I turned 50 this last September and needed something new. I chose tuna fishing. I gathered a ton of knowledge and made some trips out of Westport with my boat. I got skunked a couple times and caught 3 on one trip and then 10 on another trip. I hitched a ride on someone else's boat and the 3 of us caught 23 tuna. Over the course of this month or so I began collecting the appropriate gear, rods, reels, bait tank, lures and various other gizmos. I also made an extension collar for my in floor fish box so it would hold more fish and ice. I continued to gather more information... LOCATIONS.

So this last Sunday I launched out of Westport at around 5am, picked up my live bait about 6 and headed out to the grounds about 40 miles from the WP launch. I was originally headed out further but saw a pocket of boats and heard positive radio chatter. There wasn't much surface activity but there was some. One thing I did learn is some guys tuna fishing really like a LOT of space between boats so I motored well past most of them. Keeping a half mile distance between boats seems to be the norm BUT under no circumstances should you be closer than a couple hundred yards unless invited in to share in a bait stop.

Anyhoo, I began fishing with live bait. The fish were hungry! I caught 26 tuna over the next about 8 hours. It was unreal action! I moved back upwind a couple of times when there was a lull in the action but also enjoyed the breaks in the bite.. so I could process some fish and get them in the ice.

26 tuna in 8 hours of fishing, solo, out of a registered 17' boat(19.5' w/extension) about 40 miles from the WP launch.