Q: What’s the best tuna trolling spread to use on my center console without outriggers? HS: The best spread for trolling without outriggers is the Pocket Splash Bird Bars. These 18inch Titanium Pocket Bars feature a heavy-duty, buoyant EVA foam body.
What speed should you troll for tuna?
TACTICS & LURES
A trolling speed of 8 knots is fairly standard for many crews using skirts and hard bodied divers. Lure placement in your spread is something to master and will make your time on the water both more enjoyable and productive.
How deep do you troll for tuna?
For a typical spread, set the flat lines at 25 and 35 feet. Run a center flat line 50 to 60 feet off the transom. This forms a triangle of bait close to the boat.
How far behind the boat should I troll?
Every boat is different and you should make your boat your own study. Proper distance for most boats will be anywhere from 20 feet to 150 feet behind your boat. Whether you have inboard diesel or outboard gas engines, your power dictates the distance you troll your baits and lures.
What is the purpose of outriggers?
Outriggers are long poles that are fitted on both sides of a boat and are designed to hold fishing line. They allow you to reel in and release your fishing line via a system of pulleys and clips. Outrigger poles are available in many different lengths ranging from 12 to 35 feet.
What line do you use to troll for tuna?
We recommend rigging lures using 80lb or higher fluorocarbon leader. When targeting giants we use either 130lb or 200lb leader. If you prefer a wind-on leader, the bimni is simply hitched to the loop in the wind-on. Be sure that there is a barrel swivel somewhere in the rig to avoid twist from a fouled lure.
What lures to use for tuna?
Below are some of the best trolling lures for tuna.
- Squid Tuna Lures. The Squidnation Fat Daddy Squids are a perfect tuna fishing lure.
- Flying Fish Tuna Lures.
- Small Chugger Tuna Lures.
- Green Machine Tuna Lures.
- Metal Jet Head Trolling Lures.
- Feather Jig Tuna Lures.
- Cedar Plugs Tuna Lures.
- Topwater Popper Tuna Lures.
Can you troll for tuna at night?
Perfect Night Bite
Put a plan together to troll a few hours into the dark before setting up to drift, and get some crew rest. But don’t rest too much; get back on the troll before dawn, exploring bait and deep structure to target bigeye tuna.
Should you troll with or against the current?
When in an area with current, troll crosscurrent as opposed to with and/or against the current. Going crosscurrent, you don’t have to worry about how the current is affecting your lure’s or bait’s speed through the water. Plus, fish generally swim into the current.
How do you catch tuna offshore?
Before you head out to sea in search of the tuna, study the sea surface temperature charts so you can narrow down the prime fishing spots. Shrimp boats will produce a lot of chum when they process their catch.
Some of the most effective bait for tuna fishing include:
- Blue Runners.
- Herring.
- Mullet.
- Flying Fish.
- Ballyhoo.
What speed should you troll at?
So, what is the best trolling speed? The best trolling speed depends on several factors including the type of fish, water conditions and lure choice. In general, trolling speeds between 1.5 and 2.5 mph, as measured by GPS, are a good starting place for most species like walleye, trout and salmon.
What is the best line for trolling?
Monofilament
Monofilament is the best line choice for trolling in most situations, but there are times when low stretch lines have the edge. Because low stretch lines are super thin, they enable trolling lures like crankbaits to pick up significantly more depth compared to monofilament lines of the same break strength.
Are outriggers necessary?
Are Outriggers Necessary
The installation of rods to expand the distance and number of fishing poles is not necessary but is beneficial. Investing in outriggers is worth the expense if you are an avid fisherman who will utilize them regularly.
How much do outriggers cost?
How much does an outrigger installation normally cost? This is ultimately for you to negotiate with the installer and will depend on factors such as boat location, make, model and type of outrigger system. A rule of thumb is around $800-$1,000 for large outriggers and $500-$700 for Top Gun products.
How long should a trolling leader be for tuna?
30-foot
Leader Length: The longer the leader, the better as tuna do not like seeing the braid to fluoro connection. I prefer a 30-foot leader for trolling which is the same leader I use for jigging.
How long should a tuna leader be?
longer than 6 ft is usually good enough, but I like to have 12 – 20 ft leader line. First, line get damaged while fighting tuna or scratching against bottom of a boat and you cut the damaged line.
How much leader do you need for tuna fishing?
Leader Size: With tuna, the lighter the fluorocarbon, the more likely you will be to get bit. Unfortunately, practicality often gets in the way of the fun and you have to live with fewer bites but more landed. For Bluefin likely to be over 100lbs, I use 100lb leader for casting and 130lb leader for jigging.
What color lures do tuna like?
Now, taking a look at the northeast—in the Atlantic off New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey—they catch more tuna than most places in the world. Their top must-use colors are solid green, green/yellow and black/purple. In Florida, the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, the No. 1 color is light blue.
How do you jig yellowfin tuna?
The technique for jigging consists of quickly sweeping the rod skyward and retrieving line as the rod is lowered before repeating the action. The method duplicates the erratic movement of baitfish fleeing towards the surface. But be prepared, often the jig is attacked as it falls due to the attractive flutter.
What is the best tuna to catch?
yellowfin
Bluefins may be the big TV stars but when it comes to sport fishing, yellowfin are by far the most sought and caught of the tunas, ranging from the Northeast Canyons off the coast of New England all the way down to central South America and including the Gulf of Mexico.
How big is the biggest tuna?
1,496 pounds
The largest one currently on record belongs to fisherman Ken Fraser, who caught a bluefin tuna off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada in 1979. That fish weighed in at an astounding 1,496 pounds!
Contents