Photos

Nova Scotia: The Bluefin are Back

By Doug Olander

Updated: October 4, 2012

The bluefin are back! This fall has been a memorable smackdown of giant bluefin fights off Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. One of the captains who puts anglers onto giants in the fall, Capt. Josh Temple (primetimeadv.com) also found time to take some images aboard and from his boat, shared in this photo gallery, images that will give you a feeling for what a few very lucky anglers got to experience. Here, Skyler Sheaves is about to cut the cord — releasing her first-ever giant bluefin. She bested this beast in less than 45 minutes. Capt. Josh Temple

Skyler Sheaves paces herself, working on her giant bluefin using heavy 130-pound-class chair tackle, pressuring the big fish with more than 80 pounds of drag. Capt. Josh Temple

First mate Andrea McQuade, of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, prepares a wind-on leader (while, unseen here, her angler, Graham Weiss, does battle with an estimated 1,100-pounder).

Angler Keith Brandner, from New Jersey, gets an up-close-and-personal view of the 900-pound bluefin he caught on stand-up tackle.

Brandner prepares to bring his 900-pound giant bluefin to leader as Capt. Josh Temple coaches him through the final moments of an epic battle.

Graham Weiss, of San Diego, hooks up to another giant bluefin tuna in the waters of Nova Scotia’s Northumberland Strait.

Weiss caught and released this estimated 1,100-pound giant bluefin off Fisherman’s Bank, Nova Scotia with Prime Time Adventures.

The numbers of giant bluefin returning to Nova Scotia in 2012 were again at historic levels. Shallow waters of the Northumberland Strait rarely exceed depths of 120 feet. Here, a massive school of giants swarm beneath the boat.

After a hiatus of nearly 30 years, the giant bluefin tuna have once again swarmed to the waters off of Nova Scotia. The Canadian Coast Guard, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (shown here) keeps a close eye on anglers to be certain that conservation laws are followed to ensure the health of the species for future generations.

Glen Gilmore of Massachusetts digs in hard against his grander-class giant.

Andrea McQuade of Prime Time Adventures wires Skyler Sheaves 800-pound giant. Ms. McQuade is fast becoming one of the most well-traveled and experienced female crew (and sometime angler) in the business, Temple says.

Capt Johnny Gavin helps Texas angler Chip Wagner land his 700-pound bluefin on a bluebird fall day in Nova Scotia.

As founder and CEO of Prime Time Adventures (primetimeadv.com), Capt Josh Temple spends his time traveling around the world to the hottest game-fishing locations on the planet. In addition to establishing himself as a topnotch skipper, putting anglers on fish from Central America to Canada (both coasts), Temple has earned a solid reputation for his writing and photography skills.

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