. You want to focus on the fishing. Not the gear. Automatic: Like an inventoried arsenal. Ready before each trip. Your “go-bag”. Durable: Gear that stands up to monster fish and lasts all season in your bag. Capt. Mike's Tuna Gear Playlist

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

GEAR CHECKLIST CASTING LURES

SLIDERS

Pros: Big bait presentation Multiple speeds Cons Limited to sub-surface

Wind On Leader

Rigging

12' 80, 100, 130 Flouro. Leader

130lb MicroSwivels, Split Rings, (1.2, 1.4mm Crimps), Chafe Gear, Alco Wipes

7" Sliders

7" Poppers

Olive, Pink, Blue, Bone

Olive, Pink, Blue, Bone, Chart. AC

PROTAIL PADDLE (UNIVERSAL)

Get here:

POPPERS

Pros: Get here: Epic hits Big bait presentation Surface noise - Good for scattered fish and blind casting. Mimics large baitfish Cons Aggressive birds can be problematic Difficult to cover lots of ground at slow to medium speeds. Wind resistance when casting, distance may be limited

Get here:

Pros: Small bait presentation. Ideal butterfish imitation. Multiple Speeds Can fish multiple depths including vertically jigged Cons Maxes out on 200lb fish. Bluefish will tear

PROTAIL PADDLE (HARNESS EDITION)

Get here:

XL DOG WALKER

XL Dog Walker

Tuna Epoxy Jig

Pros: Epic hits Big bait presentation Surface noise - Good for scattered fish and blind casting. Mimics large baitfish Faster than popper - cover more ground Cons Aggressive birds can be problematic Less noisy than popper

Olive, Pink, Blue, Bone, Chart. AC

Olive, Pink, Blue, Bone, Silver

PT Paddle

Tuna Epoxy Jig

Get here:

Olive, Bone, Blue Butter

Olive, Bone,

Pros: Big bait imitation including Bunker Can fish multiple depths including vertically jigged. Cons Heavy for casting

TUNA EPOXY JIG

Get here:

Pros: Ultimate sand eel imitation Multiple speeds Can fish multiple depths including skippy on surface Can also be vertically jigged Cons Limited by profile

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

GEAR CHECKLIST JIGGING LURES

SAND EEL JIG

Pros: Ultimate sand eel imitation Fast sink Fish fast or slow Multiple weights Extremely strong Cons Get here: Only jigging

FLUTTER PITCH JIG

Wind Ons

Rigging

30' 80, 100, 130lb Flouro. Leader

130lb MicroSwivels, Split Rings, (1.2, 1.4mm Crimps), Assist Hooks Chafe Gear, Alco Wipes

S.E Jigs

FP Jigs

4.5, 6.5, 8.5, 12oz Olive, Pink,Green

4.5oz Olive, Pink, Silver

Tuna Epoxy

PT Paddle

4oz Olive, Pink, Blue, Bone, Silver

5oz Bone, Olive, Blue Butter

PT Harn

Harness Jig

Olive, Bone

6oz + Olive, Bone, Pink, Silver, Green

Get here:

Pros: Flutter Slow Pitch Style Small bait presentation. Ideal for butterfish imitation. Cons Challenge to get down in heavy current

TUNA EPOXY JIG

Pros: Get here: Slow pitch style jigging Ultimate sand eel imitation Cast and jigged Cons Challenge to get down in heavy current Ideally re-rigged with assist hook

PROTAIL PADDLE (UNIVERSAL)

Pros: Small bait presentation. Ideal butterfish imitation. Multiple Speeds Can fish multiple depths including vertically jigged Cons Maxes out on 200lb fish. Bluefish + Dogfish will tear Slow sink with paddle Get here:

PROTAIL PADDLE (HARNESS EDITION)

Pros: Big bait imitation including Bunker Can fish multiple depths including vertically jigged. Cons Slow sink with paddle Get here:

HARNESS JIG

Pros: Multiple weights Airbrushed- highly imitative Ultimate slow action Ultimate sand eel imitation Get here: Cast and jigged Cons Bluefish + Dogfish can tear plastic over time.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

GEAR CHECKLIST TROLLING CHECKLIST

CLASSIC STRAIGHT-LINE BIRD BARS

ULTRA-LIGHT FLEXIPULSE SPREADER BARS

It’s hard to beat the jack-in-the-box magical surprise of an outrigger popping, a rod folding in half and a screaming reel, seemingly out of nowhere. While I do love a gold old fashion day of trolling, there are times where it is really your only option when tuna are scattered or lazy. Why? Well, the extremely obvious first answer is that trolling covers ground while fishing but the second and more salient answer is that a very well-executed “BAIT-BALL” pattern will bring the tuna to you! Pros: Big Foot print Natural "pulsing" action Massive bait-ball effect fishes together

Get here:

Cons More storage space Require Outriggers

OUTER DIRECTIONAL BIRD BARS

While I will go to my grave loving the classic baitball flexi spread above, I must say that I have really enjoyed not needing outriggers when fishing on smaller center consoles. It's magical. Pros: Self Spreading = No Riggers needed for wide spread. Self Righting** Avoids catching wake and difficult recovery. Floats Highly Visible. Color Coded Cons: Smaller Footprint More Drag Continues to track when clearing lines. Sometimes toward a fish on the line.

Get here:

BaitBall Spread

No Out Rigger Spread

Outer 1 Port: Flexi Olive/Squid

Outer Stbd: Olive Directional

Outer 2 Port: Flexi: G. Mack

Stbd. Straight: G. Mack

Outer 2 Port: Flexi: Squid

Port. Outer: Rainbow

Outer 2 Stud: Flexi: Rainbow/ Shrimp

Stbd. Straight: Squid

Bird Bar Center: Rainbow

Bird Bar Center: G. Mack

The Harness jigs have become my ALL TIME favorite flat line clip lure and have permanently replaced cedar plugs on my boat. I fish harness jigs on each flat line clip, about 5-10 feet in front of each of my closest spreader bars.

Flat Line: Harness BG

Flat Line: Harness Olive

Harness Replacemet Tails Olive/BG

Pros: Swim in and out of the wake and have the appearance of a confused, lone baitfish. Ability to be dropped down and jigged while fighting a fish. This has resulted in dozens of hookups on my boat over the years and why I like the lightness of my rod and reel combo so much. It’s easy enough to switch gears and jig. Will avoid tangles when fished near or under a spreader bar as they reside a few feet under the surface. Ultimate sand eel hedge. If tuna are keyed in on sand eels, Hogy Harness jigs are almost impossible to beat. Cons: Smaller Footprint Get here: Bluefish tears

Pros: The bird function allows the bar to swim without outriggers, which is important when fished further back. The commotion can add attraction because it is far away from the boat's wake, also an attraction. Floats so if you back off, you can leave the further back bar out while you fish the fish and avoid tangles. You can see where the bird is. It is so far back, it may be difficult for other boats to know where your lure is, including you! Cons: Smaller Footprint More Drag Get here:

HARNESS JIGS

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

GEAR CHECKLIST GROUNDFISH LURES

SAND EEL JIG

Pros: Ultimate sand eel imitation Fast sink Fish fast or slow Multiple weights Extremely strong Cons Get here: Only jigging

FLUTTER PITCH JIG

JIG-BIKI RIGS Wind Ons

Rigging

30' 80, 100, 130lb Flouro. Leader

130lb MicroSwivels, Split Rings, (1.2, 1.4mm Crimps), Assist Hooks Chafe Gear, Alco Wipes

S.E Jigs

FP Jigs

6.5, 8.5, 12, 16oz Olive, Pink,Green

4.5oz Olive, Pink, Silver

Tuna Epoxy

Jig Biki Rigs

Get here:

Pros: Flutter Slow Pitch Style Small bait presentation. Ideal for butterfish imitation. Cons Challenge to get down in heavy current

TUNA EPOXY JIG

Pros: Get here: Slow pitch style jigging Ultimate sand eel imitation Cons Challenge to get down in heavy current Ideally re-rigged with assist hook

4oz Olive, Pink, Blue, Bone, Silver

Pros: Ultra Versatile Multi Species Rigs Pre Rigged Ultimate micro bait imitation Cons Can't fish by itself Get here:

DIESEL MACKEREL RIGS

Pros: Ultra Versatile Multi Species Rigs Pre Rigged Ultimate micro bait imitation Cons Get here: Can't fish by itself

HARNESS JIG

3/0,5/0,8/0

Diesel Mack. Rigs

Harness Jig

3/0,5/0,8/0

6oz + Olive, Bone, Pink, Silver, Green

Pros: Multiple weights Airbrushed- highly imitative Ultimate slow action Get here: Ultimate sand eel imitation Cons Bluefish + Dogfish can tear plastic over time.

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

GEAR CHECKLIST OFFSHORE SAFETY CHECKLIST

TYPE I LIFE JACKETS

CHART DITCH BAG

I have been a guest on a number of boats and I’m continually amazed by how many people will go offshore with Type III safety gear. A West Marine house brand Type I life jacket will do the trick for $100. It will do a better job at keeping your head above water for extended periods, which you would obviously want if you needed it out there. Attach a strobe light and a whistle. (Coast Guard regulations for charter boats by the way)

LIFE RAFT

The lack of life rafts on boats fishing offshore is another phenomenon that continues to amaze me. Obviously they aren’t cheap – you are looking at $1000 to purchase an adequate bag style version. That said, brand new, most boats geared for fishing offshore are well into six figures. Split that number in half, and a life raft is 1/50th the cost of the boat, and worth a helluva lot more if you need it. Get one.

EPIRB

I carry 2 different types: 1. A boat version that will automatically trigger a hydrostatic release if the boat goes down. Make sure you put it where you can get to it if it doesn’t. 2. A personal 406 mghrtz that I keep in my ditch bag in case the boat version does not go off properly.

(4) Cyalume Light Sticks

(1) Mini First Aid kit

(3) Hand held areal flares

(1) 16oz Bottle of Water

(3) Hand held smoke flares

(1) Safety knife with rounded tip

(1) Signal Mirror

(1) Critical meds.

(1) Distress Flag

(1) Water proof sunscreen

The Captain Seagull version is the best for the area south of Martha’s Vineyard; it has the lat/long for all the spots you need to know. It’s laminated and a perfect size for using on a center console.

SOLAS FLARES

This high-intensity, short range emergency signal is 25-50 times brighter than conventional USCG flares. It can be used day or night to help rescuers pinpoint your location. Easy to operate pull cord trigger system Does not produce hot residue that can damage inflatable life rafts 15,000 candela light output

DITCH BAG (1) Canister of water dye

(1) Personal Locater Beacon*

(1) Floating Flash Light

(1) VHF Handheld radio*

(4) Cyalume Light Sticks (3) Hand held areal flares (for night) (3) Hand held smoke flares (for day) (1) Signal Mirror (1) Distress Flag (1) Canister of water dye (1) Floating Flash Light (1) Mini First Aid kit, not to replace the ship’s kit, which should be bigger. (1) 16oz Bottle of Water (1) Safety knife with rounded tip

(1)Critical medications (1)Waterproof sunscreen (1)Personal Locater Beacon* (1)VHF Handheld radio*

Capt. Mike's Tuna Playbook POWERED BY

FISH SMART. FISH SIMPLE.

SPOT CHECKLIST Navioncs QR Codes Below

SALTY CAPE SPOTS

The QR codes below will bring you to each respective position on the app. You must have the app to load these spots.

The spots below are pulled from saved locations on my iPhone via my Navionics APP and available on our SPOTS spots pages from SaltyCape.com which has more detailed information on each spot.

Get the App:

Inside South of MV

Detailed Information On Spots Here:

The Claw 41° 04′ N, 70° 53′ W Coxes Ledge: 41° 3.351’ N, 71° 6.429’ W Dump NW Corner 40° 50′ N, 70° 59.75′ W

East of Chatham

Dump SW Corner 40° 40′ N, 70° 59.75′ W

Cape Cod Bay + Outer Cape

BB Buoy 41° 15.500′ N, 69° 17.641′ W

CC Buoy 41°48.928′ N, 70°27.506′ W The Humps 42°13.878′ N, 70°0.484′ W

Dump SE Corner 40° 40′ N, 70° 45.00′ W

BC Buoy 41° 41.390′ N, 69° 35.120′ W Crab Ledge N. Edge 41° 41.000′ N, 69° 47.000′ W

31 Fathom Hole 40°53.512′ N, 70°42.338′ W

Crab Ledge W. Edge 41° 41.000′ N, 69° 49.000′ W

Dump NE Corner 40° 50′ N, 70° 45.00′ W

Inside Fingers 41° 02.500′ N, 70° 40.500′ W The Star 40° 54′ 7.0″ N, 70° 26′ 7.4″ W

The Shipping Lanes 42°11.528′ N, 69°56.561′ W

Crab Ledge SE Corner 41° 36.000′, 69° 47.000′ W

Wood End 42°0.618′ N, 70°8.370′ W Stellwagen SE Corner 42°10.307′ N, 70°11.782′ W

Stellwagen SW Corner 42°9.201′ N, 70°19.532 W

The Owl 41° 08′ 5.0” N, 70° 24′ 0” W

Canyons + Lanes

Peaked Hill Bar 42°5.339′ N, 70°9.796′ W

Crab Ledge NE Corner 41° 41.000′ N, 69° 43.050′ W

Regal Sword 41° 28.0626′ N, 69° 20.5562 W

Gordon's Gully 41° 4′ 0.4″ N, 70° 29′ 42.5″ W

The Golf Balls 42°2.538′ N, 69°59.680′ W

Block Canyon 39° 48′.960 N, 71° 9′.995 W

Atlantis Canyon

Veatch Canyon

39° 57′.351 N, 70° 19′.705 W

39° 58′.601 N, 69° 34′. W

Hydrogropher Canyon

Stellwagen NW Corner 42°25.040′ N, 70°28.212 W

40° 58′.601 N, 69° 34′.367 W

The Lanes S. of Dump 40° 54′ 7.0″ N, 70° 26′ 7.4″ W

Stellwagen Middle Bank 42°17.771′ N, 70°16.742′ W

CAPT. MIKE’S TUNA PLAYBOOK Light Tackle Edition Cape Cod is a magical place to be an angler. Serving as the nexus between the Southernmost reach of cool crisp Labrador Current and the Northernmost reach of The Gulfstream, the Cape hosts cold water groundfish like cod, halibut and haddock AND just about every highly migratory species worth catching like tuna, stripers, albies and more. Waters aside, Cape Cod also boasts just about every fishing terrain imaginable including crystal clear flats, boulders rips and wide open blue water. Pretty much every fishery in the world can be replicated here on Cape Cod in some way. You are holding in your hand my personal playbook for tuna that I have developed over the years on the water. Like most other species here Cape Cod, tuna behave similarly all over the world. I deeply believe that the techniques you’ll learn here can be used anywhere around the world. Thank You for taking the time to check my playbook out. Let me know how you did! Cheers, Capt. Mike

Salty Cape was established in 2012 as a spin off of Hogy Lure Co to serve as a blog for all things fishing on Cape Cod, helping anglers shorten the learning curve to the dozens of micro seasons here from groundfish to tuna. We also like to think there’s a “Cape” in all places "salty" which is why we feel so lucky that we can produce instructional videos for locals here and anglers abroad alike.

Hogy Lure Co was founded by Capt. Mike Hogan in 2006. Originally based in Capt. Mike’s Basement as a side hustle, Hogy has since evolved into an international saltwater fishing company based around the mission to “simplify fishing” by developing “charter grade” products focused on catching fish, rather than fishermen! We fish hard. Have fun and especially enjoy helping people have a highly productive day playing “hooky”!

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