http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2572759001309629567

Thanks for doing up the video Dave C!!! Pretty awesome. Takes me back.... dont ask where I was! Damn Scopolamine patch!

Where's my shoe!

Thanks Sk Ronnie!

Yep.. Now I've got to film Dave C's next Big Tuna!!

I fabricated a new 20" wide plate and custom bucket harness that should reduce my Dancing time this go round! LoL

Bazz

Wow 13 minutes that is one heck of a fight!!!
How much did that one weigh?

I missed some of that fight, had to keep running up and down the other side of the boat when Bazz was doing the "Tuna Shuffle." I think it was more like 20 minutes for that battle. It's still fun to watch that video over and over.

I watched it for the 1st time just then and now i am having a hard time getting back into work mode...

Boy what a night that was! Good times.
Could've sworn I heard Ronnie snoring
every time that bigun took me around the boat!LOL
Hey charlie, how big was that dude?
-Brian

LOL>>. I thought I saw Brian with a cuda on the end of his line!! LOL!!! Its funny.. I can see my rigs in the milkcrate every so often.. they are screaming at me! But I cant hear BECAUSE I WAS FREAKIN ZOMBIE-FIED!!!! lol... I remember trying to raise up to get out of bed, then physically not be able to do it and just laying back... Similar to being on morphine after surgery.

Monte and Brian

That was my first on a Black Fin Chunk bait weighed around 120#.. I had some on the Ballistic Flyer that made that one look like a minnow but they pulled the hooks. Wish I could have seen one of those fish! There is nothing quite like watching 450 yds of line go away in less than a minute stright down! All you can do is hold on and pray the line dont pop.

Some of the bigger YFT's looked like adult dolphins cruising lateraly thru the wave crests... when they hit a Topwater it's like a small whale breached under the bait! Awesome Blow ups!

I got one on the flyer 1st cast that weighed 125# my other 3 we boxed were between 80- 95#.

I remember Brian's Monster the most.. the one that 8 folks encluding the whole Gulf Eagle Crew fought it and never gained an inch of line.. you could see the spool arbor thru the line that was left! I fought it for 20 minutes right after I had caught 3 YFT's never got more than 10 feet of line on the spool only to have the fish go right back down. Tony was running backwards trying to turn it and never go more than 30 ft of line on the spool.. which the fish just pulled right back off. Capt Nate finally jerked real hard about 10 times and straightened the hooks... ending a 2 1/2 hour stalemate. Tuna 1 Vs Quatro Tuna Crew 0... My SHoooooo LoL

Dang it... I'm ready for Cinco!

Bazz

i took the time and it did take some time to down load on my lap top. they shouldn't allow old men to fight tuna. that showed how a strong young man could do what charlie couldn't do in hours do in about a minute. charlie you should purchase that video and burn it so they don't ban us old farts from any long range boats. looks like marylou's custom rod whipped your buns. that is a bulls eye on my back.....rick

Awesome video, thanks for sharing.

Rick

I had color on it in 6 Minutes but it was hooked in the eye so I couldn't finish it. However I made no excuses and said I was whooped, that was the first time in my life by a fish.. I'm sure not the last. I was a lot more worried about loosing a rod/reel and or Tuna than being embarrased with a hand off. I boxed 5 from 125# to 80# and that's the only one that I handed off.. the fight lasted longer than I did.

I also learned that a Quality Harness and Plate are needed for YFT over 100# so I wont have my hands go to sleep next go round. That piece of junk I was using on Quatro Tuna caused more harm than good. Live, Fish, and Learn.



Just so you'll know this Old Fart was going on 4 hours sleep in 48 hours so I was plenty tired. I also have Parkenson's disease which attacks muscle coordination and makes endurance a problem at times. If my hands hadn't gone to sleep I assure you that Tuna would have had No Chance. I refuse to let any health problems keep me from trying to enjoy what I love. If I get whooped..So what... at least I got whooped trying.


I other words Laugh It Up at my crippled butt cause I don't care.. See You On Cinco..Old Fart!

Bazz

hey charlie take what i said in jest. i was only having a little fun at your expense. i felt your pain in the video and wanted to humor you....rick

Bazztex,
Just to make you feel better, I've given up on at least 5 fish in my life. Every single one of them was a fish that shouldn't have been where it was hooked and the tackle being used was no where in the class of the fish hooked. Sometimes it's actually impossible to pump the fish to the surface with the wrong tackle.

I was once trolling ballyhoo over eastern rock off Port A when a blue marlin took the hoo on an international 20. Eastern is only about 30 miles offshore. Very rare to see a marlin that close to shore.

The fish was hooked at sunrise. I handed it off at 10am and at noon it was handed off again. At 3pm we all gave up and cut the line. We were in a center console and even with the ability to chase down the marlin, we never got it within 200 yards of the boat. 20# test mono was no match for an estimated 300# tee-Ed off Blue.

I've also given up on fish hooked when sea conditions became so rough that it was impossible to even stand up. When a big storm erupts and the waves are breaking into the boat, you tend to forget about the fish and think about your life.

Ah, memories of Quatro, and the sound of a YFT hitting the deck. Just gets the blood boiling thinking about it.

Hey Rick and Mr Bill thanks!

I have had to come to terms with getting older but I still have the heart of a 25 year old giving me drive to push myself.

Funny thing about Parkensons... it usually only bothers me when I'm tired. I get muscle cramps and fatigue makes me get the shakes. When you hands go to sleep it's time for a hand off... like it or not.

I'm confident that my new harness and plate will be the equalizer in giving me an edge when it comes time to Grind in a sulking fish. That and I will go to a 60# topshot Vs the 50# I was using on that fish so I can put on more drag. Both should shorten my fighting times down to Old Fart standards! LoL

Bazz

Pressure fishing. That's what it's all about. As long as you have tied a proper knot and have a strong hook there's no reason not to put the hammer down on a fish from the start. It keeps him from making a long run and you have less line to retrieve.

20#'s should be the min drag on a YF from the git go. I prefer 35#'s. If trolling for marlin, I like a 45 to 55 pound setting. Anything over 55 pounds is hard to handle with stand up style fishing. It also depends on your size. If you weigh below 225 I wouldn't recommend more than 45 pounds of drag.

I've found that most women can't take more than 15 pounds of drag for a sustained period of time when standing up. I can't imagine what it's like to have your hands go to sleep. That must be tough. I have enough problems trying to stand up from the "John" after reading to long.

great video - I really enjoyed it

Hi Guys first post. Love the vid, makes me want to pack up and head your way to try it. How big is that baot? Looks nice.
I'll see if the rest of the Top Billin crowd might want to sponsor a trip next year.

Big Mike..

That's the Gulf Eagle (65ft) of Deep Sea Headquarters in Port Aransas Texas.

Bazz

TTT

Man that video has me ready to go more than ever now.

Donk..

I hope we get a shot at the 120Lb YFT on Tuna 6..
they are a test of tackle and stamina to be sure.

Bazz

DOnt be "tuna whooped"!!! WHOOP THAT TUNA!!!

I'd rather be awake catching Big TooNah to get whooped by...

Wrong topic...haha

if the same rig keeps up with the action, we may have our shot at a 100 pound + tuna, and quite possibly a marlin!!!

Boudreaux.. Yee Haww

thats funny lol

Dangit, I knew I have been missing out on a whole lot of fun and arm-wrenching, back-breaking, muscle-aching tuna catching excitement not going on any of these trips! I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and just spend that money the next go-around!

Heck, I didn't buy those 2 rods from Chris at Islander's or the Shimano 2 speed for nothing...just got to get another reel for my other rod.

Bream Buster.. that fish was a beast.

I was fishing with a 50# Top shot... So I had around 22# of drag and we think the hook pulled out and re-stuck in the Tuna's Eye socket when I got color the first time at about 6 minutes. After that it went berserk because it was foul hooked. Tuna are very hard to control if they are not hooked in the mouth... many of the longer battles on topwaters are due to foul hooked YFT.

What this Video doesn't show is the 300 yd run that tuna made right after we got good color the first time.. I honestly thought it was going back to the rig. We had good color on that fish 5 times but it just did not want in the boat.

That is one of those life time memories we all go back for!! If you can ever get a Top Water bite it's a blast to see 100#+ YFT bust on your bait.

Tuna Fishing is hard work and everyone ought to go on a Tuna Trip just once.. it's great fun with some hard core Tuna Heads. We've had the ladies Amy on Cinco Tuna and Bassin Aggie on Tuna 1 as our TFF Tuna Champs 2 out of 5 trips. The Camaraderie, Team Work and Competition for the biggest fish is worth the trip by it's self.

Many Thanks to Dave C for filming my Tuna butt whoopin!

Bazz

DONT BE TUNA WHOOPED!!! WHOOP THAT TUNA!!!!! Gets me excited everytime I watch it!

That's enough for me...I'm bound and determined to get on my first overnight YF trip. Just have to wait for the next one to come up though.

There is one spot possibly available on the trip going next week! Jump on it!

Yea, there would be, and I have a committment already since I'm the Chairman for an association...my luck!