Tuna species around the world offer up serious big game battles for any angler. The most common Tuna species are the Yellowfin, Bluefin, Bigeye, Longfin, and Blackfin Tunas. Bluefin Tuna can reach over 1,000 pounds, but average in the 50–300 pound class. Meanwhile, Yellowfin and Bigeye can top out around 300 pounds, Longfin around 60 pounds, and Blackfin Tuna around 30 pounds. As sizes can vary, various fishing gear and tactics are used to tangle with Tuna species.
I’ve traveled the world tackling Tuna, and I’m here to bestow some advice for you. The main thing I have to say is: Anyone who slacks on gear prep or lack of focus will be left behind! Therefore, here’s some basic knowledge to get you in the game.
Trolling Tuna Fishing Rods, Reels & Lures
One of the easier ways to hook into Tuna is by trolling lures and baits. Drag them behind the boat in a spread, moving at around 5 to 7 knots. The goal of trolling is to put out lures that create intense commotion on the water’s surface, appearing like a school of bait being chased by a predatory fish. You’ll try trolling when searching for Tuna schools that aren’t visible, or when you’re exploring an area to see if there is any life around.
You’ll need heavy-duty rods to handle the torque the big lures and baits put on the rod and reel. Rods should be rated for 50–200-pound class, with brands like Penn International and Shimano Tallus offering good sticks. Match these with 30W, 50W, 80W, or 130W class reels – again from Penn International and Shimano Tiagara – spooled with 80 to 100-pound monofilament line.
Set out the Tuna spread behind the boat with 4 to 8 lines rigged with various lures and baits. My favorites include Chatter Lures 19 and 36-inch squid spreader bars, cedar plugs, Ilander lures rigged with ballyhoo baits, and Sterling Tackle Daisy Chains. Top color combinations for spreader bars and daisy chains are usually rainbow, zucchini, cucumber, pink, black/purple, or blue/white.
Jigging Tuna Fishing Rods, Reels & Lures
When Tuna are marking down below the water’s surface, it’s time to break out the jigging tackle. Jigging with metal lures and soft rubber baits can be all-out mayhem if the fish are feeding down deep. Generally speaking, you can be jigging anywhere from 50 to 250 feet down. Like trolling, you’ll need strong gear – but it should be a bit lighter tackle to effectively work a jig or soft bait.
For jigging larger Bluefin Tuna in the 100–250-pound bracket, rods such as a Race Point Monster Ledge 150 or 220ST, matched with 14000 Shimano Stella work for spin fishing gear. As for conventional gear, a Race Point and Monster Ledge Rod in 300 to 350 matched with a conventional Shimano Talica 12 is best. Spool up with 60–80-pound braided line and tie on a 10-foot section of 100-pound fluorocarbon leader via an FG and palomar knot, and a 200-pound TA clip to hook the jig onto.
Jigs can span the gamut of weights, shapes, sizes, and colors. In more shallow waters, metal jigs from 100–150 grams can get down deep and stay straight on the retrieve. Williamson Benthos, Shimano Butterfly, Stingo, Savage Gear Needle, and the old-school hammered diamond jig are all viable options. Blue/silver, green/silver, pink/glo, and black/purple are all proven to work.
You can work jigs in a variety of methods:
- Speed jigging means dropping the jig down and simply reeling it up fast.
- Yo-yoing is cranking the reel and jerking the rod upward to snap the jig on its way to the surface, repeating the motion.
- Swoop jigging will see you dropping down to a certain depth, then with a big upward swoop of the rod, the jig will pulse up in the water column, then flutter back down before the motion is repeated.
Rubber bait jigs are also primo to drop down for Tuna feeding below. Soft baits such as RonZ harness jigs and Hogy Harness jigs can be cast out and dropped down, then swoop-jigged in the water column where Tuna will key in on the movement and strike. Pink and white are the most common colorings.
Popping Tuna Fishing Rods, Reels & Lures
Perhaps the most thrilling way to catch Tuna is when they’re aggressively feeding on the surface, exploding on bait schools as they push baits from below to pin them to the top for an attack. That’s when topwater popping and slidebaits work their magic. Poppers elicit that aggressive strike of a fleeing bait fish. But when larger baits like mackerel or herring are spraying out and running away from the mayhem, slidebaits are key to attracting attention.
Popping and plugging gear for Tuna fishing almost always includes heavy backbone spinning rods and reels. You can cast these further and work lures with better action than with conventional setups.
Regarding rod and reel combos, for smaller Blackfin Tuna and football Bluefin, a 7-0 Penn Carnage CARBWII medium-heavy matched with a Shimano 14000 Stella will work well. Larger fish of 60 to 300 pounds require handling not only the size of the fish, but also heavier lures. That’s when anglers turn up the dial to use a Shimano Grappler GRPCS82H or an El Maestro 82m 710MH, matched with a Shimano Stella 20000 or Daiwa 20000. Spool your reel with 65 to 80-pound Power Pro braided line with a 10-foot top shot of 80 to 100-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader tied via FG knot.
Topwater poppers that always produce usually have a large concave head to push a lot of spray water to attract fish. These include the Williamson Popper Pro, Yo-Zuri Bull Popper, Nomad Chug Norris, and Madd Mantis Popper. Cat the popper around a feeding school and with long, powerful swoops, drag it across the surface. Pause, then drag again. Most times, Tuna will hit on the pause.
The best slidebaits include the Shimano Orca stickbait and Savage Gear 3D Mack Stick in size 130–210 mm. The favorite color patterns are black and silver, blue and silver, and green and black. Ensuring the proper action of the slidebait is key to eliciting a Tuna strike. Cast it out, let it sink for a 5-second count, then reel in to a tight line. Sweep it, let it sit for a second, and then sweep it again in a “sweep, sit, sweep, sit” cadence. About 85% of the time, Tuna tend to hit it when it sits.
Tuna Fishing Gear FAQs
Tuna Fishing Gear: Put Yours to the Test
The basics of Tuna fishing are more important than the basics of typical fisheries, as you’re going mano y mano with big game fare. Trust me, any weak point will be exploited and you’ll only end up with a broken heart. Whichever Tuna species you choose to target, you’re guaranteed to test your skill, strength, and willpower. And don’t forget the big bonus of Tuna fishing – they’re fantastic eating.
Select the gear I’ve outlined above and give yourself the best chance of landing a Tuna!
What’s your favorite Tuna fishing gear? Let us know what you’re using in the comments below!
