# Recommendation of giant fishing in P.E.I.



## ksong (Jun 30, 2004)

This thread is exclusively for discussion of recreational giant fishing in P.E.I.

Dennis Braid fished giant on standup for many years and I always saw he fight big giant on standup using 50 plus lbs drag in amazement.

I finally had a chance to fish giant in P.E.I last fall.
After landing giant in 700 - 900 lbs in 55 minutes and 105 minutes on standup myself, I want to share with other fishermen the excitement and joy of fighting giant. It is definitely doable for average fishermen as long as he has determination, physical condition and experience using harness.

*best time to fish in P.E.I.*
Giant show up in P.E.I from late June/early July, but good fishing usually start from Aug and it last until mid Oct.

*transportation*

The driving distance from GW bridge to North Harbor, P.E.I is about 900 miles. It takes about 15 hours. The driving condition is pretty good as you mostly drive highways. You can drive 60 miles even in local roads except passing towns.

The airfare from NY/NJ to Charlotte, P.E.I. is about $600 - $1200. 
It takes about one and half hours from Charlotte to North Harbor by a rental car.










Giant bluefin can be located many different areas off P.E.I. Island, but the most productive area is off North Harbor Lake which is very close to East End of the map.

I am compiling charter Capts in P.E.I.
If any member knows good Capt there, let me know.

*Capt Tony. www.tonytunafishing.com

Capt Greg Norton

Capt Jamie/Troy Bruce www.peibluefincharters.com

Capt Dale and George www.zappacharters.com*
*Zappa Charter is located in Cape Breton Island off Nova Scotia.

*Lodging close to North Lake*

There is a motel in North Lake Harbor. You can get the info from a Capt when you book a charter.
The closest town to North Lake Harbor is Souris and there are a few motels in the area.

*http://www.lighthouseandbeachmotel.ca/

Souris West Motel 902-627-2205

Hilltop Motel and Lodge 902-687-3315

Red Stone Motel 902-357-2228

Roller Bay Inn *

I have stayed only in Roller Bay Inn. It is very nice and clean.
I think Roller Bay Inn is the only three star lodging in the area.

Capt Greg Norton has a rental house close to his boat and he provide the house to his customers at very reasonable price.

I found Zappa Charter provides all inclusive packages for his customers. It is pretty pricey though.

*Food*

There is a restaurant in North Lake Harbor.
And a few restaurant in Souris.
The best restaurant in Souris I found is Blue Fin restaurant.
Rollo Bay Inn provide breakfast and there is a light cooking facility in the dining room.

Grocery shops in Souris close around 6:00 pm.

Capt Tony provides lunch free with lobster sandwiches.

While I was attending Somerset Saltwater Show in New Jersey last month, a group of charter boat Capt in P.E.I. visited the show and spend some time with us as we showed video of stand-up giant fishing and giant popping with hookless poppers. 
They wanted to promote recreational catch/release giant fishing in P.E.I. They asked me whehter they could display their brochures in front of TV set and I welcomed it because I also wanted promote PEI giant fishing to other fishermen as it is an ultimate fishing to anyone.

The best option to fight giant is with standup gear. 
With adequate tackle and technique, you can land a 600 - 900 ls giant within 1 1/2 hours. Some will land it within one hour.
Dennis Braid routinely land them in 20 - 30 minutes using heavy drag and proper technique.

You can find right standup rods easily, but the problem is spinning reel. Some spinning reel like Shimano Stella or Daiwa Saltiga can give enough drag and strength to fight a giant, but they lack in the line capacity. You need at least 600 yards of 130 lbs braid on the reel, but there is no such spinning reel yet.
Accurate SR50 might give enough line capacity, but it doesn't have enough max drag.

So, your best bet if you want to bring spinning reels to P.E.I. is to tease giant with hookless poppers.


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## ksong (Jun 30, 2004)

you need high-quality standup rod. Heavy models of Seeker or Calstar can do the job. I fought the first giant using boat's well known brand standup rod and brand new Okuma 80 reel. I heard the rod got broken later while fighting.

I also used 6' prototype Black Hole rod and it performed beautifully.
But they are not for sale at this moment.

You need at least 600 yards of 130 lbs braid. Dennis Braid uses 200 lbs braid and 200 lbs leader line.
To get over 600 yards heavy braid, the minimum reel is 50.
To release giant, you can not fight long and you have to use heavy drag with minimum 40 lbs. Dennis Braid uses over 50 lb drag.
Greg and myself fought with 45 lb - 55 lb drag. I thought it was too much drag for my old body, but it was not bad at all.

I suggest to bring spinning reels for teasing giant with hookless poppers. No spinning reel has enough line capacity for big giant in P.E.I. 

For Harness, I found Braid's Power Play harness is the best.
it is well designed and I was very comfortable to fight two giant with it.


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