Ask a Pro Series #1 – Introduction to Spinning Gear for Tuna We here at openbow.org are big fans of spinning gear for tuna. We feel a good spinning outfit with a properly placed reel seat puts the angler in a much more comfortable fighting position than a conventional. Adequate taper and solid lockdown points on modern blanks afford the opportunity to lift the head of a big fish. And the fast retrieve of a spinning reel equals more line back on the spool every drop down. The boundaries of what is capable with modern spinning gear continue to be pushed and 2017 was certainly an eye opener for what is possible. Serious giant class bluefin tuna were regularly being taken on spinning gear off both the Outer Banks in the spring and Cape Cod in late summer/fall. With these types of shenanigans going on we decided to get the details from some local Northeast pros on their spinning gear games and pass it on to our community of fishing enthusiasts. THE QUESTIONS: 1. What is your "go to" spinning jig outfit (rod/reel/line) and what do you think makes a good "budget conscious" outfit for someone looking to break into the game?* 2. What is your "go to" popping outfit (rod/reel/line) and what do you think makes a good "budget conscious' outfit for someone looking to break into the game?* 3. What is your favorite mainline to leader connection for jigging and why? 4. What is your favorite mainline to leader connection for popping and why? 5. What are the top three topwater baits in your bag? 6. What are the top three jigs in your bag? *We cannot cover everything in one Ask a Pro Series and the issue here will be the class of tuna being targeted. In almost ALL of the suggestions listed, there will be an option to bump up or down in class. Please remember that in the case of reels, it will often come with a change in gear ratios, line capacity and drag (potential topics down the road). If you are like most of us and cannot swing multiple rigs, it is best to err on the side of caution and be ready when some larger class fish move in. THE PROS: Capt. Gene Quigley – Shore Catch Guides, New Jersey • Captain Quigley runs his 36 Yellowfin "Reel Freedom" out of Manasquan Inlet NJ. He has been voted a top 50 Captain by Saltwater Sportsman and is a Field and Stream top 100 guide. Capt. Quigley is one of the pioneers and first anglers to successfully land inshore bluefin tuna on topwater spinning gear. He is a regular presenter at saltwater fishing seminars and is always looking to pass on knowledge to fellow anglers. Capt. Louis J. DeFusco – Hot Reels Sportfishing, Rhode Island • Captain DeFusco has put guests on anything from inshore bass to daytime swordfish and everything in between. He has been fishing spinning gear for tuna as long as most and has fish to 82" on his resume. He is networked with some of the absolute best in the game and has also put in many hours presenting at seminars and passing on what he knows. Sami Ghandour – Owner, Saltywater Tackle Inc. • Sami is one of the pioneers of the Japanese style jigging and popping tuna fishery here in the Northeast and has turned on countless anglers to this fishery over the last decade. His business operates out of Sayreville, NJ where he and his partner, Paul, sell and ship high end jigging and popping gear all over the world. Sami also serves as a professional guide on exotic fishing expeditions. Most importantly, he is always looking to pass on helpful advice to his fellow fisherman. Capt. Steve Fernandez – 64 Viking "Five Seas", 25 Regulator "No Name", Long Island, New York • Captain Fernandez came up old school working the pit for some of the best in the business. Today he is at the helm of a 64 Viking and in his spare time can be found fishing the inshore grounds on a 25 Regulator. We here at openbow.org know, if you are looking for Steve you will definitely "find him where the fish are". He has hooked and landed all shapes and sizes of tuna on all types of tackle and his experience is invaluable. Kyle Oneppo – The Tree Guy Sportfishing, Rhode Island • When he isn't running his 28 Bluewater "The Tree Guy", Kyle can be found on the front of one of East Coast Charters sleds working for Capt. Jack Sprengel. At just 19, Kyle's resume is stacked with more big tuna on spinning gear than those 2-3 times his age. His name comes up in any conversation about the best young fisherman in the Northeast jig and pop game at the moment. THE ANSWERS: Capt. Gene Quigley 1. My go to jigging rod for our area is the Saltwater Tackle Outer Banks 300. This rod has tremendous balance and is light enough for smaller jigs and smaller tunas but can also handle the larger stuff. Most of my fishing is inshore with bluefins from 40 to 150lbs and yellowfins in the 30 to 80lb range. My preference is a conventional set up, matched with an AVET JX Raptor and Powerpro hollow ace line. For spin set ups, we have been having great success with the 6’2" Shimano Game Type J matched with Shimano Twin Power 8000. I tie all my jigs on direct using a uni knot. 2. For popping and casting stick baits I really like the El Maestro 77H and the Race Point 100 matched with the Shimano Twin Power 10000 or a Van Staal VSB 200 spooled with 60# PowerPro hollow ace. It's really important however to make sure that you are matching the rod with the size fish you are targeting. These are both somewhat lighter rods for fish in the 50- 100lb class. Once you get over that size it's important to move up to a beefier stick. When the bigger fish in the 70 plus inch range show, the Race Point 250 is the go to rod matched with a Shimano Stella 18000. 3. All my jigging leaders are loop to loop. Because I use all hollow core braid I splice loops and use 25ft fluorocarbon wind on leaders from 50 to 80 lb. This makes for very smooth connections through the guides and eliminates any bulky knots. 4. I have been using the Saltywater Tackle twisted leader system for all my casting applications offshore. I can tie one of these leaders in less than two minutes on the boat and I have never had one fail. This system uses a 4 ft section of twisted 100 lb monofilament as the main top section that gives the leader stretch and durability. The bottom section going directly to the lure is a 4 ft piece of 70# or 80# fluorocarbon. You can vary the pound test of the tippet section depending on water clarity or if the fish get line shy but just be sure to adjust your drags accordingly. Make sure you use the mono/flouro combination as this is what makes the leader so effective. (Editor's Note: The Saltywater Tackle Twisty Leader can be seen in the How-to section of OpenBow.Org) 5. This is a tough one. I use a variety of different baits all dictated by water conditions, clarity, type and size of bait, and feeding depth. For below the surface or deeper feeding, I like the Siren Seductress 165, Tackle House BRITT as well as the Daiwa Dorado Pencil. These lures sink fast but also have tremendous action. For floating and top water applications the Shimano Orca and Colt Sniper accounted for a lot of fish this year. When throwing poppers I like lures that will cast far and give off a lot of splash and wake like a Mad Mantis. 6. Another very tough one. Variety is super important with jigs. Water currents and bait size play such a big role and there are so many different actions on the market it can get confusing. Our main bait off NJ and NY are sand eels. I prefer jigs that are smaller and usually in the 80 to 120g weights. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the CB One F1. This is a tremendous sand eel imitation and it drops fast and has great action. Other go to jigs for me are the Shout Shab Shab and the Stingo PBJ. Capt. Louis J. DeFusco 1. My two favorite rod and reel combos for jigging tuna in the Northeast are a Shimano Twin Power 14000 with Crafty One Customs 250g jigging rod and a Shimano Stella 18000 with a Shimano Ocea Plugger MH. The Twin Power is loaded with 65# Power Pro Depth Hunter and the Stella is loaded with 80# Depth Hunter. For a more budget minded setup, I have seen the Van Staal 325 jigging rod perform and that mated to something like a Shimano Saragossa 10000 would work well and keep the price reasonable. 2. Only one "go to" setup for popping tuna and that is a Stella 18000 on a Ocea Plugger rod. The rod has tremendous lifting power with zero hurt to the anglers back and I have taken bluefin up to 82" on it. 3. FG knot due to its strength and zero resistance through the guides. 4. Again the FG knot due for the same reasons above.