Not a typical catch of First Yellowfin Tuna in January
No season for Tuna but we landed.
January 23 fishing report in Punta Cana was windy and the ocean was rough. January in general is often not happy with calm weather on the Atlantic. Wind 20 -22 kts and waves 5-6 ft almost every day. And a month on average about 10 days we are not given permission from Coastguard to go into the ocean if the wave 7-8 ft. . Winter fishing in Punta Cana.)))) The charter on the fishing boat “Cana” was booked by a couple Dominic and Emily from New Hampshire.
And there’s a good reason why. Because New Hampshire has a lot of fishermen, but it’s cold there now. It’s a warm paradise in the Dominican Republic, daytime temperature F86, sunbathe, swim, enjoy. We went fishing at 8:00 a.m. as usual. When the reefs to go out into the open ocean crossed the boat tossed on the oncoming haulover inlet all as usual. After 30 min we unraveled the line and Big Game fishing started. We can’t say that fishing was active. After 40 minutes we caught a small barracuda which was immediately released as it was not of great value. But closer to 11AM the reel squealed and the line began to unwind quickly and very quickly go under water.
So there is a fish on the hook and if the fishing line is bent in half it means not a small fish. And if the line pulls down and does not jump like Dorado or Marlin, it means Wahoo. That’s what a Wahoo fish usually does. It pulls down to the deep end. And it’s Wahoo season and I was sure it was Wahoo boats coming back from Wahoo deep sea fishing. But when pulling the fish towards me the rod was bending more than usual for wahoo. It was harder to pull.
And pulling it closer through the water column, the shine was visible. This is how Yellowfin Tuna shine. In general, pulling tuna is harder than Wahoo because the shape of the fish is thick like a sausage and has more resistance to the water than Wahoo. But Dominic tried his best to pull the fish to himself. We use 130 lb monofilament and it’s a great line for big fish. And at this point there are two possibilities! If the hook is well hooked and does not tear the lip under load, we will pull the fish out. And the second hook is at the end of the lip and with a jerk we can lose the fish.
That’s why it is very important without sudden movements and very slowly all the time with a taut line we pull the tuna closer to the board. The captain jumps off the flybridge and together with the assistant they pull the fish into the boat with a gaff hook. 110 lb Tuna it’s not small Mahi Mahi. Shouts of victory and jubilation! It’s not even clear who is more sastly the crew or Dominic. But the fact is that we have a big Yellow fin tuna on board!
The title of the report comes from the fact that the season for Yellowfin Tuna usually starts in March (look at the our fishing calendar Dominican Republic ) and catching Tuna in late January is not typical. Read more about Yellowfin Tuna here…
After a few quick photos to capture the moment, we packed the tuna on ice to keep it fresh. Dominic and Emily were thrilled—this was their biggest catch ever! The crew celebrated with them, sharing stories of past adventures and enjoying the excitement of a successful trip. As we headed back to shore, the sun was shining, the waves were still rolling, and everyone on board felt the true joy of deep-sea fishing in Punta Cana. Another unforgettable day on the water!
