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Yellowfin tuna are found worldwide in warm, temperate waters. Like other tuna, this highly migratory species prefers to swim in deep, oceanic waters in search of food. However, yellowfin tuna will run closer to shore than most other tuna. They will do this to stay within their preferred temperature range. Younger fish will shool and swim near the surface, but older ones will typically inhabit a wider range of depths. Older yellowfin also integrate with other species of tuna.
Sportfishermen catch yellowfin tuna by trolling brightly-colored lures. A yellow and red plastic skirt trolled at the surface at 10 to 12 knots is an effective method. When hooked, yellowfin will fight hard by diving deep.
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388 lbs. 12 ounces Isla San Benedicto, Mexico |
The little tunny, as well as bluefish, king and spanish mackerels, is a schooling species that migrates northward through coastal waters in the spring and southward in fall and winter. Large, elliptical schools cover up to 2 miles on the long axis. It is often found in inshore waters as well.
The presence of flocks of diving birds over coastal waters often indicates schools of little tunny feeding nearby. Fishermen in charter boats and smaller outboards respond to seasonal visitations by trolling baits, casting lures and drift fishing with live bait such as bluefish, pinfish or spot. For trolling, fishermen usually select small lures with mullet or ballyhoo, or use colored feathers that are lures until fish are located. They will stop to cast in the school with light spinning tackle and 6- to 10-pound test monofilament line. In these situations, Hopkins lures or jigs are presented with a fast, jerky retrieval. Some anglers have taken to fly fishing for these fish as well.
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35 lbs. 2 ounces Cap de Garde, Algeria |
Skipjack tuna are voracious predators that feed on fishes and squids found near the surface. A 3-pound tuna can eat up to 31 percent of its weight in food per day. Peak feeding occurs early in the morning and again late in the afternoon. While feeding, the species displays dark vertical bands on the sides, which brighten and fade with feeding intensity. Favorite foods are round herring, flyingfish, squids, frigate mackerel, mantis shrimp, amphipods and larval crabs.
Western Atlantic fisheries for skipjack tuna are minuscule compared with those operating in the Pacific. Large pole and line and purse-seine fleets pursue skipjack tuna, as well as other species of tunas. Off the southeastern United States, most of the fish are caught by sport fishermen trolling artificial lures from charter boats. Feather and nylon lures, plastic skirts, and strip baits are trolled at the surface at 8 to 10knots. Boats fishing out of Oregon Inlet and Hatteras catch many skipjack by trolling baits around sargassum in water 250 to 500 feet deep.
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45 lbs. 4 ounces Flathead Bank, Mexico |
Bluefin tuna eat a diet that is standard to large pelagic gamefish. They will follow mullet, herring, mackerel, flying fish, whiting, and other schooling baitfish. They will also feed on squid, eels, and crustaceans.
Don't pull out the camera if someone on your boat hooks a bluefin. These fish are divers, not jumpers. They feed near the surface, but quickly sound when hooked. Typical bluefin fights can last more than half an hour on 130-pound gear. Captains will blind-troll or sight-fish large, rigged mullet, mackerel, flying fish, squid, or lures. It's also common to chunk for bluefin when they are in a finicky mood.
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1496 lbs. Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada |
Contrary to popular belief, blackfin tuna are not primarily piscivorous, but actually feed extensively on a wide variety of very small crustaceans as well as on larger prey such as fishes and squids. The modes of feeding include straining food items from the water column and chasing and engulfing them. Major foods of blackfin tuna caught off North Carolina are stomatopod larvae, numerous species of crab and shrimp larvae, juvenile fishes, and squids.
In the United States, the species is sought primarily by anglers who troll strip baits, spoons, feathers, and jigs in offshore waters at high speeds. Off North Carolina, blackfin are caught from April through November, though mostly in June and September.
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45 lbs. 8 ounces Key West, Florida |
Bigeye will eat the same basic fish as bluefin but are rarely seen chasing their meals at the water's surface.
Bigeyes' depth make them difficult to target. Anglers will normally troll baits or lures around 100 feet deep at night, but bigeye are considered an unreliable target fish even with a full moon. Like the other tuna, bigeye are strong swimmers who will sound when hooked.
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435 lbs. Cabo Blanco, Peru (Pacific) 392 lbs. 6 ounces Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria, Spain (Atlantic) |
Blues are voracious and not very selective eaters. They will consume most any baitfish presented to them but their preferences are mackerel, squid, dolphin, and tuna.
Like the black marlin, the blue's enormous size and legendary fighting ability make it one of the most highly-targeted gamefish in the world. Anglers commonly troll natural baits such as mackerel, tuna, bonito, ballyhoo and dolphin in hopes of enticing one of these giants. Brightly colored lures and teasers are also commonly used. Blue marlin anglers will look for temperature breaks in the water and follow large concentrations of baitfish.
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1402 lbs. 2 ounces Vitoria, Brazil (Atlantic blue) and 1376 lbs. Kona, Hawaii (Pacific blue) |
The bluefish diet is varied, butterfish, menhaden, round herring, silversides, anchovies, seatrouts, atlantic croaker, spot, shrimps, lobster, crabs, worms, and many other items.
When bluefish are feeding, they will strike almost any object in the water, including swimmers. Anglers fish from boats, piers, bridges, jetties, and the surf, by using cut baits fished on the bottom and by casting and trolling artificial lures. Surf fishing is very popular, particularly in the fall. Bluefish will also readily take baitfish patterns and poppers fished on fly rods. Typical conventional gear may include a heavy surf rod, 10- to 20-pound test monofilament line, two 6/0 hooks baited with cut fish and a sliding 5-ounce pyramid sinker. Typical fly gear is 6 to 10 weight outfits depending on fish size. A wire leader, 9 to 18 inches long, is important because bluefish will bite through nylon monofilament lines. For casting, Hopkins lures, Clark Spoons, bright colored popping lures, Sea Hawks, and lead-headed plastic grubs are preferred. For trolling, one may select spoons or use feather or nylon lures with mullet strips.
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31 lbs. 12 ounces Cape Hatteras, North Carolina |
Many of the foods eaten by dolphin such as small fishes, crabs, and shrimps are found in floating mats of sargassum. Feeding characteristics of dolphin vary greatly. At times the dolphin is a voracious predator that pursues and captures fast swimming fish such as flyingfish, mackerels and juvenile dolphin. On other occasions it seems content merely to nibble on small crustaceans and insects that float on the surface in the weedlines. In addition to foods, a variety of items discarded at sea by man are consumed by dolphin. Small light bulbs, pieces of plastic wrappers, rope, and string have been removed from dolphin stomachs.
Sport fishermen trolling lures from large boats are most effective at catching dolphin. Anglers prefer vividly colored man-o-wars, feathers, skirts, and other lead-headed lures rigged with 6/0 to 9/0 hooks baited with squid or mullet strips. Favorite lures are green and yellow feathers, red artificial squid, and purple jelly bellies. Standard boat rods and reels with 30- to 80-pound test line are used. For best results, baits are trolled at about 4 to 6 knots adjacent to weed lines. Adventuresome anglers may fish for dolphin with saltwater fly rods and large poppers or baitfish patterns.
Dolphin are known to thrash violently when brought aboard, risking damage to the boat and injury to anglers. If this happens, place a towel or t-shirt over the fish's eyes. The abesnce of sight has been known to calm the fish considerably.
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88 lbs. Exuma, Bahamas
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Amberjack eat a diet that is very typical of a deepwater, structure-holding fish: crabs, crustaceans, squid and small fish.
Ambers can be caught by trolling near the surface with lures, plugs, jigs, spoons or strip baits. Live bait such as mullet, grunts or other small fishes are also very effective. These fish can also be chummed into a frenzy and casted to with medium to heavy spin, cast or fly tackle. The jack strikes fast, is a hard fighter and is known for diving to the bottom.
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55 lbs. 12 ounces (tie) Bermuda and Challenger Bank, Bermuda |
Kings feed mainly on migratory, surface-schooling fishes such as menhaden, thread herring, and Spanish and scaled sardines. They also consume small quantities of squids and shrimps. Feeding kingfish often leap out of the water in pursuit of prey.
Sport fishermen troll, cast, and drift fish for kings. Most of the larger fish are caught by trolling live bait, spoons, or diving plugs. The typical rig is a revolving spool reel spooled with 300 yards of 15 to 30-pound monofilament with a stinger rig consisting of a 2/0 bait hook with a No. 4-6 treble hook trailed behind, all attached to No. 3-5 coffee colored wire. Another effective method is trolling a large spoon along with a planer to get it deep. The best months for fishing vary and are dependent on water temperature, clarity and bait availability.
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93 lbs. San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Makos feed on squids and pelagic fishes such as mackerels and herrings.
The shortfin mako is one of the most active and strongest swimming sharks. It has tremendous stamina and often makes spectacular leaps when it is hooked. Most recreational anglers prefer to fish for Makos from an open cockpit boat and to fight the fish from a standing position with the aid of a gimbel belt. The standard gear is 50- to 130-pound monofilament line on a 4/0 to 6/0 reel with a single-piece fiber glass rod. The terminal tackle may consist of a 15-foot single-strand wire leader with an 8/0 to 10/0 hook baited with live or dead whole mackerel, bluefish, menhaden, herring or shad. An oily baitfish is best. Sharks are attracted by ladling out pieces of cut fish, which drift past the set lines. Sharks are most efficiently located by fishing several baits, one at a depth of 30 to 40 feet (depending on the depth of the water), another at 18 feet, and the third just below the surface. When fishing for large sharks, anglers should always carry a 5-inch flying gaff and a conventional long-handled gaff. Makos have been known to jump directly into fishing boats, damaging equipment and injuring people.
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1115 lbs. Black River, Maritius |
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