# How far out for tuna?



## AKCoastie (Aug 26, 2008)

After I get some more experience under my belt I would like to try or some tuna. I am just wondering how far out you need to go. How far out are the oil rigs? Do any of you guys go out on trips like that during the summer? If you do, do you free dive or scuba?


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Ahhhh....spearfishin for tuna.



That is the Mecca, the Holy Grail, The Promise Land for us on here. We all talk about it, want to do it, yet have not yet. 



The oil rigs is where you need to go, off Louisianas coast. Long long ways...have to have the gas range to get there,,,and back. It's a 2 day ordeal.



They are about 3,000 feet deep, so basically bottomless. And tuna are one of the most powerful fish. You have to have a speargun set up for it, (not just cuz it's a huge powerful fish, but because there is no bottom to stop you from decending straight to the depths of hell!). The gun needs whats called a breakaway rig, which is a bungie that disconnects from your gun after you shoot and the fish tugs. That way you are totally disconnected from the fish. Attached to that you have a floatline going up to the surface with a bouy or bouy's, to let your fish fight them.



However, the rigs are a whole nother world I have heard. We have dove some rigs out of Alabama during the Guns & Hoses Spear Tourney back end of June. It was not that deep, but there is a difference to diving a structure that comes up out of the water and has a current whipping around it, and waves bashing againts it, and trying not to get smashed up in the side of it and the barnacles, and also staying out of the lines of fishermen that are none too happy your there.



But there is more danger. If it's a manned rig, and most the deep ones are, there is always construction, welding and such going on. Things (scrap included) are dropped off the side by the workers. By things I mean heavy metal things.



And the floating rigs have suction pumps to keep them level. ANd large work boats back up to the rigs with props that could suck you up and spit you out.



Here's a post from Spearboard titled "100 ways for a rig diver to die" started by Roc, one of the Hell Divers. They are the masters of rig diving and are pretty badass. I will also say thety do a lot of needlessly stupid crap, like bounce diving to depths beyond 200 feet and shooting fish. A good number of them have died, or been seriously injured. Go figure. 





http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=62698



Also, there are the grand daddy sharks out there. Not the ocassional hammerhead, and the bullsharks and reef sharks we deal with all the time aroun here....no...they have the 15 foor tiger sharks, swarms of hammers, giant 1000 pound plus makos. 



Now...all that being said, I AM going this summer. We have a group of us who are stupid enough to do it. We plan on having 2 guys just mounted up with powerheads on shark patrol, with one shooter at a time for tuna, wahoo, monster AJ, whatever. With floatlines, you really wouldn't want more than one...that could be a mess if someone got tangled up in 2 when the fish crossed the lines. I have the biggest gun RIffe makes, the Bluewater Tuna gun with teh breakaway rig, slip tip, stainless steel cable, 5 bands, and a 72" long 3/8" thick shaft.



You crazy enough??? I think it should be a 2 boat trip. So if someone gets hurt, the rest of us don't have to end our trip early. Just send the injured moron back on the other boat.....:letsdrink


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## fisheye48 (Sep 28, 2007)

link didnt work clay...i fixed for ya



http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=62698


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Ahh...thanx. Google Chrome doesnt let me post pics. Now I see it doesnt let me paste a hyperlink. I have to switch to IE to post pics or video embed. Guess URL's too.


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## Pierce07 (Nov 13, 2007)

The Rigs are about 70 miles from Pensacola Pass. It's not that bad of a run. 



Here is how I'm going to do it next time. Leave Pensacola around 8 or 9 am Day 1 and get to the rigs around 1230 or so. Do two dives on Day 1. Fish dusk and night then get some sleep. Wake up and get the morning bite the next day and then do a couple more dives. 



It more worth your time and money to spend the night and get all the diving and fishing. When we did the run it only cost about 60 bucks a piece. I'm for sure going to dive them this summer. I'm constantly looking for a good float system and a bigger gun.


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## BOHUNTER1 (Feb 18, 2008)

CLAY...

Glad you posted that link... Man thats an awesome read and full of valuable info, worth my DSL fees this month! One day his pride is gonna get him. Not me! LOL Awesome read I encourage all to see what not to do.... and some things that ight help you not panic!

Steve


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## AKCoastie (Aug 26, 2008)

Yeah I have already read through the entire post about the Hell Divers. Those are some crazy ass mofos. I will definitely be in for a trip out in the next year or so if anyone is interested. I may not make it out this summer though. The wife is due in May and my school starts the same time. Probably going to be way too busy to do much fishing till fall.


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

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## AKCoastie (Aug 26, 2008)

Yeah that's the one thing I am really going to miss when I leave here. I picked up fly fishing this year too and I'm hooked. Most days I went out, I was limiting out on silver salmon in an hour or two. It's only been about three months since fishing slowed down and I am already feening to get back into the water. Winters are too damned long up here.


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

<SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 16px 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: pre">Heres some video of what I think we'll be dealing with! LOTS of sharks.

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## Pierce07 (Nov 13, 2007)

They were chumming it up like crazy too. There are a lot of sharks but I don't think it's that bad. Seeing as you'll have tanks on your back you won't have to chum it up and you can make it down to the YFT's. Hopefully


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Werent you out with Fenderbender at the rigs Paul? He told me you guys had to keep yanking the baits away from the swarm of sharks! I ain't scared.



Well, yes I am, but I'm still doing it.


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm interest in going. Shoot me a PM if you need an extra diver.


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## Pierce07 (Nov 13, 2007)

> *Clay-Doh (12/28/2009)*Werent you out with Fenderbender at the rigs Paul? He told me you guys had to keep yanking the baits away from the swarm of sharks! I ain't scared.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, yes I am, but I'm still doing it.




Sharks that were like less then 2' big. Bunch of babies. The bigguns were waiting in the abyss.


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## BOHUNTER1 (Feb 18, 2008)

They get bigger? :reallycrying


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Then the abyys is where I will go...with .44 super magnum...bust htrere ass!


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## cant-wait-til-next-time (Feb 2, 2009)

the offshore rigs off Alabama start at about 72miles bunch of tuna Bf and Yf


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