Tagging Bluefin Tuna on Capt. Gene Quigley's Rocket Ship

(video courtesy of Shore Catch Guide Service)

Yesterday we had the pleasure of spending the day on the bluefin tuna grounds with Capt. Gene Quigley from Shore Catch Guide Service, based in Point Pleasant, NJ. Expecting to fish on his infamous 31' Cape Horn, we were pleasantly surprised to learn we would spend the day on Gene's new 36' Yellowfin, called No Surrender - (shout out to the Boss.) Most of you reading this post know Capt. Gene as one of our best bluefin tuna Captains and yesterday was no different. As Captain Gene reported on his own site, it was a tough day of fishing, but Gene kept us busy working various tactics on the troll, jig and bait to produce a great experience. before we cover the fishing, the boat was most impressive. We left at 3AM, so the first few hours we ran in the dark at roughly 20-25mph. At that speed you could already tell the boat wanted to jump out and get off the block - and once we had first light, that's exactly what we did. This boat loves to do 40mph, no matter the sea condition as we found out. As Capt. Gene explained how this is possible. Yellowfin Yachts, owned by Wylie Nagler has roots and pedigree from the racing culture around the legendary Reggie Fountain from Fountian Boats.. As such the hull on the new 36' employs a stepped technology that literally enables the boat to float atop the waves by creating a layer of compressed air between the hull and water. Add to that the right mix of entry and weight ratio, and you get a comfortable ride to boot. The true testament to how much this boat wants the speed, is evident when Capt. Gene backed off the throttles for bathroom breaks, and the boat slid back into 30mph. At 30mph, which is fast by most standards, this boat felt shackled as the throttles left untouched would creep up in speed, so she wants to get there any way possible. For the New Jersey bluefin fishery that lies between 30 and 70 miles off, this boat is a weapon of choice.

On this trip, kudos to my mates Bernie and Geoff who stuck to working the jigs when we were bait fishing. We were rewarded for the efforts as Geoff came tight on a nice fish. We had a team approach as Capt. Gene wielded the AFTCO tailer to secure the tuna boatside, Bernie did an expert job with the camera as you saw above, Geoff fought the 44" tuna and tagged it himself, (his first tagged bluefin) and I assisted with the handling of the tuna to ensure a healthy release. It's easy to work hard on Gene's boat because all his equipment is in great condition. The jig rods (Spinal 350 Jig Rods) and reels (Avet HX Raptors) were a joy to use and as Geoff found out, a totally different experience when you tie into a nice fish. This trip also saw the debut of a new multi-purpose tag stick that I will share with members shortly via a video.

Thanks Capt. Gene for a great day of learning, fishing hard, tagging and releasing tuna, support of the Atlantic Tuna Project, the video and interview, these pictures and for whipping us out to the tuna grounds on your new rocket ship.

These pictures courtesy of Shore Catch Guide Service;

John LoGioco (left), Geoff Taylor (right), photo courtesy Shore Catch Guide Service