Tuna fishing ~ the Ultimate Thrill of Sport-fishing

Tuna fishing is regarded by most deep-sea anglers as the ultimate thrill of sport fishing. Tuna are great gamefish. In terms of fighting ability, no other game fish in the oceans is comparable to the largest tuna species, the bluefin tuna . They are the toughest and strongest of all fish.

Tuna are members of the mackerel family, and numbers over 50 species. Distributed world-wide and highly migratory, tuna travels in schools. They’re of great importance to sport anglers as well as commercial fishermen, as they’re all good to eat. And the most popular species among anglers include the yellowfin, blackfin, longtail, and albacore, including the magnificent bluefin tuna which can grow to weight of 1500 lbs.

All tuna are predatory, preying on shoaling bait fishes such as sardines, herrings, mackerel and squids. And they can be caught by trolling with rigged natural baits or artificial lures, or drifting with live or dead-baits.

Sight-casting when surfacing schools of tuna are spotted with artificial lures such as poppers, big streamer flies and some other artificial lures is another exciting method.

They can be caught in various depths as tuna are both surface and mid-water species. When fish are recorded by depth sounder in deeper water, jigging with various types of jigs can be very productive. The Diamond Jig which is very versatile is one of them.

Majority of the skippers on charter boats or party boats with vast experience in tuna fishing, attract tuna by chumming with bait-fishes such as herring and mackerel cut into chunks. Chunking must be done in a correct manner with just a few drops at a time; just enough to draw them close to the boat, but not to feed them.

Anglers disdain the presence of dolphins when they’re doing deep-sea fishing. The assumption is that when dolphins are around other fishes are not to be found. But it’s the opposite with tuna fishermen. The presence of dolphins is the indication of schools of tuna nearby. So, next time when you come across dolphins on your offshore fishing trip you know what to do.

Tackle for tuna fishing used by anglers is mostly “over-kill” fishing equipment. The factors are many, and one of them is that most anglers want to be ready when a trophy-size tuna might comes calling. Nobody wants to lose the catch of a lifetime. Tackle can be as heavy as 130 lbs. class, especially boats that are well equipped with a fighting chair, trolling for giant tuna.

Stand-up battling giant tuna well over 300 lbs. is very popular nowadays. It’s made possible with today’s latest fishing equipment. A good rod and reel combination with hardness and rod-belts, anglers are able to battle these sea giants with much success. Most standard heavy-duty stand-up rods are short, below 5 ˝ ft. They are specially designed with extended fore grips for better control and lifting ability.

Tuna when hooked will take-off like a missile, so reels must be of the highest quality with reliable drag. The spools must be of the highest line capacity able to fill 50-100 lbs. test braided line. Mono-leader of 200-300 lbs. and hook size from 7/0-12/0 are used by anglers.

Tuna fishing is not for the weak and novice angler. Battling these fighting machines of the seas can be very dangerous. You need strength and stamina to battle these sea giants. My advice is to engage a charter boat specialize in this sport. For a successful and pleasant offshore big-game fishing trip, the experience of the skipper and his team of deckhands is very important. Moreover, they will have the right fishing gear needed to do the job. So keep in shape, hit to the gym or the jogging track before you dream of your big tuna.

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