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Bluefin Tuna in size XXL - fulfill your dream of the fish of a lifetime! Not just for experienced Big Game anglers.
Nova Scotia, located on the east coast of Canada, not only offers the largest of all tuna species a perfect habitat with plenty of food and relatively warm water, but there is also the possibility to conquer Giant Tuna with fishing rods.
The reason for this is very simple: While in other areas around the globe, where the fish are of similar sizes, extremely large water depths (i.e. several thousand meters) predominate, the average fishing depth here is just 50 meters! When the water is very deep, the large predators simply take the opportunity and tear all the line on the way down, even with 130 lbs of equipment, until the fish is usually lost due to a whip bang (i.e. line break).
Not so in Nova Scotia, because here the boats can pursue long escapes due to the shallow water and the angler can drill out the fish. For this reason, a very large number of record fish, including the world record Tuna with the incredible weight of 678 kg, were landed off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Fishing adventure CANADA
Nova Scotia is shaped by the sea – wherever you are, you are never more than 35 km away from the coast, which is over 7500 km long and is interrupted by picturesque harbor towns, sandy beaches or sanded-off cliffs. Along this coast is also the “Bay of Fundy”, where the largest tidal range on earth (over 12 meters!) unfolds its strength. The “Cabot Trail”, an overwhelming coastal road that winds and winds over Cape Breton Island, should be noted for a day without fishing. The starting point of your fishing adventure in CANADA is the small town of Canso, which is about a 3.5-hour drive from Halifax International Airport.
Until a few years ago, with a few exceptions, the Tuna was only fished by locals. Thomas Schmidt, himself a passionate sea angler and emigrated from Germany to Canada a few years ago, finally came up with the idea why the Tuna should not be caught by anglers instead of just by professional fishermen. An interplay between fishermen and sport anglers – that is how the idea of ”Tuna XXL” was born and since then it has enjoyed great popularity on both sides. The Canadian skippers are extremely friendly people with whom you can have a lot of fun and as a sport angler you can really learn a lot of new things here. Thomas or Babsi + Gerhard Vorauer, who look after the accommodations on site, are also your local contacts for the duration of your stay.
Fishing trips CANADA
Back to fishing trips in CANADA – The best time for the Bluefin Tuna is from mid-August to November (see also the additional information on fishing). The fishing trips usually start between 06:00 and 07:00 in the morning. After first catching fresh mackerel as bait, the way to the fishing grounds is only about 20-30 minutes. Once here, 2 rods are usually laid out for Tuna. The technique with which the Giant Tuna is fished is extremely interesting: One practices the so-called “kite fishing” – here the mackerel is placed directly on the water surface with the help of a special kite, so that ideally not a single centimeter from the Leader in the water.
Since the larger Tuna would otherwise often recognize the leader line and then turn off, this method has proven very effective. The attacks are particularly spectacular, as the Tuna, which are often several hundredweight, often crash on the surface from the water before they bite. This is not for the faint-hearted! The bite alone gives you a huge adrenaline rush before the real drill begins.
The second rod is then set – also with mackerel – to a depth of about 15 meters. The fishermen call it “Down Bait” rod. Here, too, the bites are of a level of brutality that a 130 lbs rod is bent into a semicircle in a fraction of a second and the drag of the reel screems that the blood freezes in your veins. If everything goes well and the hook is set, then a drill begins, which you will probably never forget for a lifetime. With smaller fish this can be over after 15 minutes of hard work, with large Tunas it could take several hours …
You may hardly think it possible, but Tuna in the range of 100-200 pounds are part of the “nursery” and are often released. From one day to the next, fish suddenly appear in the 300-500 pound class. But also giants of 600-800 pounds are caught regularly and even “grander” (ie fish over 1000 lbs) are normally landed every year.
Fishing travel CANADA
This inevitably raises the question of why the Tuna population is so huge here. Apart from the local conditions, this is particularly due to the very strictly regulated fishing travel in CANADA. In addition, even the professional fishermen are only allowed to catch the Tuna with their fishing rods. So no nets or longlines. Lucky for us anglers!
By the way – since the water is relatively shallow, you can fish for other types of fish with light equipment. There are tons of cod, coalfish, mackerel and sea scorpions. Certainly rather small fish, but they can contribute to the pleasant pastime until the really big one bites. We recommend taking a light travel rod with you.
As is common in the Big Game internationally, the catch belongs to the boat. The local extraction of Tuna is subject to a complicated quota system that changes from year to year. This means that it is up to the skipper which fish can be retained and which may be released. If a larger fish is retained, there is still so much usable meat left over when the fish (head and tail area of the fish) are cut (this is not uncommon a few kilos), which the angler can keep for his own consumption. Cod and mackerel can of course be taken at will. If very large fish are landed, the skipper may first stop fishing in order to immediately bring the fish to the landing station in the port. This is of immense importance for the quality of the meat. Since the way back to the port is only a short one, you can continue fishing afterwards.
How to get there
The nice thing about Nova Scotia is that you can get there relatively quickly and comfortably due to the good flight connection. The journey to Iceland or to remote areas in Northern Norway often takes longer than it takes to get to Canada. You either fly with Condor from Frankfurt directly to Halifax (flight time around 7 hours), or with Air Canada from almost all major German airports via London to Halifax. From there, continue with the rental car to Canso (about 3-4 hours drive).
You will fish from local fishing boats that have been specially designed for catching large Tuna.
The charters boats
We have several sport fishing boats available on site, all of which are roughly the same size and equipment (35-45 feet in length) and have extremely experienced captains. Such as. the “Catchin Chaos” by skipper Dave. The name is certainly not a program, because the crews are very professional.
State-of-the-art nautical equipment (high-performance echo sounder, chart plotter, radio) and safety equipment are standard and help with the hunt for the Giant Tunas.
Also bait fish tank, fighting chair, on-board toilet, cool box. 130 lbs equipment (Penn / Shimano) for catching large Tuna is available – you should bring light rods for Mackerel or Cod fishing. Thanks to years of experience, we had the opportunity to get to know many of the skippers in Canso and were able to convince ourselves that they are all very experienced and catch their fish.
The Cottages
You stay in cozy wooden huts, which are either in the forest or by the lake.
The cabins have 2 bedrooms (one double and 2 single beds). Living room with fully equipped kitchenette (stove, oven, toaster, coffee machine), dining table and fridge with freezer compartment. Seating area in living room, table and radio. Bathroom with shower / toilet.
Travel time from the hut to the port: approx. 15 minutes.
OFFERS PLEASE ON REQUEST!
For individual groups who would like to go to Canso for Bluefin Tuna fishing, we would be happy to make you an offer tailored to your needs. Just ask us!
