Tuna are found all over the world and have long been highly regarded as one of the top pelagic sport fish of the ocean to target from light spin to big game. Certain species of tuna have a fantastic eating quality flesh making them not only a great sport fish but a quality table fish. Tuna differ from other fish species due to their ability to raise and maintain their body temperature above that of the ocean around them. This then allows tuna to inhabit cooler and warmer climates making them more adaptable and allowing them to inhabit more of the world’s oceans than other fish species. Some species of tuna have been known to live up to 20years with the Atlantic blue fin tuna being weighed in at up 684kg and 458cm in length.

When chasing tuna the best sign to look for when trying to locate a school is bird activity. When tuna are feeding they will often school and push bait balls to the surface were the water then appears to be boiling as they feed on small bait fish. Birds are best sign because they can be seen circling and diving on the schools bait from fair distance away making it easier to locate a school. Tuna schools will often fall and rise as the bait disperses after the ball has been pushed to the surface making the schools only available to lures for a short period of time. Because there speedy feeding habits you will need to ready to cast a lure into the school as soon as come into casting distance. Having a few mates onboard will make this much easier, taking it in turns to cast and to drive. Tuna schools can quite easily be spooked by boats so as your vessel approaches the school you will need to slow down to avoid sending the school back down to the deep. On some days the tuna schools will often follow the current so it is possible to position the boat down current from the school and waiting for them to come to you without spooking the fish.

When spinning for them your mainline does not have to be heavy depending on species you are chasing, it is important though to have a nice strong leader to avoid being bitten off by their small razor sharp teeth. Mack tuna, yellow fin tuna and long tail tuna are the three most common species found on the coast with all three species sometimes being caught on the same day. Light weight can depend on the species but anywhere from 15lb braid onwards is usually a good start however some sports anglers will use as little as 4lb braid and still be able to land fish after fish. Braided lines are excellent because they can easily pull above their recommend weight class and add the extra casting distance makes them ideal. Tuna have been recorded reaching speeds of up to 70km and hour so be sure to have a quality reel with an excellent drag system than can stand up to long reel burning runs. When it comes to lure choice you can’t go past metal slugs, slugs can be cast a long distance, retrieved at fast pace and normally come with heavy duty hooks to suit. When it comes to tuna profile is everything it can be the difference between catching no fish and catching heaps. You need to try and match the bait as close as possible, if the tuna are feeding on small white bait use a small slug, if they are feeding on large pilchards use a large slug. When it comes to the cast and retrieve you will want to cast your lure as close to the edge of the boiling bait school as possible and then commence the retrieve with very fast constant wind. Tuna when feeding will only chase and feed on very fast moving lure so you will need to crank it back in. Once that tuna strikes and you set the hooks be prepared for a very long and hard memorable fight.

Talking Tackle:

Samaki Baitfish and Torpedo

When it comes to chasing tuna metal slugs are the go and the Samaki range of metal slugs are ideal. Samaki’s Baitfish and Torpedo range of slugs are excellent for tuna and just about every other type of pelagic species out there. They come in a range of natural colours and weight size to help you match whatever bait fish as close as possible. Combined with high reflective coating and strong set of trebles makes these lures ideal to spin for tuna, jig for kingfish or troll for mackerel the Samaki Bait fish and Torpedo lures are sure to satisfy your needs and put fish in the boat.

A range of Samaki metal slugs in the Baitfish and Torpedo.