Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Over the last month or so, chunking has certainly proven to be a successful way to hook into a bluefin or yellowfin tuna out around Massey’s Canyon or some of the other bumps or humps in that general area. While chunking might not be everyone’s favorite way to fish, there’s no doubt that this method can be a deadly effective way to get hooks into the mouths of a bunch of tuna. I say “can be” because, as those who have done it much know, there are times when even though the fish are literally right under the boat, getting them to bite a chunk of butterfish with a hook in it can be more than just a little challenging.
It’s easy for anglers who are having a slow day of fishing to conclude that the fish simply aren’t there or that they just aren’t hungry right then. But when you’re anchored up in a chunking fleet and haven’t had a bite all day, while tuna after tuna are being landed on boats all around you, it’s going to be pretty obvious that whatever you’re doing (or not doing) isn’t working for the fish. Looking across at the other boats, it might seem that you’re fishing as they are; butterfish for chunks and bait, fluorocarbon leader, circle hooks, a couple lines under floats, one or two “feeder” lines freely drifted back in the current. Everything they’re doing – you’re doing, but why aren’t you catching any fish when the guys on either side of you are?
When the chunking bite is hot, you can stick a butterfish on a big-old hook with 200-pound leader and catch tuna until your arms fall off, but those days are few and far between. Usually, the tuna are going to be just finicky enough that anglers will need to scale their terminal tackle way down to the bare minimum they can get away with, which would likely mean 30-pound fluorocarbon leader, a relatively small circle hook and only a very small barrel swivel, connecting leader to line. When the fish are extra-shy, a jump down to 20-pound leader might be the difference between getting bites or not. Anglers must not lose track of their leader selection and forget to adjust their drags to a lower setting with the lighter leader.
Not all circle hooks are created equal. Even hooks the same size can be made out of different diameter wire and, therefore, have a vastly different sink rate. Fish that are feeding on chum or chunks will sometimes get so focused on what’s coming down the chum line that they won’t touch a bait that’s drifting out of sync with the unhooked chunks. By changing to either a heavier or lighter hook, anglers can sometimes change the sink rate to what the fish want to bite.
If the weight of different hooks can make a difference in where a bait goes, you can imagine what different size sinkers will do! Lead sinkers are often used to hold a bait at a desired depth. The weight of the sinker, drag from the bait and strength of the current will combine to determine how far the weight will be able to hold a bait wherever it’s intended to be. Changing the size of the weight or adding extra weights can sometimes be just what’s needed to put a bait in the sweet spot for a tuna to bite it.
When hooking a butterfish, the hook is usually run through the mouth, out the gill and then into the body behind the gill. Though this is a great way to conceal a hook in a butterfish, it creates a problem in that the mouth of the bait is usually held open by the protruding leader and one of the gills will be flared out by the eye of the hook. These factors will sometimes cause a bait to spin in the current which is a real turn-off to tuna. One way around this is to use a rigging needle and light string or floss to sew shut the mouth and gills of the butterfish. The sewing process takes a minute or two but it can mean the difference between getting a bite or not.
When it comes to tuna, the use of fluorocarbon leader is almost critical to getting a bite. Of course, fluorocarbon is expensive and most anglers will try and get as much use out of each piece they cut off the spool as they can before replacing it. But sometimes, after just a moderate amount of use, fluorocarbon will cloud up and lose much of its stealthy characteristics. Fluorocarbon doesn’t have to be all chaffed up and gnarly before it needs to be replaced. If bites aren’t coming your way, don’t be cheap Change your leaders!
Sometimes you might not be doing anything wrong, but there is just so much competition from all the other fishermen in the area that, for whatever reason, your baits are just going unnoticed in the crowd or should I say “cloud” of baits and chunks that are raining down from the fleet. If things aren’t going well don’t be afraid to make a bold move to some other corner of the ocean away from everyone else and see if you can’t coax in your own bunch of tuna. Look at a chart and find a bump or drop-off that looks fishy and is within a reasonable distance from where you’re at and give it a shot. If you’re not catching fish where you’re at, the worst that can happen is that you won’t catch fish over there either. At least you won’t have the additional hassles and headaches of fishing in a big fleet.
If you’re pretty sure that the fish are there but they just won’t bite what you have hanging on your hook then try changing the size of your baits. Usually anglers will want to fish with baits the same size as the chunks they’re tossing into the water. Depending upon the size of your butterfish, you might be able to get up to three baits out of one fish but the tuna might be more inclined to bite a whole or a half butterfish. Experiment with different size baits and see if that makes any difference to your catch numbers.
Don’t forget your kite! If you can get a kite up in the air, a rigged butterfish, spot or small bunker splashing at the surface of the water below it can be an exciting and effective way to get a tuna on the line. If those baits are alive, they’ll have added appeal but even dead baits presented under a kite appear very much alive as they get towed about by the swaying kite.
While chunking can be an exciting and very productive way to catch a tuna, it can also be a lesson in frustration when others around you are catching fish but you can’t buy a bite. At such times, a subtle change in you’re tackle or presentation can be all that’s necessary to get a fish on the line and the skunk out of the box.
Capt. Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.