Long Tail Tuna

Long Tail Tuna

Shark bay Long Tail Tuna


Andy Mac's picture

Posts: 4779

Date Joined: 03/02/06

Awesome Capture!!

Mon, 2006-02-13 16:18

Flywest,

I reackon that beats my dhuie hands down... I am yet to capture a tuna out of Perth (hooked a couple up north), but on fly as well.... AWESOME! Looks like those Phat Phone Phingers you complained about in an earlier post are good for something afterall. I dare say that fish would have given you a few knuckle bashings as it took line on that fly reel.

Cheers

Andy Mac

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Cheers

Andy Mac (Fishwrecked Reeltime Editor & Forum Moderator)

Youngest member of the Fishwrecked Old Farts Club

Posts: 110

Date Joined: 03/10/05

Must Agree

Mon, 2006-02-13 17:40

Must say that is one of the biggest longtails I've seen. Awesome capture on fly!!!

Posts: 485

Date Joined: 04/02/06

Ahh - no knuckle dusters!

Mon, 2006-02-13 20:30

Dunno bout it beating ya Dhui Andy - I reckon I'd a swapped any day, Dhui eats a LOT better than longtail... IMO.

Still - it was a buzz and one of the biggest fish I've ever knocked over on fly (excepting sambo's), which also give a bloody good account of 'emselves.

No knuckle dusters tho - that reel is one of Terry Haydens legendary "anti reverse" fly reels - the spool turns backward under drag to allow line to run - but the handle remains stationary - and yet recovers line when you wind forward.

I've had a few too many bruised knuckles from my old Penn 4G to get caught again - once when I hooked the anchorline on a 40 ft gameboat out near the fads and fought it like a beast for an hour before I gave up...beaten, bruised and bloodied, by the anchor...:rollseyes: he,he,he,.

Yup - I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed...

The longtain above only went about 20-ish kilos' (Coz I only had 30 pound Boga grips and had to cut it in half to weigh the two halves so lost a lot of blood n guts etc in the butchering operation).

I weighed out ~45 pounds in 2 pieces (hard to tell because the front half bottomed the boga's at 30 pound and the back half was only 15 pounds on the boga's so ~45 pounds woulda been very very close IMO).

I seem to recall seeing Noddy with a bigger fly caught longtail some time back...not to mention the great yellow tail that group of fly guys have been hammering for a few years now which would make 2 of that longtail.

Don't know if I'll live long enoug to catch a bigger one - but would give it a go if one swam bye within casting range!.

Threw a LOT of flys at tuna's out at the Abrolhos last year when we were up there for zero result - definitely lost my touch since that fella! (And it was the first ever tuna I'd hooked or landed on fly in my life!..beginners luck?)

Back to the drawing board as they say!

Cheers!

poida's picture

Posts: 234

Date Joined: 08/08/05

Great catch and especially

Mon, 2006-02-13 21:37

Great catch and especially on fly. How long did it take to bring in???

Posts: 485

Date Joined: 04/02/06

How long?

Mon, 2006-02-13 23:13

Emabarrased to say 45 mins to the gaff, and that was after we chased it down in the boat in the end...

Got it NEAR the boat once or thrice, but it just didn't know when to quit..

In the end we (Lance Christie, was my partner in crime, a finer gaff man and helmsman you never saw, at LEAST 50% of that catch was down to his skill at the helm and on the gaff - and he even did a good job of the photo (with a bit a coaching!)..sorta swam it alongside the boat - while I pulled from the far side a the boat - and Lance left the helm and gaffed it down deep off the bow - I had ta pull him back in the boat - he couldn't regain his balance - his feet were straight up - only his gut hooked on the gunnel saved him - he was in danger of going over the bow - with no one at the helm....

Was sure I was gonna bust the rod...in all the confusion and over the gunnel and hauling his sorry butt back inside the boat etc etc - was mayhem really...

Seem to remember having got back to Whitnell point on DHI for the night and consuming MOST of a bottle of Johnny Walker to celebrate..

I got the wobbly sandals award for the week...staggerin off down the beach to my tent...

Was during the original Boneheads DHI - fly trip with Peter Morse et al - in yr 2000 from memory! (Biggest fish landed from 16 swoffers in a weeks solid fishing..we got something like 42 different species in the week on fly between the 16 of us!).

They (Saltwater fly rodders WA) still have an annual "boneheads" trip every year now this years should be the 6th?.

Fond memories indeed!

I got more pics if ya wanna see em..

BUT - they're not to be counted in the photo comp Adam - that wouldn't be fair to everyone else - I don't wanna possibly take any prizes away from you guys, afterall this is what I do for a crust and I been at it a long time.

But, I'm more than happy to share pics if anyones interested to see em.

Cheers!

Andy Mac's picture

Posts: 4779

Date Joined: 03/02/06

only his gut hooked on the gunnel saved him !!!

Mon, 2006-02-13 23:28

Mate,

That's the best one liner I have heard in ages.

If you do this for a crust, I have got to remind myself not to take the piss in case I require your services in future.....I take it you are a fishing guide up north???

Cheers

Andy Mac

____________________________________________________________________________

Cheers

Andy Mac (Fishwrecked Reeltime Editor & Forum Moderator)

Youngest member of the Fishwrecked Old Farts Club