Yellowfin Tuna Fishing Techniques

The winter offshore season within the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)  contains an enormous inflow of yellowfin tuna starting from 20lbs all the way in which as much as 150lbs (and generally extra). The fish feed virtually completely on sardines and flying fish.  We fish with the Sportfish Galapagos constitution operation and so they have turn out to be fairly good at finding the most effective motion within the waters off of San Cristobal Island.

Tarin Keith with an enormous yellowfin tuna caught on an enormous popper

The chunk is often red-hot each single day and it has supplied nice alternatives to hone our yellowfin tuna fishing methods and compile a complete information to their conduct.

When faculties of tuna encounter sardines or flying fish, they encircle them and rapidly drive them as much as the floor the place they will bloodbath them. As soon as they assault, the bait ball is commonly damaged up and unfold throughout a bigger space which supplies for an unimaginable present of floor strikes as helpless sardines are blasted from beneath. The motion hardly ever lasts lengthy and it takes some critical preparation and technique to hook up commonly.

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The Chase

The boats we use in San Cristobal are sometimes 30-35ft in size and have an open offshore type cockpit and a bow with little or no safety or assist for the angler. It’s essential that the boat is fastidiously positioned and that the angler could make efficient casts from the again of the boat. As well as, as a result of heavier sort out is required for the bigger fish, casting distances are sometimes a lot shorter. As a result of the massive yellowfin tuna transfer rather more rapidly than the smaller fish, boat dealing with turns into ultra-critical. Study extra about boat dealing with for plugging tuna.

Jigs or Poppers?

Some anglers attempt to enhance their possibilities by throwing butterfly jigs and different comparable metallic jigs. These jigs will be lethal on giant faculties of smaller fish. Nonetheless, the faculties with bigger fish sometimes have fewer numbers and transfer at unimaginable speeds simply beneath the floor. This makes it a lot harder to maintain the jig within the hit zone for any size of time. A really quick retrieve might preserve the jig up within the water column, however just for a short while. Because of this, massive poppers are the rather more efficient (regardless of the shorter casting distance). A gradual retrieve with a popper means you will be within the hit zone for a for much longer time.

Gentle Sort out Decisions

When the fish are 50lbs or much less, this recreation is definitely a lot simpler although the right poppers are a should. The last word purpose is to make use of sort out simply heavy sufficient for the fish you’re concentrating on to make sure most casting distance. Many anglers make the error of going too mild and easily do not need sufficient muscle to deliver the fish to the boat rapidly sufficient. Because the struggle goes on, hooks can work unfastened, connections can fail, and another critters might find yourself along with your tuna. We had a single massive male sea lion assault two hooked 150lb+ yellowfin tuna on the boat. There was no approach he was going to eat a fish that massive, however couldn’t assist however assault it. As soon as the ocean lion latched on, the connections failed earlier than the angler may loosen the drag. The tuna bolted for the depths and the ocean lion merely let go and got here up in search of his subsequent goal! Anglers – zero, sea lion – zero, tuna – 2 new poppers.

Go Heavy or Go House Empty Handed

When the fish are upwards of 50lbs heavier sort out is required. You’ll be able to definitely struggle and land massive yellowfin tuna on mild sort out, however the different anglers on the boat higher be prepared to sit down on their arms whilst you spend half-hour or rather more on a fish that would have been dropped at the boat in lower than quarter-hour. Worse, you might by no means get that fish and even should you do, you higher plan on protecting it as a result of it should by no means survive the discharge. Study extra about choosing the suitable outfit for tuna plugging.

Some Tuna are Simply Actually Large

When you get into the 100lbs plus class, spinning sort out can turn out to be fairly a problem. To maintain the struggle cheap a shorter rod and heavier line is required. Which means casting distance is severely compromised. Worse but, fish that dimension are sometimes in very small pods and transfer extremely quick making them robust to focus on. Study extra about taking oversize fish on spinning sort out.

Plug dimension

Choose the largest potential plug that your rod can successfully throw. Experiment with a number of plugs to find out the plug that provides you probably the most distance. A standard mistake is choosing a plug that is just too heavy for the rod. You’ll be able to nonetheless solid it, however the distance will definitely endure. It’s essential that you’ve no less than two outfits and an honest choice of completely different dimension popping plugs. For the 2012 season we introduced alongside some wonderful Yo-Zuri prime water lures together with the Sashimi Bull.

Plugging on the Troll

If you find yourself in space the place the yellowfin tuna simply aren’t staying on prime for lengthy, the captain might elect to troll. Sadly that is NOT the simplest methodology to take massive yellowfin tuna. The most important fish keep tight to the bait balls and are reluctant to depart them for a trolled providing. Nonetheless, there may be nonetheless an excellent likelihood that you’ll get to solid to breaking fish. It simply takes some follow and some easy suggestions. Study extra about casting whereas trolling for yellowfin tuna.

Learn the Birds

The birds are at all times an help to finding faculties of feeding fish. It is very important discover ways to translate your observations into an motion which can get you on the fish. A gaggle of birds that’s rising bigger each second is an indication that the bait is getting pushed in the direction of the floor and it’s time to begin heading that approach. The absolute best situation happens if you arrive simply because the tuna begin their assault. Small teams of birds flying low throughout the water all headed in the identical route means that they see one thing off within the distance that you simply can’t.

Combating Belts

There may be actually no should be a hero and struggle yellowfin tuna with no belt. The proper belt will can help you put most stress on the fish and improve your probabilities of getting the fish to the boat. A shorter struggle might also offer you an choice to launch the fish. A spinning rod with a butt gimbal will definitely make combating tuna even simpler particularly throughout a chronic battle.

Hook Decisions

Not one of the producers truly equip their plugs with hooks designed for big yellowfin tuna. We at all times swap out the hooks for 3/0 or 4/0 3x Mustad trebles. Study extra about plugging lure preparation.

Catch Extra Fish!

Focusing on massive yellowfin tuna with poppers will be fairly difficult. Nonetheless, the strike and the struggle are definitely price all the additional effort. Deciding on the suitable sort out and utilizing the suitable methods offers you the most effective likelihood of coming dwelling with some nice photos and reminiscences!

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