Tuna Time with Tobeck!!! 6

This is a bookend blog.
Back in April, I poked a bit of fun at my "partner in (on-air) crime" with my May 18th entry entitled "Tiger Muskies, Tobeck, Tarps and Trees"
 After a day out tuna fishin' aboard Robbie's boat "Salmon Hawk" I gotta give my tuna-lovin' Coug counterpart his due… And, as a loyal Husky it stings… but just a little.

As a former Cougar and Seahawk center, Robbie's a load and his boat and tow rig…Well, the banner says it all…

We pulled into Westport, Launched and then loaded ice and grub on the boat (some folks do it the other way but this is a Coug we're talkin' about here…), then dinner and bunk down at the Islander for the night.

We hit the bait dock just before dawn and loaded up on fresh, fiesty anchovies!  

The run out over the Grays Harbor bar was not bad at all and by full light we we're full speed ahead.

Forty-five miles off shore we found the blue water and the clouds too!  

We started trolling the "Tobeck spread" of  Tuna Feathers and Tuna Clones from the outriggers, upper rod rack and gunnel rod holders. Rob likes his gear in a "W' pattern (similar to the big "W" on the middle of the field in Husky Stadium), with the closest rigs in the second wake back and the farthest rigs slightly behind the third wake.

Fish on!!!! the reel screams and Rob's son Mason -who is one HECKUVA young angler- jumps on the rod!

Rob deftly gaffs the first tuna of the day for his son Mason.

Tuna numero uno comes over the rail with a Tuna Clone screwed into his grill.  

Score a jumbo albacore for the Tobeck clan as Rob and Mason pause for a pic.  

The bite was best early in the day when the low light and rain had the tuna feeding near the surface. Despite the low light we still had difficulty scoring on the "slide" or transition from trolling to live bait, swim baits and "irons" or jigs. Most of our fish on this day would come on the troll which is a bit unusual.
As a salmon angler at heart I can promise you that this NASCAR-quick switch from trolling to vertical techniques is a vastly under-rated and under-utilized aspect of salmon angling that has the potential to double your catch!

When the sun came out and things slowed down, Rob jumped on the bow in his underwear, looking for jumpers.  

Tobeck assured me that these were "very manly shorts" from Florida. My only reply was that we must have a different definition of "manly" here in the Pacific Northwest… As we were fifty miles off shore, I thought it prudent not to point out that his "shorts" had no pockets and an open zipperless fly in front…

On the way back in we were greeted by porpoises who were crashing bait on the surface, but no tuna below them.  

Back at the dock, we hoist the day's catch, I'm on the left, Mason's in the middle and Rob's friend Mitch on the right.  

It was great to get out with Tobeck in his element, the blue off-shore waters inhabited by big game fish. I've had the good fortune to fish with Rob from here to Alaska and back and my friends, he is an thoroughly experienced angler with more species under his belt than I can count.
Why did I call this a "Bookend blog"? Well, I picked on Rob in the Tiger Musky piece and I took a few shots here too. Hey! I'm only human… But in fairness I've got to give the man his due.
 While I've spent a good portion of my life chasing salmon, steelhead, halibut and lings, Robbie has traveled much of the Pacific putting the hooks to marlin, tarpon, permit, dorado, sharks and other species I've only dreamed about. What it all boils down to is that while I'm a bit of a one-trick-pony, Robbie is a one man fishin' band that I'm proud to call a friend and who anyone can recognize as an accomplished angler.