Archive for November, 2009

The Protege: Aaron Kirkconnell Scott Bluewater Spearfisherman

Aaron Kirkconnell Scott and his big cousin Cameron. Same stoked smile on the first big yellowfin Tuna he has seen up close on his first bluewater trip

Aaron Kirkconnell Scott and his big cousin Cameron. Same stoked smile on the first big yellowfin Tuna he has seen up close on his first bluewater trip


Yeah there were a few sharks around too....

Yeah there were a few sharks around too....


Aaron and one of 8 Blackfin Tuna he shot in the few days we dove. He got the hand of it pretty quick and was only picking out the 25 lb'ers. Spoiled Rotten.

Aaron and one of 8 Blackfin Tuna he shot in the few days we dove. He got the hand of it pretty quick and was only picking out the 25 lb'ers. Spoiled Rotten.


Aaron's first Wahoo at 50 lbs. I was on the surface beside him watching the whole thing screaming in the snorkel to swim towards them. On the drive over I had talked for 6 straight hours on how to hunt them and all the other bluewater fish, telling him things I don't even let on to my friends. He listened, and he already had a lot of raw skill and 15 years under his belt of being surrounded by the sport. He shot this first one from about 6 feet away and had his choice of the entire school. Mad skills. I'm scared he is going to be better than all of us...

Aaron's first Wahoo at 50 lbs. I was on the surface beside him watching the whole thing screaming in the snorkel to swim towards them. On the drive over I had talked for 6 straight hours on how to hunt them and all the other bluewater fish, telling him things I don't even let on to my friends. He listened, and he already had a lot of raw skill and 15 years under his belt of being surrounded by the sport. He shot this first one from about 6 feet away and had his choice of the entire school. Mad skills. I'm scared he is going to be better than all of us...


Still smiling 6 months later I'm sure

Still smiling 6 months later I'm sure


Admittedly this one was a fluke. I was looking for Wahoo and a school of 10 big Yellowfins came up. I had the camera in my left hand and made the dive following them to a whopping 56 ft to take the shot. They all had long sickle fins back to their tails so I knew they were 130+lbs and was praying they were bigger. With a single Riffe 2 Atmosphere float and a 100 ft bungee I had him up within three minutes and Aaron put the second shot in him. Chad had the video camera so for fun I brought him up while he was very much alive and as he came to the surface snatched his tail out of the water. Predictably he went batshit and made a circle of whitewater about ten yards wide. His tail beat against my left bicep so fast and hard it was like getting hit with an axe. When I finally let him go my glove and my brand new dive knife got caught in the cable and I lost them both. Could have been my hand, or my leg or my neck. Just goes to show (practice what your preach) always kill your big fish before you try to get your hands on them. It happened the very next day with Lindsey grabbing a feisty one the same size and he lost all the bungee he had worked so hard to get to him and it took another 5 minutes to get the fish in.

Admittedly this one was a fluke. I was looking for Wahoo and a school of 10 big Yellowfins came up. I had the camera in my left hand and made the dive following them to a whopping 56 ft to take the shot. They all had long sickle fins back to their tails so I knew they were 130+lbs and was praying they were bigger. With a single Riffe 2 Atmosphere float and a 100 ft bungee I had him up within three minutes and Aaron put the second shot in him. Chad had the video camera so for fun I brought him up while he was very much alive and as he came to the surface snatched his tail out of the water. Predictably he went batshit and made a circle of whitewater about ten yards wide. His tail beat against my left bicep so fast and hard it was like getting hit with an axe. When I finally let him go my glove and my brand new dive knife got caught in the cable and I lost them both. Could have been my hand, or my leg or my neck. Just goes to show (practice what your preach) always kill your big fish before you try to get your hands on them. It happened the very next day with Lindsey grabbing a feisty one the same size and he lost all the bungee he had worked so hard to get to him and it took another 5 minutes to get the fish in.


I won't be doing that again. It didn't even make my muscles look bigger

I won't be doing that again. It didn't even make my muscles look bigger


Chad Morris with a stud Wahoo. WE never seem to have a bad trip when we go together.

Chad Morris with a stud Wahoo. WE never seem to have a bad trip when we go together.


Lindsey Hurd with a good Yellowfin. I have this one on video for three minutes swimming inches from the front of the camera before anyone was able to get over there and shoot him. You can hear me on video screaming for someone to come over and then when he shot "Thank god someone shot that thing!"[caption id="attachment_482" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="32lb Blackfin Tuna shot with the pole spear. NEW WORLD RECORD!!! Super stoked. even more so because it was with a pole spear and I had the video camera in the other hand. I\'ll put it up on here asap so you stop calling BS on it. (For good measure I shot a 24 and 27 lb on video too. Not a bad day!)"]32lb Blackfin Tuna shot with the pole spear. NEW WORLD RECORD!!! Super stoked. even more so because it was with a pole spear and I had the video camera in the other hand. I'll put it up on here asap so you stop calling BS on it. (For good measure I shot a 24 and 27 lb on video too. Not a bad day!)[/caption]
Nothing better then seeing your friends happy. Chad Morris with the biggest fish of the trip and a huge smile on his face

Nothing better then seeing your friends happy. Chad Morris with the biggest fish of the trip and a huge smile on his face

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November 22, 2009 · Filed under Photos, Spearfishing Tales, Spearfishing Travel

Yellowfin Tuna Spearing !

I got a call a few days ago to travel via some Local commercial fishing boats to some far off islands with only one other Gringo (Mark Healey) to hunt Tunas. Since then I have spent hours on end researching and rigging gear and it made me pull up some pics from the past few years hunting big tunas.

Hope you enjoy

Yellowfin Tuna have always been a part of every spearfishermans dreams.

I’ve been around the world looking for them and they still get my blood running thinking of seeing those yellow

finlets on the edge of visibility knowing that this is one of the most powerful fish in the ocean.

Here are a few pics from the past few years of some of our favorite fish in the sea

200-lb-tuna-central-america-1Nothing like the sight of a Big Yellowfin Tuna. All the colors and textures are lost quickly when they are brought to the surface but show well on this 270 lb one

Nothing like the sight of a Big Yellowfin Tuna. All the colors and textures are lost quickly when they are brought to the surface but show well on this 180lb one

You'll only grab a Tuna once that isn't all the way finished. We learned the hard way in Mexico with Brandon trying to get a hold of a 65 lb'er and getting wrapped up in the shooting line after the fish took 3 quick turns around his legs and he had to cut himself free. Lost the fish but Brando is still alive so thats a plus. This is another 180lb'er or so in the Pacific

You'll only grab a Tuna once that isn't all the way finished. We learned the hard way in Mexico with Brandon trying to get a hold of a 65 lb'er and getting wrapped up in the shooting line after the fish took 3 quick turns around his legs and he had to cut himself free. Lost the fish but Brando is still alive so thats a plus. This is another 180lb'er or so in the Pacific

First view of one coming up from down deep is always wonderful. You are so tired from pulling and clipping to bring him up and you are still wondering if the shot is good or if the sharks are on him. Your buddy dives down to check him out and confirms that it is a big one and you get that second wind to haul him up the rest of the way.

First view of one coming up from down deep is always wonderful. You are so tired from pulling and clipping to bring him up and you are still wondering if the shot is good or if the sharks are on him. Your buddy dives down to check him out and confirms that it is a big one and you get that second wind to haul him up the rest of the way.

Still all lit up. If I can I don't kill the fish all the way so we can take pics of it with all its colors. Too often in magazines the pics of fish are long dead and it looks like they have been killed a week before. If you tire the fish out and get him under control they will keep their colors in your hands for pics.

Still all lit up. If I can I don't kill the fish all the way so we can take pics of it with all its colors. Too often in magazines the pics of fish are long dead and it looks like they have been killed a week before. If you tire the fish out and get him under control they will keep their colors in your hands for pics.

Swimming the big boys to the boat. You are so proud and so tired and your friends are so pissed that you just wasted 20 extra minutes taking pictures when they could have been up current shooting their own.

Swimming the big boys to the boat. You are so proud and so tired and your friends are so pissed that you just wasted 20 extra minutes taking pictures when they could have been up current shooting their own.

One of my first really big ones. Broke his spine with a Euro 140 with a 7mm shaft and only two bands. Not the right equipment for the job but I've landed 2-3 with it. You have to be close as hell to make it work. This guy jumped twice before I was able to grab his tail and keep him out of the water so the boat could gaff him. Awesome fish. I had so much adrenaline running through me I just wrenched him off the deck and into my lap. So stoked

One of my first really big ones. Broke his spine with a Euro 140 with a 7mm shaft and only two bands. Not the right equipment for the job but I've landed 2-3 with it. You have to be close as hell to make it work. This guy jumped twice before I was able to grab his tail and keep him out of the water so the boat could gaff him. Awesome fish. I had so much adrenaline running through me I just wrenched him off the deck and into my lap. So stoked

200-lb-tuna-central-america-11200-lb-tuna-central-america-2costa-rica-cam-biting-tuna-in-boat

Big YFT. This was my first one over 200lbs and it was a beast. Really kicked my ass

Big YFT. This was my first one over 200lbs and it was a beast. Really kicked my ass

Gulf of Mexico Yellowfin. Shows the cookie cutter shark on his right side really well.

Gulf of Mexico Yellowfin. Shows the cookie cutter shark on his right side really well.

4th dive of the day. This guy comes up and presents a perfect shot as he blazes past.

4th dive of the day. This guy comes up and presents a perfect shot as he blazes past.

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This is the one I stole from Mark Healey. We were both down about 60 feet away from each other and two big boys came through. This one made a move around the outside of us and I was able to intercept him before he swam off for good or came close enough to Heals. He is still pissed at me I think.

This is the one I stole from Mark Healey. We were both down about 60 feet away from each other and two big boys came through. This one made a move around the outside of us and I was able to intercept him before he swam off for good or came close enough to Heals. He is still pissed at me I think.

Love the long Trailers on the big ones. This is my best at 270+lbs.

Love the long Trailers on the big ones. This is my best at 270+lbs.

Big one down in Mexico a few years back.

Big one down in Mexico a few years back.

That is a lot of dead weight in your hands at the end of a long fight you are praying the boat is close so you can get a hand on the gunwale and let the boys sink the gaffs into him. You are so damn tired but so happy at the same time just after this they pull you in and you flop down beside the fish happy as you've ever been.

That is a lot of dead weight in your hands at the end of a long fight you are praying the boat is close so you can get a hand on the gunwale and let the boys sink the gaffs into him. You are so damn tired but so happy at the same time just after this they pull you in and you flop down beside the fish happy as you've ever been.

Big belly + Ling Sickle Fins = 250lbs Tuna or bigger

Big belly + Ling Sickle Fins = 250lbs Tuna or bigger

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Close to the end of the fight ready for the second gun and a kill shot

Close to the end of the fight ready for the second gun and a kill shot

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November 9, 2009 · Filed under Spearfishing Tales, Spearfishing Travel