With all the hookups this season, we got or mermaid practicing on retrieving those bluefin that just might otherwise have got away.  She’s working her way up to the giants – perhaps by next year.

Delivery with a smile – Good fishing to you!
While we cannot deliver every bluefin tuna this way, we’ll certain try to deliver  the best bluefin tuna experience possible.   Call Tuna Hunter at 978-407-1351 or captain@tunahunter.com to join us!

Patience and determination pays off, as Jess lands his fish of a lifetime – a 680 lb bluefin tuna aboard Tuna Hunter Fishing Charters.

Congratulations, Jess!

Landing a giant bluefin tuna is not an every-day event. When the fish are biting, and your captain knows his stuff and uses top-notch equipment and tackle, it produces fine bluefin like this beauty.  This guy took a downlline on live bait.

There are many more like these to come this year – join Tuna Hunter for your fish of a lifetime, you deserve it! 978-407-1351 or captain@tunahunter.com to reserve.

While the blogger has been busy, bluefin tuna fishing action is in full swing, as evidenced by this successful Tuna Hunter tuna charter.

Tuna Hunter 500lb Bluefin Tuna – Nice Roly Poly One!

This tuna was a beautiful angling battle and a a beautiful, fat fish. A fine tuna charter!

Join Tuna Hunter – gives us a call at 978-407-1351 or captain@tunahunter.com.
Good fishing to all

While June seems far away, it is less than one month away to bluefin tuna season!  Are you ready? Tuna Hunter is set to target bluefin tuna as soon as the season opens on June 1st. We are ready to haul in more 800 lb fish, like this beauty, one of two giants boated that day.

Between now and June 1st, there is plenty of fishing – cod and haddock fishing now (go this year, while regulations still allow for good catches) and striped bass fishing in a week or two as the hugies migrate up from New Jersey, when catches are phenomenal this season so far.

A followup on our tag recapture – we go photos of that tuna’s brother, who we did keep that day, and made many persons happy with sushi and tuna steaks.

Tuna Hunter and angler Nick Dobrowolski just received word of a tuna tag recapture – something we always hope for but don’t often get to see.

A bluefin tuna we tagged in 2008, caught by angler Nick Dobrowolski, was recaptured one its way across the Atlantic (or on its way back?) over 2000 miles from the original capture location. The fish almost doubled in weight in 5 1/2 years.

The stats in this recapture notice tell the story:

Bluefin Tuna Tag Recapture Report - Click for larger image

This proves that western Atlantic fish indeed do migrate west-to-east, and not just north-south as older science believed. Such tagging information is essential for scientists to help ensure the future of our fishery, and has a huge impact on international and domestics quota determination.

This tag was one of the Tag-a-Tiny Program tags of by the Large Pelagic Research Center, now located in Gloucester, MA.  Tuna Hunter supports the Tag-A-Ting Program and assists with tagging for all species, not just tuna. We need to give back a bit to support sustainable fisheries.

Oddly enough, this lucky tag was inserted on a Tag-A-Tiny Tournament weekend, contributing to Captain Gary Cannell and Tuna Hunter winning the Grand Champion award for most fish tagged and caught that weekend.  Though I cannot read that tag number, this photo, from Sept 20, 2008, could be that fish!

Happy New Year to all fishermen out there! As we settle in to a relatively-quiet January, it gives us time to be grateful for an awesome 2011 fishing season. Over the coming months we’ll reminisce with some highlights.

In one incredible day, Tuna Hunter Fishing Charters landed two 800-lb bluefin. One giant was an awesome rush. The fish fought a typical giant bluefin battle, and Tuna Hunter had her in the boat an hour, relatively short time.  The second bluefin, hooked up 2 hours later, gave a mighty battle that lasted into the dark.

Who cares if it’s dark, when this is the end result. The ladies decided to join this trip at the last minute – a sure case of Lady Luck in action. 

This late October trip is a good example of true giant bluefin tuna fishing. Our area has not seen giants like these in a few years. 200, 300 and 400lb fish have been the norm. These 700, 800 and 900 lbers were a welcome sight for Captain Gary, who has been targeting giants for over 30 years now. It was a pleasure to have these beauties pass through, and we are counting on them returning next season.  This is Gloucester tuna fishing at its best!
Tuna Hunter will be fishing again come April ~ Call 978-407-1351 or email captain@tunahunter.com to reserve your fishing charter.

Tuna Hunter led the crew from Cajun Tide Beach Resort in Grand Ilse LA into 700lb giant bluefin tuna on a recent Gloucester fishing charter. 

It was a great fishing day, and a great fishing night.

The morning started out a typical tuna charter – catch some mackerel, sail out to Stellwagen, put up the kite for a day of tuna kite fishing.   Soon – hooked up!  Fred fought this bluefin tuna to the boat.  All agreed to tag and release this 61 inch in favor of a giant later in the day. Who knew!  2:45PM the rod went off, this time Mark took the reel … over 6 hours later, yup. after 9PM, the crew hauled this 700lb bluefin through the fish door.

Congratulations to angler Mark for a battle well fought. No doubt this fish was landed largely due to Mark’s skill and perseverance, and right moves by all aboard throughout the fight. We look forward to fishing with the Cajun Tide crew again!

Gloucester tuna fishing continues, with tuna begin taken every day in all size categories. 

Tim and Liz spent several days stranded in Gloucester, tuna fishing of course. They opted to tag and release all of their non-giant bluefin tuna.  Makes for some great angling – and these two know their stuff -  and gives back a bit to bluefin research.

Per 2011 NMFS regulations, tuna 59 to 73 inches must be released. Tuna Hunter tags these tuna, using Large Pelagic Research Center tags, to support bluefin tuna research.

Tuna tagging is not difficult, This photo shows proper tag placement, then the fish was quickly released, right back out through the fish door.

Tuna Hunter is fishing every day through the first week in November.  Catch those October tuna days, or stock up on cod and haddock before the winter.  Call 978-407-1351 or email captain@tunahunter.com for your fishing charter. Single? Call for our latest shared dates, or see http://www.tunahunter.com/split-charters.htm

Chris and the gang from AccuTech took advantage of the two-for-one bluefin tuna charter special aboard Tuna Hunter Fishing Charters on their recent charter.

Two Giant Bluefin Tuna for the AccuTech Team

Both tuna hit on the kite – if you have not seen it, it is an awesome sight to see a giant bluefin rise to the surface and smash a kite bait. As has been the usual, Tuna Hunter was kite fishing – dangling live bait just at the surface, using a fishing kite. On this day the tuna were there and hungry, and the AccuTech anglers did a fine job battling both fish to the boat.  Current NMFS Tuna regulations allow for up to three giants in one day. Bluefin of all sizes are in our area now, and will stay through September and October.  Tuna Hunter is ready to provide that three-for special – give us a call at 978-407-1351 to book your September tuna fishing charter out of Gloucester.  Congratulations to Chris and the AccuTech team, and Good fishing to all!

The Evans family’s recent bluefin tuna charter on Tuna Hunter yielded just the right size bluefin tuna for the grill, and some sushi along the way.

All family members took a turn on the reel, battling the bluefin to the boat where it was measured at 58 inches, just under the keeper limit.  Current (as of this trip)  bluefin tuna regulations allows for one fish 27-47, one 47-59, and tuna 59 to 73 must be released. Tuna Hunter practices tag and release, using tags from the Large Pelagic Research Center,  to support bluefin tuna research. We were ready to tag, but this tuna was a keeper.

Bluefin tuna of all sizes are in our waters off of Gloucester, MA, along Stellwagen Bank and northward into Ipswich Bay. Tuna Hunter fishes all over, according to the best reports and our recent experience. Tuna Hunter is fishing every day between now and November. We have some opening for your party, so give us a call 978-407-1351 or email captain@tunahunter.com.  Good fishing to you! and congratulations to the Evans family