ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 16, 1997 TAG: 9702180013
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-12 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: OUTDOORS
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
The seas were really too rough to venture out, particularly in a small boat. But Jay Coleman had driven most of the night, from his Smith Mountain Lake home to Hatteras, N.C., and the bluefin tuna were waiting offshore.
Coleman was catching up with a couple of his buddies, Greg Venning and Chris Hutton, who had driven to the coast a couple of days earlier to take advantage of the world-class winter tuna fishing off Hatteras. Venning and Hutton got onto the fishing grounds their first day and tied into some huge, hard-charging tuna.
``It tore up all of their equipment,'' Coleman said. ``Greg had one on a fly rod that ripped him all out. They had one giant under the boat for 30 minutes and never got him up.''
The next day the wind got high, keeping Venning and Hutton in port. The following morning, when Coleman arrived, the seas still were churning.
``It was 7- to 8-foot seas and 25-knot winds,'' Coleman said.
Those hardly are the kind of conditions you'd choose for any offshore trip, certainly not one in a 21-foot center console, which was the kind of craft Venning and Hutton had trailered to the area. But by mid-morning, the weather report was turning more favorable.
``The weatherman said it was going to blow down to 10 knots,'' Coleman said. ``So we decided to try it. We got us some bait and went out through the inlet. It was probably 6- to 7-[foot seas].''
Venning and Hutton previously had found their tuna inside the wrecks off Hatteras, about a 17-mile trip. The fish weren't there this time. Maybe the storm had pushed them farther offshore. So the trio ran out to 25 miles, where they spotted steam coming off warmer water.
``We got there and made one pull with a Sea Witch and ballyhoo on,'' Coleman said. ``A big fish exploded on that and we never stuck him. Two minutes later another fish exploded on it.''
This one was hooked. Venning was on the rod, Hutton was acting as mate and Coleman was handling the boat, a Sea Ray Laguna, the kind he sells at Smith Mountain Yacht Club.
``I guess - I don't want to exaggerate - we did battle for three hours. It seemed like three days,'' Coleman said. ``I did left-hand turns in this Laguna for three hours. We got him up beside the boat, and then we didn't know what we were going to do.''
While they were pondering the next step, the fish decided to make yet another run. Fifteen more minutes were required to winch him back to the boat.
``I took the anchor line and took the shackle loose and pulled the line through the hook and lassoed the fish around the neck, and all three of us grabbed him and dragged him over the side,'' Coleman said. ``When he came, he fell right on top of Chris, so we are all lying on the floor and the tuna is thrashing around.''
Also thrashing were the waves. The wind had increased and was kicking up 8- to 10-foot seas.
``The weatherman had lied,'' Coleman said. ``The smallest boat we saw was a 42-foot Bertram, and here we were in a 21-foot Sea Ray Luguna.''
Even the 62-foot Buddy Davis fishing nearby was disappearing in the swells. ``Sometimes it was so rough I couldn't see the guy sitting on the bridge,'' Coleman said. ``I could just see his riggers and antennas.''
The ride back was rough and wet.
``At times, we would take waves over the front or over the sides,'' Coleman said. ``The water in the self-bailing cockpit was between my shins and my knees. I wasn't scared for my life, but I was concerned about getting back.''
Coleman said he took comfort in the fact that there were bigger boats nearby and his boating experience included a stint as skipper of a charter boat.
``We made the breakers at Hatteras right at dark. When we pulled into dock, the guys were looking at our little boat and big fish and they told us it was a real testimony to our seamanship and to the boat.''
The tuna measured 80 inches and weighed 292 pounds. It was applied to Venning's federal permit, which allowed the keeping of one giant fish.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB