# Tuna Fishing Methods



## SeaStrike (Apr 28, 2012)

Guys,
I'm looking for some opinions on the best way to catch feeding tuna when your spread just isn't cutting it. For instance, several weeks back we were fishing open water toward the Spur. We hooked up with a couple of nice wahoos early and came across two different schools of tuna a little later. We had a spread of naked and skirted ballyhoo (blue and white islanders) and a cedar plug on the fly. Every time we got close, the tuna would dive and relocate. We could never get our spread anywhere near them.

I've heard this is a good time for chunking, free lining and or live baiting, but I have limited experience with both and was hoping someone could give me some pointers. Appreciate the assistance.


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

Chunking, free lining, and bridling live baiting are all good methods... You can also throw large poppers or plugs at them. Whenever you're chunking always a good idea if you got an extra rod to throw plug/popper I say. If you can't get them to bite any of that try a lighter line/leader & small hook combo.. sometimes that can spook them from biting as well


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## SeaStrike (Apr 28, 2012)

Is chunking effective to draw them into you when they are sounding in open water?


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

Yeah it should bring up right up in the chum line... Try cutting up some bonita or pogies and they should swim over and check it out! whenever you chunk be sure you're hiding the hook in the bait well and freelining it down with the chum. bridle you up a live hardtail too (will need a little weight with him, put it a good ways away from the bait) and send him down with the chum YFT love them! also you can try jigging for them w/ diamond jigs.. They seem to work well for BFT


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## SeaStrike (Apr 28, 2012)

I had a friend share his technique with me and wanted to post for others to comment on. If y'all have any other methods, please share.

Also, for live baiting, is there any reason to bridle a hard tail rather than just hooking it through the lip, back or tail? I know they swim better bridled but just curious how much impact it has on a smaller bait like a hard tail as opposed to a mackerel or skipjack tuna.

_"Open water tuna are tricky best to troll outside of the school and slowly turn enough to get your long iines in the school also drop your spread back two or three waves farther than normal. If that doesn't work take live or dead minnows and pull it out of gear and start chumming and just drift hide your hook in the bait and slowly pull line off the rod tip and let the bait sink at the same rate as your chum don't put any resistance on the hooked bait as it sinks ,after you pull it for 50 to 75 pulls off the rod tip wind back in a do it again. All the while, keep a steady amount of chum going (throw a piece of chum about every 30-45 seconds) or when it goes out off sight."_


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## Contender (Apr 4, 2012)

I have used the chunking method you described. Keys are hiding the hook and have the chunk with the hook to sink just like the chunks without the hook. Never tried it in open water just near the rigs, but it should work anywhere.

I have had some success slow trolling live hard tails, usually hook them thru the nose and move the boat just enough to keep the slack out of the line and keep the hard tails from going under the boat. 

Good Luck


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## SeaStrike (Apr 28, 2012)

When you chunk at the rigs do you not have a shark issue?


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## Contender (Apr 4, 2012)

Yes, can be. sometimes hard to get a tuna in the boat. I am not experienced at open water Tuna, but have to think that sharks wouldn't be as much of an issue. 

You might put the rod in the holder and pull the Tuna away from the rig, if it is a good fish. This may save it from the sharks and also from getting cut off on the rig.

No matter where you are, once you start putting chum in the water, you are likely to attract sharks, just some places like rigs seem to have more of them.

Good Luck, prolly gonna be out there somewhere Sunday night


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## samoajoe (Dec 28, 2010)

ata0002 said:


> Yeah it should bring up right up in the chum line... Try cutting up some bonita or pogies and they should swim over and check it out! whenever you chunk be sure you're hiding the hook in the bait well and freelining it down with the chum. bridle you up a live hardtail too (will need a little weight with him, put it a good ways away from the bait) and send him down with the chum YFT love them! also you can try jigging for them w/ diamond jigs.. They seem to work well for BFT


 
If you are able to get over the top of them via a fish-finder then.......You could always send a live bait deep down with those awesome new weights you have!:thumbsup:


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## Frenchy (Oct 2, 2007)

Sea strike, pick up this month issue of big game fishing journal, it is focusing on tuna fishing, granted it is off the North East coast but tons of tips and infos.
Definitely going to add some green machines to my arsenal among other...
Even better get forum members like Chris V and others who have lot of experience doing this type of fishing.
Fishing for blue fin tuna is on my bucket list, looking at going this fall, let me know if anyone is interested.
All the best with it.


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## Big Perm (Aug 1, 2011)

We hit a school yesterday around the nipple and picked up several. We were pulling a couple of bonitas, a couple of islanders, and a bird rig. We did catch one on the bonita plug and two throwing a Frenzy popper. However, the bird was automatic every time. It was amazing. We ended up catching all we could eat and a little more. It was great. We chased them for at least two hours before calling it a day. There was also a whale shark in the mix at one point. It was amazing to see - everything we pulled through the madness would come through without a strike, but the bird would get hit as soon as it hit the edge of the school.


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## Island24 (May 12, 2008)

What did you have behind the bird?


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## hsiF deR (Oct 4, 2009)

Frenchy said:


> Fishing for blue fin tuna is on my bucket list, looking at going this fall, let me know if anyone is interested.
> All the best with it.


Check your PM's.


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## Big Perm (Aug 1, 2011)

Yellow and green islander behind the bird.


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