Offshore Tuna

[Ben Green]

Went out of Channel Islands yesterday around 9am with my son in law to chase em. Been on the fish last few weeks now with many many opportunities, but only hooked up 3 times (all on Madmacs) and landed two. This one was caught on yesterdays trip trolling the Madmac.
Great day and he was super stoked...

However, the problem is I can never even get a bite casting into these buggers.
I know how to keep the fish afloat for a while and I'm decent at casting.
I've tried XRAP, 100gram Colt Sniper, Tady45, live sardines etc.
I'm using a Penn Torque with a Seeker stick and about 4ft of 100 # fluro leader.
Are these fish line shy when casting and if I step down in size what's the sweet spot for line strength?
I have missed so many chances now and really want to take this to the next level, so any advice or tips for casting would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[swami 805]

Might try one of those clear feed poppers, seems they’ll eat those sometimes.
They get keyed in on one thing and ignore everything else, frustrating

 

[Ben Green]

Might try one of those clear feed poppers, seems they’ll eat those sometimes.
They get keyed in on one thing and ignore everything else, frustrating

Can you post a picture of those

 

[salt-shaker]

Just a guess because I’m no expert either, but maybe bringing the line test down and trying a long soak with a large sardine or mackerel.

 

[ventura bill]

So great to see you getting tuna up this far, great work!

Day fishing and night fishing are as different as night and day.

At night they will eat anything you can get in the zone, thus the 100#+ leaders.

During the day they are finicky as fuck. Light line and a good swimming bait might get you a bite. It’s a grind, especially when they don’t want to bite.

You’re on your own boat so fight time doesn’t come into play like it does on a cattle boat. Try 25# or even 20# fluoro and see if you get a bite.

 

[stuman]

 

[ripped]

^^^^
2 years ago these were $24…. wow, just wow.

 

[surfgoose]

You are cleaning your own fish, so you see what is in their stomachs. A lot of times they are on micro-bait, little baby anchovies and sardines and sour fish and whatever, all the size of your little finger or smaller. It is like eating popcorn for them it seems.

The problem is getting enough weight to cast, while the lure itself is very small and light. I have had a bit of success using a very large and clear casting bubble and filling it with water so that it just barely floats and that gives me the several ounces to cast, and trail it several feet with either a dark feather fly or a small dark plastic tail, both on the strongest small hook that I can use. Since you are on your own boat, you could also try trolling slowly around the foamer with small lures like I mentioned. But all in all, I think that bluefin tuna are one of God's means to keep us humble.

 

[Proline]

Hi Ben. Thanks for the report. Sweet bluefin. What speed are you going with madMac. 12?

 

[Ben Green]

So great to see you getting tuna up this far, great work!

Day fishing and night fishing are as different as night and day.

At night they will eat anything you can get in the zone, thus the 100#+ leaders.

During the day they are finicky as fuck. Light line and a good swimming bait might get you a bite. It’s a grind, especially when they don’t want to bite.

You’re on your own boat so fight time doesn’t come into play like it does on a cattle boat. Try 25# or even 20# fluoro and see if you get a bite.

Yeah guess I am just to paranoid to lose them once I hook up, but I'll go down in line next time for sure

 

[Ben Green]

Hi Ben. Thanks for the report. Sweet bluefin. What speed are you going with madMac. 12?

12 - 13

 

[ventura bill]

Yeah guess I am just to paranoid to lose them once I hook up, but I'll go down in line next time for sure

That's the BFT dilemma, do I drop down to get the bite and risk losing it, or not get the bite at all.

 

[phil mckracken]

Drop to 40 lb. You’ll be more confident.
Land one or 2 on 40 or loose one or 3 on 40 and you’ll have more experience to drop to 30 and lower.
Always try and get them on the heaviest line possible then adjust. But 100 lb line up there during the day makes for a long day of little action.
If you got that fish to bight 100 they’ll take 40-50- or 60, and you can pull harder than you think on those lines.

 

[jefffish]

Everyone I know is using no smaller than 80 but usually 100 flouro all day long. The Rapala sub walk lure or clear popper has been the go to. My friends do it as a job and have no issues gettting but on larger line and neither do I. Also when you hook them on the larger line you don’t lose them and can keep better pressure on the fish.

 

[Ben Green]

Everyone I know is using no smaller than 80 but usually 100 flouro all day long. The Rapala sub walk lure or clear popper has been the go to. My friends do it as a job and have no issues gettting but on larger line and neither do I. Also when you hook them on the larger line you don’t lose them and can keep better pressure on the fish.

For the Sub Walker or XRAP type lure how fast do you reel in? Also, I've heard some people let them soak for a bit first.

 

[Rubberhook2]

If you are in an area with several schools you may want to try slow trolling a live bait, sardine or mackerel, way back. A lot of fish are taken that way and not necessarily near a foamer...

 

[finsane]

I’ve had luck using 40lb flouro on an 80lb set up, adjust your drag accordingly.

 

[Rabid Fish]

IMO the line test is not a factor when they're foaming its just a matter of presenting something they'll eat

I like to throw a popper past the foam and let it just sit there motionless in the middle of it. Doesn't always work but it does pretty well. Sometimes they just don't want it

 

[rustman]

For the Sub Walker or XRAP type lure how fast do you reel in? Also, I've heard some people let them soak for a bit first.

I usually long soak a sub-walker, .

Just messing. When I use any stick bait I generally reel constantly through the fish weaving it side to side by moving the rod tip to the left and right.

 

[chachi10]

Don't drop your line size. If they are in the mood to bite a jig, they'll bite 80lb just as good as they'll bite 30lb.

 

[capt devo]

In all reality how much Bluefin can one eat without getting burned out…please come Albacore Gods. However I would trade all my BF/YFT/Dodo for one fat juicy Yelllowtail and some Abalone steaks with a big fat butter drenched Lobster 🦞 tail and a side of King Crab legs…but I digress.
Where am I…I must of dosed off, it’s microwave fish sticks and year old ketchup again.

 

[Tunahead]

NICE TUNA Ben,,and report/pic. What Surfgoose said...they are what they eat Damn bluefin.!!!

 

[karlow]

Ben,
I was with with Casey a a couple of other guys on Sat. We went 1 for 3. The one that we got was about 90lbs.
Here is what he says, and he has been doing good on them for over a year now.
You need to use a spinner, you want to use a popper and you have to land in the white water. One pop and wait.
65 lb with a 80lb leader. That is what works the best. He was throwing a clear popper and a white stick bait.
My cast were short, and I did not get touched. He landed in the white and got bit off. Shawn landed in the white about three times and put one on the boat. He also got short bit on a surface iron.

 

[bubby16]

Went out of Channel Islands yesterday around 9am with my son in law to chase em. Been on the fish last few weeks now with many many opportunities, but only hooked up 3 times (all on Madmacs) and landed two. This one was caught on yesterdays trip trolling the Madmac.
Great day and he was super stoked...

However, the problem is I can never even get a bite casting into these buggers.
I know how to keep the fish afloat for a while and I'm decent at casting.
I've tried XRAP, 100gram Colt Sniper, Tady45, live sardines etc.
I'm using a Penn Torque with a Seeker stick and about 4ft of 100 # fluro leader.
Are these fish line shy when casting and if I step down in size what's the sweet spot for line strength?
I have missed so many chances now and really want to take this to the next level, so any advice or tips for casting would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

View attachment 1524244

If it's not mental foam where you can't miss. Watch the birds and where they are picking. You have to place your cast in a small spot where the tuna are working the bait ball. Slow down and observe the situation prior to placing a cast. A spinning set up will be a lot more consistent, however nothing like getting them on the long rod 🍻