There are not many species that get my blood pumping like long tail tuna. My favourite days on the water are the ones when I spot diving birds, indicating that tuna are out on the hunt. They are undoubtedly at the top of my list of top water species to target. A fish that is a power house of muscle and with their torpedo shaped bodies are built for speed. They are a challenging opponent and there is no room for error with this species. Putting you, your knowledge, your gear and most of all your knots to the test with their blistering runs and their never give up attitude. The majority of the battle is spent manoeuvring the tuna around the boat and often this is where the fish is lost, as it continuously circles the boat fighting you until the very moment it is netted.
You can troll for tuna and that method seems extremely popular with anglers. But I love the adrenaline charged excitement of racing to surface action and casting a lure into it. I also love the visual experience of seeing these predatory hunters working together to bring the bait into a tight ball before they attack from every direction. I do not believe fishing gets much more exciting than working your lure through this commotion. Then to see these speedsters of the sea turn and leave the bait in hot pursuit of your lure, jostling to be the first one to engulf it. Then that music to any anglers' ears, the sound of line peeling from your spool at lightening speed as the battle begins.
Birds really play a big part in our strategy of seeking out where these fish are. They are our eyes in the sky. When out on the water I always keep an eye out for terns. While watching the birds if they are flying high in a group, this is a sign there is tuna but they are working deep. If the birds are seen to start flying closer together, begin circling and moving lower to the water. This is an indication the tuna are pushing the bait up through the water column to the surface. At this moment we move closer to the birds and wait for the eruption from below as the tuna break the surface and the frenzy begins, with the birds working from above. Within seconds of this beginning, we launch our lures.
Over the years I have tried many different methods to catch tuna. Things such as matching the hatch, different lure retrievals and where to land my lure near the bait. In the end my success significantly improved using a lure larger than the bait. These predators eat for survival so it makes sense to me that they would be enticed by a larger meal. I have seen a dramatic increase in the number of tuna leaving the bait to chase a larger more noticeable lure. My preferred lure is always a sinking lure. I like to cast right into the middle of the feeding tuna allowing the lure to drift down through the bait for a few seconds. Then a fast retrieval so the lure imitates a larger bait fleeing the frenzy.
If you are targeting tuna this way, don’t stop casting even if the surface commotion stops suddenly. A prized tuna can still be hooked after it appears they have moved on. Just let your lure sink for a little longer because most of the time the fish are still there just a little deeper. At times suddenly, the frenzy will erupt again, as the tuna attack the same bait school for a second time. It is definitely worth watching the bird's movements and continuing to cast for sometime after everything has stopped in the same direction the fish were.
I am the first to admit there is days where the tuna are finicky and no matter what you throw at them you just cannot get them interested. On these days I will move away from the larger lures, back to a lure more the size of the bait. I also take into consideration the weather conditions. Often when it is glassy conditions, we are not very successful with the approach of racing at feeding tuna and they will disperse as we approach. In this situation we try and preempt the direction the tuna are moving and position ourselves in front, cut the motor and lay in wait for them to come to us.
The current lure I am having the most success with is a Shimano Ocea Sardine Ball 150S Flash Boost sinking lure. This long casting lure allows me to get the distance in my cast I need, especially if we have pulled up a bit short. If the lure is not hit during the free fall motion. The erratic darting motion of the lure and reflective mirrors within the lure get the tuna excited and entices them to give chase as it is worked through the bait.
My favourite combo at the moment when targeting long tails is a Shimano Stradic 6000, spooled with 30lb KAIRIKI Braid and around a metre of monofilament 60lb leader. My rod is a Shimano Extraction 7ft, 15-30lb rod, this allows me to get the distance I need from my casts and gives me enough length and the power to be able to fight the fish around the boat.
As mentioned fighting tuna doesn’t end when it is at the boat, this sometimes is just the beginning of the real battle with endless circles around the boat. The pressure on the rod can become immense as the fish can change directions and scream off suddenly under the boat. You need to be able to keep the line from touching the sides, have enough bend to cope with the sudden movements, and a good length that supports this but is still workable in your boat. Fishing out of a tinnie the above rod has proven repeatedly to be the perfect fit for me.
If excitement and adrenaline charged fishing is what you are after. I recommend targeting long tail tuna by casting straight into them feeding and then hold on tight and enjoy the battle against one of the oceans ultimate opponents.
