Gearing up for Longtail Tuna

By Reece Thomas

When it comes to chasing pelagic fish species nothing gets the adrenaline pumping more than longtail tuna. From the surface busting eruptions of tuna feeding on bait schools, to their fast powerful runs and never tire attitude, they really are an exciting fish to pursue.

In this article I will explain the process of getting hooked up to a longtail tuna, along with the gear that is required to land these fish.

LOCATION

The waters around southeast Queensland see an increase of tuna activity in the autumn and spring months, and while longtail can be found throughout the year, I have had good success fishing from February through to April. When I’m talking ‘southeast Queensland’ I’m referring to the key locations of Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay.

Longtail make their migration north along the eastern Coastline and they tend to do this quite close to the shore, making them relatively easy to access for small boats and even kayaks, when the conditions are favourable. There have been numerous times that I have been fishing for snapper in Moreton Bay and had a tuna school erupt close by, however most of the time chasing tuna is spent ‘scouting’, covering kilometers on the water and actively looking for feeding fish and bird activity.

BOAT POSITIONG

This is super critical! and sometimes overlooked. Before you even think about firing that first cast toward fish, you want to give yourself every chance possible. As exciting as it may be, seeing large barrels leaping out of the water and turning it to foam as they feast on bait fish, sit back, observe and plan your approach.

The easiest way to locate tuna schools is to look for ‘bust ups’, referring to actively feeding fish on the surface and birds. The two go hand in hand. Once located, as you close in on the last 200­­-300m of your approach toward the fish, you need to be thinking about bringing the speed of the boat slowly down and observing which way the fish are feeding. I have found the tuna generally feed into the wind, making things a little tricky if there is no wind present. In this case they may also us the current or tide for direction.

These fish move extremely fast, so placing the boat in front of the fish, ready to cast, will make a huge difference. Don’t expect one of these fish to turn around and eat an offering that you have cast behind them. The perfect cast needs to be placed ahead of the school or fish, waiting a few seconds for the lure to sink, before commencing the retrieve.

GEARNG UP & TECHNIQUE

Whilst catching big fish on light tackle is fun, tuna fishing really requires gear on the heavier side of things.

I run two main setups for tuna fishing, firstly an Okuma Pressure Point 7’6” PE 2.0-4.0 rod matched with an Okuma Cedros 5000 - 6000 spin reel, running 30lb Pulse X8 Braid. This is a setup that I use mainly for casting larger stickbaits, such as the Fish Inc. Flanker 115 and Hooker 110. It’s also perfect for punching out long casts with TT Hard Core metal lures.

The second setup is slightly lighter, consisting of a TT Black Mamba 701MH 7’ 4-8kg spin rod, paired with an Okuma ITX-4000 spin reel spooled with 20lb Platypus Pulse X8 Braid. This is a perfect rod for casting the range of ZMan soft plastics that I use.

SOFT PLASTICS

Soft plastics, including the ZMan 3.75” and 5” StreakZ, are a very effective lure option when chasing tuna as their long and slender profile replicates baitfish, matching the hatch of tuna prey. I fish the 3.75” StreakZ on a TT HeadlockZ HD 1/2oz 4/0 jighead and this is a great approach when tuna are feeding on very small bait or a being spooked by the presence of a larger lure. The most effective colours for me have been the natural shades of Pearl, Baby Bass and Smoky Shad.

The 5” StreakZ is the perfect all-round soft plastic for longtail tuna, as they can handle a heavier jighead with a larger hook size, making them perfect for long casting to fish. I run the 5” StreakZ on a 3/4oz 5/0 TT HeadlockZ HD jighead and TT Big EyeZ jighead in the 1/2oz 5/0 or 3/4oz 7/0. I find that the Big EyeZ give that extra touch to compliment the plastic with their painted finish and oversize 3D eyes. The Bubble Gum colour is a staple of many anglers in the StreakZ, when it comes to tuna fishing, however the Pearl and Baby Bass are again effective selections.

When working the StreakZ I like to let the lure slowly sink for a few seconds before maintaining a medium paced retrieve. If this fails to deliver an eat, I will then switch to a fast burn and kill (wind and pause) retrieve.

STICKBAITS

The Fish Inc. Flanker is by far my favourite lure for targeting tuna. A sinking stickbait that comes in two sizes, a 115m model weighing 28 grams, and an 85mm model weighing 19 gram, the sleek and slender design has an enticing action both on the drop and on the retrieve. Flankers feature a through wire design and are rigged with an Owner heavy duty treble. I work the Flanker with the same medium pace retrieve as I fish with the StreakZ, while slowly sweeping the rod to the side throughout the retrieve.

METAL LURES

The TT Hard Core metal lure is a well-established lure for casting at any pelagic species and well suited to tuna given their size to weight ratio, which makes them perfect for long casts to wary fish. The Hard Core is available in 20g, 30g and 40g weights, with a great selection of colours. The retrieve for the Hard Core metal lures is a basic fast burn retrieve, leaving a bubble trail behind the lure as it swims.

I hope this information helps you to get amongst the action-packed and drag screaming fun that is fishing for longtail tuna.

Cheers,
Reece Thomas