Page 68 - Tuna Fishing in St. Ann's Bay

ISSUE : Issue 56

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/1/1

At 5 o'c. he made his last mn to S.W. & at five-twenty we "headed him." Then steadily in for North Shore but unable to raise him. Percy said line around his tail (which proved correct). Beached the tx)at & pulled him up on shore, tail first, stone dead at 5.50: • 2 hrs. 20 mins. Measurements:-LenQth: 9 ft. 5 ins. Girth: 6 ft. 4 ins. Tail: 36 ins. Weight = 710 lbs. (Gurney Scale) Aug. 4th. Saw Tuna at 5 o'c. 3 times & drew Squid through them but no success. Aug. 5th. Saw Tuna at 5 o'clock in same place as Aug. 4th i.e. around our nets in outer Bay drew Squid & Mackerel through them at least 25 times • no success. Believe they are feeding on small pencil- SSSESSSSSSS''ZSISSS'EI'n iii<6 'ish we '' • ' there's no catch about the catch of the day. Is there anything that packs more good eating, more great flavor and more of the things we look to for proper nutrition than Nova Scotia fresh or saw gulls eat? ing. Mackerel schooling in Bay. Saw two distinct Tuna schools led by as large fish as we ev? er saw. Saw Tuna almost every day from above date to depar? ture but either my tackle was too heavy or they were too well fed as I had no more strikes. 1934 Aug. 14th In? ner St. Ann Hartjour lively with three or four schools of Tuna, feed- Aug. 15th Tuna in inner Hartx)ur still, but travelling too fast to catch ''. up with them: after lunch went to outer net & got sight of gulls follow- ' ing a good school of Tuna on way to net on N. Shore. Used Glen- cairn as a towboat & dropped off on them just short of 0. Dolphin where a Tuna struck, biting my mackerel bait in half. 3 ins. short of' the hook. Rebaited & proceeded out beyond 0. Dolphin where we saw a marvelous sight, a solid jumping line of Tuna from Hereford Is. to C. Dolphin. Dropped off from Glencairn again & hooked a small Tuna at 5.50 p.m. bringing him to gaff at 5.58 p.m. weight 138 lbs. The big Tuna seemed scarce, practically all those visible being small. The gulls were our guides for these two days. Aug. 18th. Off Gape Dolphin, hooked a small Tuna & had the gamest fight per pound we had experienced to date. In 30 minutes hard pull? ing gaffed this 75 lb. fish. Aug. 20th to Sept. 1st harpooned three swordfish of which two tan? gled line in bowsprit & pulled out the lily-iron & the third was struck in tail end & pulled out after 3/4 hour. Sept. 1st. Inner & outer bays full of Tuna. Off Fader's Cove killed two. 1st 180 lbs. in 30 minutes & 2nd 160 lbs. in 40 minutes. Ail small fish in these schools. Sept. 3rd. Killed two nrcre small Tuna off Fader's Cove: 1st 135 lbs. in 15 minutes & 2nd 145 lbs. in 45 minutes after a grand fight, the first mn he made taking a good 250 yds. off the reel. 1935 Villagers sighted first Tuna off Englishtown on July 21st. We saw one fish (wake only) and drew a mackerel once • he turned & sped up towards the bait but dove & the wind rising shortly after we saw no more.... July 29th. Sighted three suntish on way to outer net & later at about FOR A REAL CAPE BRETON WELCOME TO CAPE BRETON t'''By OLD SYDNEY PUB Finest Food and Beverages * Nightly Dancing * Fresh Seafoods * Everything We Serve Is Homemade * * A Comfortable Atmosphere for a Meal and a Good Time * PHONE 539-3003 581 Grand Lake Road, Sydney The Sydney • Glace Bay Highway, off Route 125

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