To catch tuna, anglers primarily employ methods such as trolling with various baits and lures, chumming with live bait, jigging, and casting. These powerful pelagic fish offer an exciting and challenging fight, requiring robust gear and precise techniques.
Primary Tuna Fishing Techniques
Catching tuna involves understanding their habits and employing effective strategies to lure them. The most common and productive methods are detailed below.
Trolling for Tuna
Trolling is a widely used technique where lines with bait or lures are dragged behind a moving boat. This method covers a lot of water, allowing you to search for active fish.
- Trolled Baits and Lures:
- Small fish: Such as ballyhoo, mullet, or flying fish, rigged to swim naturally.
- Squid: Artificial or natural squid imitations are highly effective.
- Strip baits: Cut from larger fish, these create an enticing action in the water.
- Artificial lures:
- Plugs: Cedar plugs, lipped plugs.
- Jigs & Skirts: Chuggers, jet heads, daisy chains, spreader bars, which imitate schools of baitfish.
- Soft plastics: Large paddle tail or curl tail grubs.
- Technique Tips:
- Vary trolling speeds to see what tuna prefer, typically between 5-10 knots.
- Set up a spread of multiple lines at different distances and depths to cover more water and mimic a bait school.
- Utilize outriggers and downriggers to achieve wider spreads and deeper presentations.
Chumming and Live Bait Fishing
Chumming involves attracting tuna to your boat by dispersing small pieces of cut bait or live bait into the water, creating a "chum line." Once attracted, live bait is presented to the feeding tuna.
- Effective Live Baits:
- Sardines and anchovies: Excellent for smaller tuna and attracting larger ones.
- Mackerel and herring: Larger, hardy baits suitable for bigger tuna.
- Bonito and skipjack: Can be used as live bait for giant tuna.
- Chumming Strategy:
- Start a steady chum line upwind or upcurrent from your boat.
- Present live baits (freelined or with minimal weight) into the chum line, allowing them to drift naturally with the current.
- Keep some baits ready for immediate deployment when tuna appear in the chum line.
- Rigging Live Bait:
- Hook live baits through the nose, back, or tail depending on desired action and current.
- Consider using a balloon rig to keep your bait at a specific depth and visible to hungry tuna.
Jigging for Tuna
Jigging is an active fishing method popular for targeting tuna in deeper waters or when they are holding on structure.
- Vertical Jigging: Dropping a heavy metal jig to the desired depth and retrieving it with a rapid, erratic motion to simulate a wounded baitfish.
- Speed Jigging: A high-intensity form of jigging requiring powerful rods and reels to work the jig quickly through the water column.
- Jig Types: Butterfly jigs, flat-fall jigs, and knife jigs are common choices, often in iridescent or reflective colors.
Popping and Casting
For surface-feeding tuna, especially when they are busting on bait, casting topwater lures like poppers and stickbaits can be incredibly exciting.
- Lure Action: Work poppers to create splashes and "pops" on the surface, mimicking fleeing baitfish. Stickbaits offer a gliding, wounded baitfish action.
- Accuracy: Precision casting to breaking fish is key for this method.
Essential Gear for Tuna Fishing
Tuna are powerful fighters, so appropriate heavy-duty gear is crucial to withstand their strength and speed.
| Gear Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Rods | Heavy-action offshore rods (5'6" - 7'6") with strong backbones. Stand-up rods for fighting from the boat, or spinning rods for casting/jigging. |
| Reels | High-quality conventional or heavy-duty spinning reels with excellent drag systems (e.g., lever drag) and high line capacity (300-600 yards). |
| Line | Braided line (50-130 lb test) is preferred for its strength-to-diameter ratio and sensitivity, often with a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader. |
| Leaders | Heavy fluorocarbon (60-200 lb test) or monofilament leaders are essential to prevent bite-offs and provide shock absorption. |
| Hooks | Strong, sharp circle hooks (for live bait to ensure gut-hooking prevention) or J-hooks, appropriate for the size of bait and target tuna. |
| Terminal Tackle | Swivels, split rings, and snap swivels rated for high breaking strength. |
| Gaffs & Harpoons | Long, sturdy gaffs are necessary for bringing landed tuna into the boat. Harpoons are used for very large tuna. |
| Fighting Belt | A fighting belt and harness distribute the strain from the rod across your body, making it easier to battle a large tuna. |
| Gloves | Protect hands from line burns and fish handling. |
Mastering the Tuna Fight
Remember that tuna are not the kind of fish that's going down without a fight. They possess incredible strength and endurance.
- Drag Settings: Set your drag correctly before a strike, typically to about one-third of your line's breaking strength. Adjust during the fight based on the fish's runs.
- Pump and Reel: Use a "pump and reel" technique: lift the rod to gain line, then lower it while reeling in the slack.
- Stay Hydrated: Fighting large tuna can be physically exhausting. Stay hydrated and be prepared for a long battle.
- Teamwork: If possible, have a crew member ready with a gaff or to clear lines during a multiple hook-up.
Locating Tuna Hotspots
Tuna are pelagic, often found in open ocean environments. Look for key indicators:
- Temperature Breaks: Areas where warm and cool water masses meet.
- Structure: Seamounts, underwater canyons, and ledges can concentrate baitfish and, consequently, tuna.
- Bait Schools: Tuna follow their food. Look for signs of baitfish on your fish finder or diving birds on the surface.
- Current Lines: Eddies and current rips can aggregate baitfish.
By understanding these techniques, preparing the right gear, and patiently locating these formidable fish, you can successfully target and catch tuna.
