Rogers fishes mostly out of Ponce Inlet. Lawhun divides his time between Ponce, Port Canaveral and Ft. Pierce. Although their techniques and rigging differ, they employ many of the same strategies for pursuing tuna by radar.

Both say the season kicks off by early May and lasts through the end of August. Each year the run begins with the teenagers showing first. From mid-season on, the bigger brutes arrive. Mid-July to mid-August offers the best shot at big fish. "That's when the 60-, 80-, and 90-pounders fire off," Lawhun said.

Both also agree on another point: The biggest tuna roam the waters beyond the Gulf Stream. A favorite zone is an area five to ten miles past the east wall.

"We usually fish east of the current, normally between 75 to 80 miles off, depending on the location of the east edge," said Rogers. "As the season develops, the run often shifts a little farther out. Yellowfins off Daytona are actively chasing baits, moving all the time."

Approaching a feeding tuna pod requires moving with the fish, team effort and speed. Rogers and Lawhun prefer lures on the strength of the latter requirement.

The trick is to work the leading edge of the pod and never troll through the pack. Placing lures in front of the fish often means pulling baits at speeds up to 16 knots. Naturals won't hold together. Lawhun puts out lures a solid quarter-mile short of the fish, and adjusts his approach accordingly. He refuses to approach diving birds without lures in the water.

Ten knots is pretty much the standard trolling speed. Barely Rigged trolls a spread of Todd's Large Barrel Head lures, rigged with 90-degree offset hooks, on the shotgun and rigger lines, and Braid Speedsters on the flatlines. The Barrel Heads are 11-inch skirted lures with concave heads designed to create a fish-attracting trail of bubbles; they are especially popular among anglers in East Central Florida (where the lures are made and sold), but are similar to a great many lures on the market. The Speedsters are double-hooked, lipless diving plugs.

Caymar's spread consists of Geosonic Flying Fish (skirted, flat-faced lures in small and medium sizes), Todd's, Big T's (zucchini color was their top producer last season), and Braid Speedsters. Rogers rigs lures with two Mustad SS 7732 hooks, sized to the lure, stiff-rigged with a 180-degree offset. He is also experimenting with 15/0 circle hooks, single-rigged, flip-flop style.

Standard tackle for East Coast yellowfins is 50-pound trolling gear. Lawhun's arsenal consists of two-speed Shimano Tiagra 50-wides, mounted on custom rods. Rogers favors 50-wide Penn Internationals. Tuna sticks need backbone, a fast action and roller tips. Penn, Shimano, Braid, G. Loomis and Star manufacture tools built for the job, as do a number of Florida custom builders.

Rogers, who's worked in the tackle shop business for years, opts for a rod of his own creation. It's a modified 50- to 80-pound-class Shakespeare Ugly Stik cut down to accept a size 20 roller tip, and re-fitted with an aluminum gimbal. This rod's definitely not spongy. He also recommends Penn Mariner Standups, model 660 CHST, 6-foot, given the same modifications.

Whatever you do, don't forget to pack a good fighting belt. Opt for the kind that spans both knees, and wear 'em low. If you own a shoulder harness, kidney belt or standup harness, even better. Tuna pumping ain't a light-tackle showdown. Lawhun sets strike drag at 15 pounds, fightin' drag at 23. I still remember the rifle-crack report of Keith's rod snapping when A.Z. bullied a hefty yellowfin out of the props.

For terminal tackle, wind-on leaders get the nod among the tuna crew. Stock fare is a 25-foot wind-on, crimped to a ball bearing marlin swivel. Sampo's 165- and 200-pound sizes are good choices. Rig lures with 200-pound mono. Rogers uses Jinkai or Momoi. Finish all connections with crimps and chafing gear-stainless chafing springs (loop protectors) on small lures, thimbles on large lures. It's a good idea to keep leader length between six and 10 feet. Shorter leaders are a lot easier to handle in the cockpit. The last step? Sharpen your hooks! Ditto the rigs for the Speedster plugs.

Perhaps the most exciting element of radar tuna fishin', besides charging the Gulf Stream at 30 knots, is the multiple hookup factor. Yellowfin tuna don't dine alone. Multiples are common. Seventy-five percent of the time, maybe more, every lure in the spread gets nailed by yellowfins averaging in the 30- to 40-pound class.

There are times, though, when you must coax the second, third, fourth and fifth fish into striking. Two strategies produce. Rule number one is never slow down. Either dump the reels, throw them back into gear and let them drop until the boat jerks them up. Or, jig 'em up by grabbing the line and jigging it. This method works best on rigger baits. Take care not to wrap the line around your hands or fingers. That would ruin the trip. Remember, tuna are certified gamefish. Play it safe.

Dealing with multiples, hooked fish blazing off in every direction, requires teamwork. Often, tuna will turn and run with the boat. Always bring in the short fish first. Why reel the shotgun line through a monofilament gauntlet just because it got hit first? Lawhun has another tip. If needed, put your rodtips together. You'll be able to tell whose line is over or under whose.

Tempting the tuna grounds ain't like hittin' your 'round-the-corner fishing hole. Every time I go I return tired, bruised and satisfied, the thrill of screamin' 50s still buzzing in my head.

Tuna Tidbits Before radar fishing gained popularity, anglers used to fish the weather buoy located 120 miles off New Smyrna. Daytona's late Frank Timmons Sr. helped pioneer the way, aboard his Escape Hatch II, for an entire bluewater generation. ä In 1982, Daytona Beach angler Charlie Schammel landed a 149.5-pound yellowfin out of Ponce Inlet. ä Marlin often crash the party. Blues to 300 pounds are landed by tuna anglers every summer. Many report seeing blues in excess of 500 pounds. As you move north, productive radar fishing grounds move farther offshore. Ft. Pierce anglers find fish about 60 miles out. Port Canaveral fishermen work a zone that starts about 65 miles off, and often venture 85 miles out. Ponce Inlet radar hunters rarely slow down until they're 70 to 75 miles east of the sea buoy. You'll need to buy a vessel permit to keep yellowfins. Obtain a tuna permit by calling 1-888-USA TUNA. ä Care of yellowfin tuna spells the difference between serving sushi-grade fish or something less. Keep the fish from flipping on deck and bruising the meat. Let tuna cool off. Stash them in the livewell for a few minutes before putting them on ice. Bleed tuna. Insert a knife behind the left pectoral fin and cut deep-until the fish bleeds profusely. Ice the fish. A good rule of thumb is to carry a pound of ice for every pound of tuna.