Oregon-inlet NC charter report 22 Sep

[TSsurfphisher]

Went out on the off shore boat Hav'n-A-Ball, GREAT Capt and mate. Bit choppy on the ride out but not bad. Lines weren't in the water 5 minutes and the first guy in the chair brought in a 6-10lb black tuna. 15 minutes later I was in the chair reeling in a 45-50lb yellow fin. About this time we were running in and out of rain squawls but the fish didn't care because we were hooking up about every 15-20 minutes, mostly 10-20lb black and yellow fin. My next sit in the chair brought in a 55-60lb yellow fin, man what a fight!!!! My left forearm is still killing me...lol. We brought in a couple more small black and yellows then hooked into another 55-60lb and a 35-40lb yellow fin at the same time. By this time the sun had come out (around 12:30-1:00) and the fish just stopped biting. We cruised around and the reports from the other boats was about the same, the rain left and so did the fish. Got one 2 foot Dolphin on the slow troll back to port and that was it. The mate brought everything in and we headed home. We ended up with just shy of 300lbs (before cleaning) of tuna. All in all, we (the 6 of us) considered it a pretty good day.

[finfinder]

Glad you had a good time. Now you know what pullage really means. Fresh Tuna is wonderful as long as you don't overcook it. Marinate it for and hour and then grill it briefly on each side, your eyes will roll back in your head.

As the water temps cool the Tuna will get more plentiful and larger. Imagine what your arms would feel like if all the tuna were 55-60 lbs and up and you had 4 or 5 fish one at once. That's the way it usually is in October and November.
My arms usually hurt for days. On a day when the weather is nice it's the best experience you could ask for.

I'm sure you'll go back again.

[TSsurfphisher]

fin, what do you use for your marinate??

[finfinder]

Kinda depends on what you like, some folks use Italian dressing or the store brand marinades for chicken or fish ( garlic, teriyaki, ginger etc). Most of the marinades are oil based (first ingredient) and making your own marinade is easy. The oil helps to protect the fish from drying in the high heat on the grill.

I use a simple mix of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce and italian seasoning herbs. I'll send it to you tonight when I get home. Marinate it for one hour before cooking.

The real secret is to undercook it on purpose !
I know it seems strange but it will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat source, so you must remove it from the heat when its still pink in the middle. If you cook it too long it will just get tough and dry. A one inch thick steak only needs about two minutes per side on a hot grill. Undercook it, then let it sit for a few minutes to reabsorb the juices and finish cooking, then eat. It should still be pink in the middle. Fantastic.

If its still too raw for you, you can always put it back on the heat for a minute but if its overcooked theres nothing you can do.

[JerryB]

yeah i think your right on cooking, i would go even further and say to just sear, rest and eat!

no marinade, super hot pan, sear each side 30 seconds and eat.

nice job on the tuna
jerry

[Lipyourown]

Nice report. What is better eating, black or yellow fin?

[TSsurfphisher]

Haven't tried the black tuna yet, but the yellow fin was nice and flaky. Just used some olive oil, salt and some lemon pepper and seared it on the grill for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side....yummy!!

[finfinder]

Mustard marinade recipe-

2 large cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs dijon style mustard
1 tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning herbs
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil or peanut oil

Puree the garlic into a small bowl and mash to a paste with the salt. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients, then the oil, to make a mayonnaise like cream. Marinate for one hour then grill.

Also works for Lamb and chicken.