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Tuna Time!
Dane Radosevic
I approached with fixated eyes on the white water being stirred up by dive bombing birds and erratically feeding tuna, breaking the surface in a frenzied attack on the helpless baitfish. The adrenaline started to rush in anticipation as I reached for my rod to put in the cast, clicked the bail arm over and started to crank my lure back in the direction of the boat. I felt a solid thump as my lure was intercepted and then began travelling at high speed in the opposite direction. Welcome to tuna fishing!
Targeting longtail tuna can be one of the most exciting and adrenaline pumping forms of fishing an angler will experience and has the ability to make many of the best in this sport go weak at the knees. The visual aspect, when approaching nervous baitfish flickering on the surface and birds circling and dive bombing from above, just as the tuna explode from underneath demolishing the tightly packed bait ball, is certainly a spectacular site. This species of tuna is a highly renowned sportfish, attracting anglers from far and wide in the hope of encountering one of these prized specimens.
On days when the tuna are thick, it can be as simple as looking for flocks of diving birds and savagely feeding tuna, slowly motoring within casting distance of the school and making a cast... nine times out of ten hooking up. However on other days, when the tuna are around in smaller numbers and being rather flighty, experience and knowledge, which comes with time spent on the water, can play a large part in success or failure. This is where watching the birds and their flight patterns carefully and knowing what they are going to do next will pay off... as they are your eyes in the sky.
Using a stealthier approach may also be needed to get a shot away at the target. Tuna will generally feed into the wind, so when sighting a school get up wind of them and cut the motor. Letting the fish come to you, with no unusual noises from a motor running, will generally get you a shot in these tough conditions.
Around this time of year is when we see large schools of average-sized longtail tuna make Hervey Bay their home and their feeding grounds, as the acres of bait move into Platypus Bay. The action really heats up, with double figure sessions not uncommon and it is literally a fish a cast for as long as your body can withstand the punishment of these speedsters.
Platypus Bay is the area that covers from Coongul Point to Rooney's Point, on the northern end of the western side of Fraser Island. When heading up the island into Platypus Bay in search of longtails you will generally start to see small schools of tuna around the three triangles, also known as Arch Cliffs. As you continue to make your way further up the island toward the Wathumba Creek area, in a spot known as the 'Pocket' by some of the local fisho's, the tuna schools are usually bigger and much more prolific.
Tuna, being a pelagic species, are constantly on the move following the baitfish, hence some trips you might find them in the same areas and on others you might have to go searching for them. It pays to have the versatility to be able to move around a lot if need be.
My most recent trip up the island was one of the most exciting sessions I have had on the tuna this year, landing well over 25 longtails alone on both plastics and fly. There were literally acres of them feeding on tightly balled up baitfish and the tuna were far from flighty, going ballistic right beside the boat as the baitfish tried to find cover in the shadow of the hull. The deep blue coloured water of the ocean sparkling with the amount of loose scales floating around was truly an amazing site.
When gearing up to target tuna a good quality spin combo is an advantage, as it makes your job a lot easier and also allows you to put more hurt on the fish to try and land them before the sharks hone in. A reel in the 4000-5000 size range, spooled with 20-30lb braid and matched to a 7 foot 6-10kg rod is an ideal combo and will get you out of trouble in most cases.
My personal favourite lures and colours of choice, that have proven most successful for me, are the ZMan 5" StreakZ in Bubble Gum and Baby Bass and the ZMan 5" Scented Jerk ShadZ in Pearl, matched to a TT Lures HeadlockZ HD 1/2 to 3/4oz jighead with a 5/0 hook. The Baby Bass colour is very quickly becoming my go-to colour, with its realistic baitfish pattern a perfect offering for matching the baitfish in our area. For the fly enthusiasts I would suggest tying on a pink silicone or white clouser as these two flies have been killing it, matching the hatch perfectly.
Until next time, Fish Hard.
Dane Radosevic