Bluefin Tuna Fishing 101

One of the biggest challenges that anglers face is catching bluefin tuna. Nevertheless, many people remain interested in bluefin tuna fishing and lots of them go out to sea each year to try their luck in catching this prized species of fish. The most popular fishing spots for bluefin are in New England, particularly in Massachusetts. If you are looking for giant bluefin tuna, then you should head to the waters of this beautiful State.

While it is relatively difficult to catch bluefin tuna, anglers or fishing enthusiasts are not discouraged by this fact because catching this kind of fish can bring in great rewards. Not only does this fish have savory meat, it can also grow to significantly large sizes. If you are interested in bluefin tuna fishing, you will need to learn how to chunk or troll for this kind of fish. Chunking and trolling are the two most common ways of catching bluefin tuna.

Chunking involves anchoring around a good fishing spot for bluefin tuna. Once you have anchored on a good fishing spot, you will then need to deploy chunks, live baits, and stick baits suspended on balloons or buoys at different depths. Some anglers use fish finders to determine the depths at which to suspend chunks and baits. Take note that you should use hooks that are proportional to the baits that you are using so your hooks can blend well with your baits.

Bluefin tuna fishing also typically involves trolling. Trolling simply means suspending spreader bars from outriggers and dragging them in the water at speeds of about three to four knots. Most anglers troll with three to four spreader bars arranged in W-shaped fashion. Anglers use spreaders of different sizes and colors based on weather conditions and experience.

If you are planning to head out to sea to catch bluefin tuna, it is important that you take note of the weather conditions. Just like any other tuna, bluefin prefer to feed in warm waters and late in the afternoon. Once you are out at sea, try to be observant of the things that happen around you. Fishing birds indicate that there are schools of fish near the surface of the water and where there are schools of fish, bluefin tuna are likely to be within the area as well. To be successful at bluefin tuna fishing, it would be best to master the basics of fishing for tuna. And remember, more than just luck, successfully catching bluefin tuna also takes a good deal of experience.