We had heard that the Bluefin tuna had arrived in La Gomera (as they typically do in March) and hastily arranged for a little strike mission to get a shot at them. The invitation emails mentioned ‘…opportunity of a lifetime’ as we were confident that there were numbers of large Bluefin and, with Captain Mark at the helm, we knew that we had a very good chance at tangling with these veritable beasts. With Covid-complications, the trip was in the balance until the last minute but we finally made it to the island on Thursday.
We set off and fished on the South West side on Friday. An Easterly wind made for some uncomfortable seas, not large but short and very disorganised. This notwithstanding, the ocean was alive with life – birds everywhere, pods of dolphin and we even saw three Pilot Whales. We put in a long day but had no luck – only two boats braved the conditions, both went unrewarded.
Saturday dawned with the wind having dropped and the sea much more predictable and comfortable. We decided to fish the channel between La Gomera and Tenerife. We’d heard that another boat had released a Bluefin close to Tenerife, so made our way there. Everything looked promising, but after an unfruitful couple of hours the birds disappeared, we saw no more dolphins and we decided to make our way back toward La Gomera. The Calima was blowing dusty Sahara sand to the South of Gomera and there did not seem to be much surface action, so we decided to head up North where we found very promising conditions – birds and dolphins working baitballs lifted our spirits instantaneously.
After a few minutes we saw two dolphins closely following our bait, they suddenly veered off and a couple of seconds later we were on! From the initial run we knew we had hooked up to our quarry – a large Bluefin continued to take line, nevermind the 50lbs of drag we had on!! An hour and fifteen minutes later the first Bluefin (300kg / 650lb) of the trip was boatside and we were ecstatic! It is impossible to describe the strength and majesty of these creatures, they are truly awe inspiring. We took a few photos and sent it on its merry way, back into the (very) deep blue waters of the East Atlantic it went.
The next day saw even better weather and, within an hour, we were into our second Bluefin. An hour and twenty minutes (this time at 55lb of drag) we let that one go and got right back on it. Less than an hour later – another Bluefin bite, a strong run and about 5 minutes of tug and pull before the hook pulled. Disappointment is not the word! No time to feel sorry for ourselves, the conditions were still good and everything looked very ‘fishy’, so straight back at it.
About an hour later we had another hit – this fish, though strong as an ox, did not pull nearly as hard as our previous three hook-ups, so we were pretty sure that we very into a Bigeye. The fish was soon subdued and we put it on the deck – about 100kg / 220lb of lovely fresh tuna to share out! We kept fishing for another couple of hours and then decided to call it a day (and a trip).
As fisherfolk, we are always optimistic, but never did we imagine catching over 1,500lb of tuna in two days! All in all it was a really successful strike mission, arranged at the last minute, and we were well rewarded for taking the plunge. Opportunity of a lifetime? Maybe not quite – the Bluefin should be around until the end of May (when Blue Marlin arrive) and they visit La Gomera each year!
As we write this post, reports are that the fishing is even better at present! Time for another trip? Certainly! Come join us!