Braving the cold on Jan. 16, Jeff Tomaloff climbed aboard Capt. Eddie Brown’s Down and Dirty, a 39ST Contender with triple 350-horsepower Honda outboards, at Cypress Cove Marina (www.cypresscovevenice.com) in Venice. He planned to fish two days and experienced the trip of a lifetime, catching a pending state record.
The captain cruised the Gulf looking for baitfish. From mid-October through March, giant yellowfin tuna come closer to shore chasing schools of pogies or other baitfish. When they spot some, the tuna herd the terrified baitfish to the surface. Birds notice and dive for their share. Brown found what he wanted in 300 feet of water about 12 miles offshore.
“We were running and gunning looking for bait,” said Brown with Fish Venice Charters and Lodging (732-963-5534, 985-788-5080, fishvenicecharters.com). “Big tuna feed on top. We’ll see explosions of white water with birds diving. We ease in and throw topwater poppers at them. Generally, we need to make casts at least 30 to 40 yards long. Working the bait with a quicker pop works better on big tuna. They are fast fish.”
Tuna exploding on the surface
When in casting range, Tomaloff tossed a clear 170-gram, 7-inch Mad Mantis (maddmantis.com) topwater popper into the fray. He ran it over the surface, attracting attention. Soon, the surface erupted with a massive explosion as if someone detonated dynamite under the water…