“My only regret is never catching a 200lb Tuna” – Charlie Munger

It is quite hard to portray ones self as a fisherman and write a blog when I actually haven’t been fishing at all this year, in fact it has been almost 4 months since I have had a chance to get out there. This also makes writing blogs about fishing quite challenging, and there is only so much I can put down on virtual paper about the extreme difficulties and expenditure faced whenever one has to take a boat into a yard for work to be done. I try not to let these things get me down but it does have a way of eating away at me.

But enough negativity. Last weekend I was invited to “The Big One” show, predominantly a carp fishing convention which has in recent years started expanding to include a small selection of saltwater angling stands. I was invited by Andy, head of the Tuna Gear UK brand, who is at the forefront of making, designing, promoting and selling Bluefin Tuna tackle for our blossoming fishery. I met Andy last summer, during the inaugural UK Bluefin Tuna Tournament held in Falmouth, when I had lost a spreader bar on a big fish, and really needed a replacement. He didn’t have any to sell, but was kind enough to give me one that he had used that day. From then I have stayed in constant contact with him and he has been kind enough to help me on a number of fronts with filming, contacts and advice.

Andy has surrounded himself with a great group of people, full of energy, passion and enthusiasm for the sport, and it was great to be included as part of that group for the weekend. Hundreds of people queued up over the 2 days to use the Shimano Tuna simulator being shown the ropes by the Squidward Adventures team, Will Parkinson of Smart Fishing was there with his amazing boat, and there were knowledgable and experienced fisherman from all over there to share in the experience. The stand was packed on both days, and gave me plenty of opportunity to talk all things Tuna with a large number of people and share some of the (limited) knowledge I gained during my season last year and share my enthusiasm for it with others.

It is important to stress, that this fishery does require a permit, and that was a question many people were asking at the show. While coarse anglers have for many years required a rod license to permit them in taking part in their discipline, its very much a strange comprehension for sea anglers. But you cannot, legally, go and fish for these Bluefin Tuna without the necessary permit from the MMO.

Secondly, and again this is important to mention, these fish are not the kind of things that can be caught using heavy traditional UK style boat rods. They require specialist equipment, and a good base knowledge of how to set tackle up for large and powerful fish, and the correct tackle must be used in order to facilitate the safe release of them, and also to maintain levels of safety for anglers. These set ups are expensive, there are no ways around it, and it can be a limiting factor for those who want to give it a go.

If you don’t have a permit and are unsure of what tackle to buy and have limited experience with fish like these, the best advice I could give is to get on a charter boat and go and see how it is done. It is obviously easy to say this as someone who has a charter boat, but I had been on 7/8 trips with charter skippers prior to trying for myself, and hence had a pretty good basic outline of what to do and what not to do. There are plenty of skippers who have been doing It for a number of years, they have the right tackle and have experience of catching and releasing these fish, and you will be amazed at how much you can learn in their hands in just a day.

With the numbers of Bluefin Tuna increasing around our coastline year on year, it is vital that we look after and manage this fishery in its infancy as has been done to a large extent up to this point; but with the increasing publicity and numbers will come increasing pressure, and it has been said that more private permits will be issued this year. It was great to have a number of hopeful applicants come to the stand and talk to one of us about the fishing, because it showed a desire to learn from those who have done it and what applicants can expect, and I know that was a big part of why Andy wanted to be at the show. It was a hugely positive experience and there was a lot of buzz surrounding it, and from a personal point of view it was just awesome to be involved in and share in the experience with Andy and his crew. What a great bunch of people, pushing an awesome fishery and pushing it in the right direction.

Roll on August and the arrival of The Bluefin season!!! Don’t be like Charlie, get yourself involved and book a trip!