Blue Fin Tuna at the Coimbra Wreck

At 3:00 AM on a foggy morning back in 1942 the 423' British tanker Coimbra was plying the waters about 60 miles south of Long Island when a German U-Boat torpedo slammed into her. This unlucky ship was just the second eastern seaboard victim of the WW II battle of the North Atlantic.

Today the Coimbra still lies in the three sections she was blown into. Her bow is facing east, mid section is leaning to port and her stern rests on its side. The wreck is located 64 miles southeast of Jones inlet in 180-190 feet of water. And it has become an artificial reef that is a magnet for bait fish and blue fin tuna.

Upon arriving at the wreck site you can see a sheen from the oil that the ship is still leaking. But it is the Blue Fin Tuna action that is the main attraction. Trolling or dropping bait seems to work equally well at this location. 

It was ballyhoo with a new skirt that attracted the attention of this Blue Fin on the right one morning in July. 

And dropping bait is effective - large squid work really well, as evidenced by this 
160 lbs.monster taken at the wreck. 

This fish took over two hours to land, "showing color" after the fierce first hour, then coming and going back down over a dozen times before it was landed.

A memorable spot indeed!