Hawaiian SeaCraft

[ScottM]

Do you folks do much deep sea trolling for pelagic game fish? If so what are typical game fish for you and approximate weights?

Greg,
Here in the Northeast (MA to NJ), you typically have to run to the canyons (100+ fathoms) for pelagics, but they can be caught up on the shelf (50-100 fathoms) when conditions are right. The Gulf Stream dictates how good this fishery can be year to year. Depending on where you're running from, it could be a 50-100 mile trip one way. For tuna, we catch yellowfin (50-70lbs typical, 100lbs is big), bluefin (anywhere from 30-1,000lbs in cooler water) and bigeye (150-300lbs). Blue, white and striped marlin can also be had, along with mahi and wahoo. Swordfish have been making a comeback with all the longline restrictions, but that is a nightime chunking affair.