# 12.5kg longtail tuna, shark bay, epic day (vid)



## Guest (May 10, 2009)

I had a fantastic day on the water today, mixing it up with a shark encounter (unsure of species), a great fish caught and some awesome sailing home. I failed at attracting bites on a metal slice lure, and the squidgy fish that caught this tuna did nothing while being drifted. I hooked up while trolling at almost 10kmph, and after tidying up the mainsheet and lines, a 15 minute fight ensued. Loads of bicep-pumping, shoulder wrenching fun! With winds getting up to around 25 knots the sailing home was equally fun as well. Although this is my longest video yet, it's also one of my best.






Yakabout report: http://yakabout.com.au/home/content/view/1149/1/


----------



## djanus (Nov 8, 2008)

Well done mate, the pics and vid are great, the smile on your face when you got that fish in tells it all. Great work


----------



## yakattack (Jan 12, 2008)

Freeken awesome man. Your vids are great and good tuna to. Lucky you could sail home as i bet your arms were tired after that fight. Looking forward to the next adventure. Ps what camera setup do you use.

Cheers Micka


----------



## mattyp (Mar 7, 2008)

Another ripper vid of your catch you've got there Josh.
Looks like you flew back to the beach too.


----------



## Bart70 (Jan 28, 2007)

What a great trip out Josh!

The more I see the AI's being used like this the more I want one......If only to roar around in 20knot winds!

What a blast...... Doesn't get much better.

Bart70


----------



## pinchypaddle (Apr 25, 2009)

Awesome mate! love the vids


----------



## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

what a nice fish and great video. good day out there... i can see an island upgrade in the future


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2009)

Thanks for the compliments guys. Actually that clip pretty much made itself. Was a perfect combo of events on the water, though I have to admit, was only really achievable in the Island in todays conditions. There were no boats out, and I wouldn't wanted to have been paddling back in those conditions. But yeah... the Island made it hella fun.

If my shoulder wasn't recovering I would have stayed out to catch another. As it was though, that 15 minute fight gave me more of a workout than I needed ;-)


----------



## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

Great catch, love the theme music too  Hopefully I'll get as lucky when I'm down there in 4 weeks time.


----------



## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

Josh, that video is awesome and so is the Tuna. Could tell you were hooking along, what a ride. That is a great clip to show when people ask; How do you land big fish with those amas on there ?
Just an all round video showing of the AI's capabilities. and yours too.


----------



## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

fishing isn't supposed to be that much fun !!!....great effort - if you can call it effort ;-)


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2009)

HiRAEdd, I like your chances. Not sure if tuna will still be around in a month, but something will be. Let me know when you get here and I'll happily come out with you. 
Rob, I know. But it is what you make it 
Elm... it is a good clip to demonstrate how little the amas get in the way, you're right. I hadn't thought of that. 
Blaggon... you know you want it... you to Bart!
Matty, I was flying for sure. And I had the camera off during the best bots to. For a while there I was surfing 2 metre waves with a tailwind!
Yakatack, I use a Canon G7 in a housing (which muffles the sound, and is why I started putting tracks in the clips) attached with a RAM camera mount. I'm looking to upgrade to something a lot more capable, but I'm not sure if what I want has been built yet. I use a DSLR for stills.


----------



## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

Hahahah thats awesome, best vid on here so far!

Hooting, that was screaming mate... Whats the water ingress like on an AI at that speed?

Major congrats on the fish by the way, my Godzilla pleads to bend that much one day but to give it its best chance I gave it to my old man to bust open on Eden Kingies from his boat. Serious fish mate, loved the music too ( Or should I say score? )... The end had me onboard the deathstar, Star Wars type stuff with good cenimatic ending to say the least.

Loved it, what size card are you using and is it set to 30fps or 15?


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

.....and an artiste in the video department!!

Awesome fish, and glad you made it clear you WERE trolling on the way home. Didn't know the outriggers folded in like that.


----------



## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

BOOP BOOP mate!    
Great effort there - nothing like a good scrap with a GREAT fish.
But, hey, man, come on....that music from 5 mins in and through to the end....it was something else :shock: :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol: 
Cheers mate,
Smeg


----------



## HiRAEdd (Nov 12, 2005)

Yakass said:


> HiRAEdd, I like your chances. Not sure if tuna will still be around in a month, but something will be. Let me know when you get here and I'll happily come out with you.


That'd be cool. I've gone offshore down there a few times now but I'd much prefer to be out there with someone else. I'll drop you a line before I head down.


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2009)

Paff, I shoot at 30fps, now using a 8gb card. Any smaller gets tricky to work with on a bigger day. And yeah... the AI exposes anything that isn't 100% waterproof, including itself. On a day like today I can expect about a glass and a half of full salt dairy water to get inside hatches, etc. When I fish for bigger fish my keeper bag (which is waterproof) sits under the front hatch and collects any water that might get in through there. Without it, I'd probably take on about 3 cups. And yes... when you Godzilla is worked properly, it'll almost feel like the 1st time you got laid 

Haha Greg, when I was up to that part of the clip I realised I had too much worthy footage to fit in with the tracks I had in mind (the 1st 2 tracks, from 28 Days Later). So I just finished editing most of the footage and for interests sake tacked on the last track (from Aliens, which is where Paff is making sci-fi associations - it's used twice in the film, and I used it twice here). The crescendo miraculously synced with the boop boop boating of the fish, and it made me laugh, so I kept it. And then just recycled it for the sail home bit, which is exactly what the director of aliens did (much to the composers disgust - true story - so James Horner would probably frown on this particular copycat achievement of mine).


----------



## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

Yep that is an excellent video there Josh, great work.

The music sounded like something out of an Aliens movie, very cool ;-)

Just re the shark, do you equip yourself with a shark shield when yakking (usually solo) off shore?

And comparing the AI to something like the Adventure or Revo, how do you think those other yaks would have handled those conditions?

Any chance of the AI tipping over copping a 2m wave side-on? Also just wondering what's involved in righting one of those if it ever came to flipping, tested that out (sans gear)?

Awesome stuff!

Marty


----------



## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

Great stuff, makes you want to get off your butt and go fishing for big finny beasts, thanks for that, Dave


----------



## kayakity-yak (May 31, 2007)

I can't see the video, can someone please post the link to youtube. I cant find it anywhere!


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2009)

Marty, the first 2 tracks are from 28 Days Later, the last one from Aliens, yes. Used in the movie when the dropship clears the colony and it explodes. Also when the queen alien is ejected from the Sulaco hatch. 
No, I don't equip myself with a shark shield, though I do take out a stake out pole when I'm not using the full island. I don't feel like I need anything in the island - I'm not about to tip out, and the amas and sail must make me look big and scary to curious shark. A lot of guys up here do use them though and I can't say I blame them. No one loves me enough to nag me about it, so I just keep buying other kit instead. I don't feel like I need one (same as I don't feel I need a whistle, or epirb) but I'd use it if I had it.

Both Revo and Adv would handle those conditions. I've been in worse in both. But you really have to keep your wits about you in the revo when waves follow you like that (over long distances its easy to get distracted). Not many of those waves were breaking, so although it would have been slow going at times, it was doable. Rather have an Adv though, because if you need to rely on the paddle, it'll serve better. But you couldn't have did what I did on the island... certainly not cover the same ground in the same time. But the island has its trade offs to (weather dependant), which is why I don't always use it that way.

I reckon the AI is OK with a 2mt wave side on. If it crashes at the crucial point it would be interesting, but I reckon it'd stay up. Much bigger though and it would be pushing the friendship I reckon. And no, haven't yet had to right one, so haven't tested it. But I hear it's easier than one may think, and after watching people right cats, I tend to believe it.

KY, here:


----------



## deano199 (Nov 2, 2008)

Another beutiful vid mate. ya gotta be happy with a fish like that, is it an addition to the PB list?


----------



## GoneFishn (May 17, 2007)

Love your work Josh, keep it coming


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2009)

No Dean, still yet to top my 1st effort of 13.5kg (and 125cm) in the longtail dept. That is the second biggest tuna I've caught though. When I brought it in I was thinking it would be a PB easily... but I think that was my recovering, yet still tender shoulder talking.


----------



## radar (Nov 4, 2007)

Wicked clip Yakass,    Awesome mate. On the trip home ,and that music .I was half expecting to see that big Caterman from Water World taking pot shots at you :lol: Well done.


----------



## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Brilliant stuff as usual Josh.
The complexity of all that you are doing at once in that footage is a study in the art of multitasking.
Keep it coming mate.

Do you reckon you may eventually have a bow spray-guard made up to keep your trolling reels dryer?
The AI's drier on a broad reach, but when beating into the wind it's wetter, so maybe you simply keep them behind you?


----------



## Game fisher (Jul 5, 2006)

Your smile tells a million words. Great video and kayak setup.


----------



## simond11 (Aug 29, 2005)

Fantastic fish and an excellent video. The Hobie AI looks awesome, especially in those conditions. It looked such pure adrenaline fun. Oh dear....I can feel an Ebay search coming up....nooooooo....the dark side.....  
Congratulations again.
Cheers

Simon
Prowler 15


----------



## viking1 (May 28, 2008)

Very cool dude! very coooool!


----------



## deano199 (Nov 2, 2008)

:twisted: Not far off then.

Is the revo as stable as AI, like i where to put the the little ama kit on it? (the hobie one ofcourse im not makin it) would it make it a more comfortable yak for days like that? and ive seen video on youtube of a guy goin through the surf in a revo with the ama kit on it. do you reckon this would make a surf launch easier or harder?

sorry to be a pain in the backside but i dont know of anyone else on here that has used the revo, adv and AI. dont know if youve tried the ama im talkin about but still thought youd have a fair idea. 

Thanks and sorry once more ;-)


----------



## Guest (May 10, 2009)

Dean, I've used the sidekick ama kit on an Adventure but not a revo. And yep, it makes a hell of a lot of difference. I was able to use the Adv in 20+ knot side winds using sidekicks, but without them I'd go straight over. I reckon sidekicks are worth their weight in gold.


----------



## kayakity-yak (May 31, 2007)

Thanks Yakass, great video and awesome fish!. I always wondered how it was done with those outriggers. The sail home looked like a blast too, you've got me thinking now which is never a good idea. Is the sail purely for tailwind, or can you track into the wind too?

Also, what sort of gear are you using? rod, reel, line etc? Those reels must have a high saltwater tolerance, I was cringing watching your trip home!


----------



## Guest (May 11, 2009)

KY, both of my offshore reels have sealed bearings and are washable. That particular reel is a Diawa KIX Freams 4000, and it's about 2 years old, never serviced, and has suffered that treatment on numerous occasions. The rod is a Nitro Godzilla, the other a Nitro Viper. I'm a big fan of Nitros rods. 40kg superbraid, 50kg tracer on that rod.

That sail can handle tacking, no worries. In that clip I was sailing sth west into a sth east breeze. Downwind works great of course, but side wind performance is surprisingly good.


----------



## squizzy (Mar 3, 2007)

living the dream, how good is that well done, coulda watched action like that for hours, bring it on we want more


----------



## joey (Jul 5, 2008)

Awesome!


----------



## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

Wow!

Brilliant in all respects. Great bit of video, and the sound used to best effect! What a great day on the water

Well done, cheers Andybear


----------



## PAINKILLER (Oct 20, 2008)

As everyone said great trip report and but what i want to know Steven Speilberg is when your next movie coming out?
  

Cheer

Justin


----------



## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Great job there Josh...the fight, the fish, the yak, the vid!

I was fully pumped and on the edge of my seat and thinking Kevin Costner and Waterworld for a bit there. :lol:

Outstanding result and great to see all that gear come into it's own for such a brilliant result.

Congrats!!!


----------



## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

Awesome video, yakass! Fantastic to see the Adventure Island at work. I've not seen too many videos of the AI and it was good to see how you deal with the ama when the time came. I've often wondered how you guys in AI's dealt with getting a fish yakside with the side pods getting in the way. It doesn't look so hard to fold them in on demand.

They really scoot along in the breeze don't they!


----------



## Guest (May 11, 2009)

Yep McBigg, they really do hammer along nicely. If the water is right, they go even faster. And man, when the wind fills that sail, you can physically feel it speed up instantly... a bit like getting into a V8 for the first time and putting the foot down.

A lot of people speculate about the amas, and whether they might get in the way. Customers ask about it a lot, and it's speculated to death on forums as well. Fortunately, the speculation is typically wrong. Folding the amas is really very simple. I can even fold them in and out while sailing (just not the load-bearing ama), and do so to reach my camera to turn it on when I have it mounted on the akas. Even if the amas couldn't be folded, its actually pretty easy to bring the fish up behind the rear aka and deal with it that way.



> I was fully pumped and on the edge of my seat and thinking Kevin Costner and Waterworld for a bit there.


Cool Varp... that's pretty much the effect I was aiming for. 



> As everyone said great trip report and but what i want to know Steven Speilberg is when your next movie coming out


Haha... next weekend I reckon. Weather permitting, I'll probably go and do it all again. But I won't be satisfied until I've dragged in a Spanyard almost as big as myself! I am actually starting to get some pretty cool ideas on alternative filming and camera direction techniques. This is all just practice for the future. I'm currently shopping around for a much better camera, though finding what I want may mean time travel :-(


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Great vid! The fun-factor was high with the fishing and the commute home.

I have a philosophical question. Why do you (all) torture yourself with those coffee grinders? Personally I can't fathom (I've tried) having a slung under reel on a yak. Just watching it twist and knock your knees and free-board as the fish circled, made me cringe. Obviously you're successful, so I can't say anything negative, but it just seems like too much can hinder the action of the reel. I can take this to another venue if this isn't the place. Even PM if you want. I'll shut up now.

Thanks for the report!

Z


----------



## Rodinal (Apr 7, 2009)

Very nice - totally agree with everyone else - you have quite the following now...

Not to sound too silly... but where did you store this baby for your trip home? Front hatch? I'm very curious.

Look forward to some more adventures.


----------



## Guest (May 12, 2009)

Rodinal, the best place to store fish like that in the Adv is in the front hatch. I can just fit 2 fish like that in there (so long as they're doing the '69' thing 



> I have a philosophical question. Why do you (all) torture yourself with those coffee grinders? Personally I can't fathom (I've tried) having a slung under reel on a yak. Just watching it twist and knock your knees and free-board as the fish circled, made me cringe. Obviously you're successful, so I can't say anything negative, but it just seems like too much can hinder the action of the reel. I can take this to another venue if this isn't the place. Even PM if you want. I'll shut up now.


You've lost me completely... coffee grinder? Either way, nothing was twisting and knocking my knees. I was as comfy as can be out there. Honestly, whatever you're seeing there ain't happening... what I'm doing out there is easier than it looks.


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

No offense intended. But the reel (resembling an olde tyme coffee grinder crank) was indeed rubbing your knee when you're in full pedal stroke. I'm saying I can't see how you AUS blokes do it. Conventional all the way for me.

And also like I said you succeeded so I have nothing negative to say. Just curious.

Cheers,

Z


----------



## Guest (May 13, 2009)

Didn't take it as offense at all mate, just didn't know what you referring to. As for the reel itself, well, that's not a cheap reel and it actually pretty smooth to use. I don't ever recall it bashing on my knees :-/


----------



## NilsC (Apr 26, 2009)

Loved the video, great tuna and awesome fishing. You made my day at work. I had the video rolling. Anytime someone asked me what I was working on... The answer was "*motivation*"

Thanks for making my day.
Nils


----------

