Today Kil, his son Steve, Yoshi and I went looking for a little bluefin. Found them right away -- they were a little sporadic but feeding nonetheless. After a little chase we were tight. I hooked and fought the first one, had it to the boat in 15 minutes. It taped out at 71"; we swam and released it to fight another day. Spent the next hour or so chasing smashing fish for a couple of miles with a few grabs but no takers. Yoshi had a slob hit on one of his custom plugs, but he was so big I think he just pushed the plug away with his sheer mass in the water. We had breezing fish for miles. One more bunch and Kil gets tight. We all smile as this one kicks our butts for an hour and 20 minutes. Get him to the boat; tape says 72.5. We swim and release him — probably a commercial fish but we were not interested in pulling him in the boat for a measurement. Chased up-and-down fish for miles with a few grabs but no solid hook-ups.

Just before we called it a day we encountered a mother humpback and her calf. The mother was tangled in lobster gear. Called the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies' entanglement hotline (1-800-900-3622) and stood by the whale till the rescuers could get to the scene. Glad we could help.

After this week I have ample openings for tuna trips. The fishing has been excellent and the half-beaks are starting to show, which makes for explosive fishing. Call or e-mail to book a trip.

Equipment used:

Black Hole rods
Stella 20000
RonZ
Ocean Lures
Streamline Wind-Ons