Photography: CJ Conrad
Pelagic Pro Team Captain Evan Salvay has been on the grind over the last couple weeks, running and gunning for early season Bluefin tuna off the Southern California coast. April 1st marked the day when the first Bluefin of the season hit the deck of Capt. Salvay’s classic, yet fully dialed, 29’ Crystaliner. Since then, Evan and his crew have been tracking this mass of fish up and down the coast and have been scoring epic number on a solid grade of fish in the 50-70lb range.
[The 29' Crystaliner is a perfect rig because its' got the speed and agility of a skiff, yet has the comfort and amenities of a much larger boat]
[April 1st marked the day when the first Bluefin of the season came over the rail of the FV HAWK]
The style of fishing that Capt. Salvay is implementing is fast paced and action packed to catch these finicky apex predators. Hours are spent in the tower with their eyes glued to the binos, searching for hovering birds or splashing water, and when they spot what they have been looking for, the throttles are hammered down and the HAWK is in pursuit. These Bluefin have been coming up foaming on spots of anchovies and when they are doing their thing, it is quite the show. These fish will eat nearly anything you throw at them when they are in this feeding frenzy mood, but the lure of choice has been the surface iron. Capt. Salvay has been putting the hurt on these fish for the last few weeks and there’s no doubt he will be on ‘em all summer long.
[A school of Bluefin terrorizes a school of hopeless anchovies]
[The surface iron has been the lure of choice over the past few weeks]
[Capt. Salvay sinks his gaff into a solid tuna]
[The grade of fish has been nothing but spectacular]
[This is what the crime scene looks like after a school of tuna demolishes a baitball]
[Epic fishing = Happy Clients]
[The Young Guns putting the hurt on the tuna]
[The reward of catching Bluefin is something many can enjoy]
To see more of Evan's adventures click here >>>
