Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Shallow-Reef-Light-Tackle-Offshore » Fishing for Tuna

Fishing for Tuna

By Brendan Blackburn

Birds, 11 o'clock, 800m, came the call! As we closed the gap, we found that there were indeed birds, not just a couple, but hundreds of them, with tuna below driving the bait to the surface and creating a feeding frenzy.

Welcome to Platypus Bay, Fraser Island.

I never get tired of catching tuna. They are such and awesome looking fish, with power and speed to burn. Fish around the 1m mark are very common and fish around the 1.2m mark are there and they will give you a good workout at this size as they increase in weight quite substantially.

Birds are your best friend when it comes to finding feeding tuna on the surface. Find the birds and the fish won't be far away. The higher the birds are flying generally means the deeper the fish are holding, rounding up the bait. As the fish near the surface the birds will lower to the water, ready to take advantage of the feeding frenzy unfolding. This is the time to fire off your lures in search of that prized catch.

The rocket ships of the sea never stop swimming and you will see them ripping through the water at 30-40km/h at times, smashing bait and hunting down lures. Few things match seeing a metre plus fish take to the air, with your lure in its mouth like a dog showing off his prized bone.

Schools of longies can vary from a few fish, mixed in with mac tuna, to schools of hundreds of fish, breaking up all around the boat. The adrenalin really starts to pump when they are busting up at the boat, you are just about to get ready to make another cast and your lure is smashed 5m from the boat. Line starts to disappear before you know what has happened!

When the fish are active, quite often you will hardly get a chance to close your bail arm, before line starts peeling off your reel and the battle is on. Around Platypus Bay you will generally only be fishing waters up to 20m deep, while in close to shore you may only be in 3-5m of water. Like when fishing most areas, it will depend where the bait is holding. Nothing beats flats fishing, where you can see every move the tuna is making and watch it smash your offering, before it strips line like your reel is in neutral. Even though the water is quite shallow, you will still have 40-50m of line out when the fish takes off and gives the customary big runs.

Quite often, when the fish are holding thick and you are hooked up, you will feel other fishing hitting your line as they dart around chasing the bait. If you have more than one person casting at the same time be careful to keep hooked fish and lines apart at all costs. This is easier said than done as they are very powerful fish, however if your lines cross a lighter braid will bust a heavier braid real quick and one or both fish can be lost... along with a lot of line.

Hooked fish tend to swim in big semi circles and larger specimens can take quite a while to get alongside the boat. To aid in getting fish to the boat you can motor forward slowly to gain some extra line. Even when you do get a fish alongside, the battle is only half done as quite often they will power away again and bring your hard work undone. Tuna are always swimming, they are not a fish that can stay motionless in the water, so when you do get them to the boat, quickly net them (if you have a decent strong net) or tail them and bring them aboard, quickly remove your lure and after a couple of pictures, spear them back into the water so that they swim away strong.

Tuna die very quickly when out of the water, so if you want some keepsake pictures then have the camera ready, before you land the fish, to limit the time it is out of the water. Longies make great sashimi or even bite sized pieces, cooked in sweet chili and honey marinade they go down a treat. Be sure to bleed your catch well before putting the fish on ice.

Longtail tuna, in fact all tuna species, can also be extremely frustrating to hook, especially if the bait balls are not very big and the tuna aren't holding on the surface for very long. At times trying to get some good casts at them can make you go mad. The fish at times will be so focused on the bait that they are chasing they will ignore your lure time and time again. Changing lure colour and size is a very important variable in catching tuna, if they are fussy.

Downsizing to the likes of a ZMan 3.75" StreakZ may be required if the bait is very small. This presents its own problems. If the fish are flighty then your casting distance reduces considerably and if the wind is blowing it makes it very hard indeed. If this problem occurs, changing from plastics to TT Lures Hard Core metal slugs will give you some decent casting distance, allowing you to reach those fussy schools.

I will always cast with the wind behind me and will always try and have the sun behind me as well, to give me the best visibility possible. This is where good quality polarized sunglasses pay for themselves. Trying to cast into the wind is a waste of time. Always approach the school from upwind as this will generally be the way the fish are feeding, into the wind. Of course, nothing is for certain and the fish will quite often break all the rules, however that is what makes it so enjoyable or frustrating. Trying to stay ahead of fast moving schools takes a lot of patience and stealth is all part of the game. If you come roaring into the busting school at Mach 2, rip it into neutral and fly the biggest lure in your tackle box at them, they will most likely be gone before your lure hits the water.

Tuna schools are very mobile. Quite often they will disappear and then pop up again 100m away, only for you to follow that school and not twenty seconds later have a school pop up right where you just came from. The bait is trying to hide in the bubbles and whitewash that your boat creates as you drive off, only to have the tuna find them again right where you just came from. This all adds to the fun and frustration of chasing the fish... and the rewards are well worthwhile. For first time tuna fishers the looks on their faces as the lure is disappearing over the horizon is priceless.

Another method worth trying, if the fish aren't holding the surface for very long, is to let your lure sink down in amongst the school. Soft plastics will drift and tumble down in the water column better than slugs for this type of fishing and if the tuna are still present they will normally hit your lure down deep. This type of fishing also creates great bycatch, such as snapper, cobia, queenies, various trevally and just about anything that could be holding around the tuna schools looking for an easy meal.

Where there is bait and big numbers of tuna, unfortunately there will also be sharks. Many fish will be lost to sharks and there is no point in feeding the sharks and losing good fish and tackle to them. Using quality tackle will give you a better chance of landing the bigger fish. Your reel will be put to the test and anything that isn't up to the task will feel like a bag of marbles after a couple of big fish, with the drag washers also getting a real work out.

My preferred lures when chasing tuna -

• ZMan 5" StreakZ (Bubble Gum or Baby Bass)
• ZMan 5" Scented Jerk ShadZ (Pearl, Electric Chicken, Coconut Ice Glow)
• TT Lures HeadlockZ HD Jigheads (1/2oz 5/0, 3/4oz 6/0, 1oz 6/0)
• TT Lures Hard Core Metal Slugs
• Fish Inc. Lures Flanker 115mm Sinking Stickbait

One thing that I have found is that you need to retrieve your lure as fast as you possibly can. You cannot wind faster than a tuna can swim, so don't think the fish won't catch your offering.

Hopefully this helps you get hooked up to a few of these line burners. Fish on!