Many years ago, Kona skipper George Parker made ­headlines around the world when he caught the first certified, world-record grander Pacific blue marlin. Since that 1,002-pound giant in November 1954, Hawaii’s lee eddies have churned up a stream of 1,000-pound blues that continues today. Kona waters usually average two or three granders per year, along with more Pacific blue marlin IGFA records than any other sport-fishing hot spot. That parade of records continues. In March 2013, Alex Nuttall boated a 958-pound blue marlin with Capt. Chip Van Mols on the Kona charter boat Monkey Biz II to claim the IGFA women’s 130-pound-class record.

Kona’s consistent billfish success sparked a worldwide revolution in big-game fishing because these big fish were caught on lures pioneered and developed in Hawaii waters. Meanwhile, big-game fishermen elsewhere had been saying you could catch billfish only with bait. Even those doubters caught the Kona wave and started catching marlin on Kona-style lures. Kona is also the perfect starting point for novices who have never caught a fish in their lives. It happens every day, 365 days a year. Newcomers are well served by a well-maintained fleet of top-of-the-line boats and expert captains.

Plus, Kona’s big fish hunt in deep, calm waters near shore. The 100-fathom line is a 10-minute run from Kona’s two main fishing fleets at Honokohau Harbor and Keauhou Bay. What’s more, the biggest fish of any week is usually a marlin in the 500- to 900-pound range caught by a complete newcomer on a four- or six-hour trip. On any day of the year, a visitor can find a suitable charter and hope to catch one or more of Hawaii’s mighty four: billfish, ahi (yellowfin tuna), mahimahi (dolphinfish) and ono (wahoo).

Billfish of Every Kind

Blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, shortbill spearfish and broadbill swordfish — Kona’s waters are home to every billfish found in the Pacific. But each has a different story, and you should know those stories when you make plans.

Big blues are the billfish that pay the bills in Kona. Blues of all sizes are here year-round, but they are usually most common during the summer tournament season, from June through early September. Mid-Pacific currents can supply a fresh run at any time, however. For example, sometimes April surprises offshore trollers with fish heavier than 500 pounds on every day of the lunar cycle. Catches like these show that the lunar cycle has little, if any, influence on billfishing in Kona (unlike the effect different phases might have in other fishing areas).

Kona granders have also been landed in January, March and July. March, which might otherwise be considered the offseason elsewhere, has turned up more of Kona’s historic granders than any other month, and that includes the 1,649-pound Kona all-time record in 1984. The 1,376‑pound IGFA record for 130-pound class was caught in May 1982. Indeed, granders have been caught in Kona waters every month of the year. Licensed commercial fishermen are allowed to sell blue marlin in Hawaii, but professional skippers prefer tag-and-release for clients who want to let vital fish go. In any given week, more of Kona’s blues are tagged than kept. Visitors should make their wishes known when setting up a charter.

Hawaii’s Striped Marlin

Striped marlin cruise through Kona water’s year-round, but the big run extends from December through March. The Hawaii state record, 212 pounds, turned up here at the end of March 2011. That’s big for a north Pacific stripe, which is noteworthy because South Pacific stripers max out at more than double the weight of their northern cousins. Striped marlin are most attracted to Kona when winter waters cool down into the mid-70s. During those “chilly” times, the luckiest trollers might get up to a dozen striped marlin bites, and hook about a third of them.

Those same striped marlin ­conditions also attract shortbill spearfish of world-record size. Kona’s frisky shortbills ­presently hold 16 IGFA marks for tackle as light as 4-pound-class, and even on fly gear. Record-seekers troll hookless teasers to draw a spearfish within range, and then present a lure, fly or bait on the most sporting gear available. For most visitors, however, the spearfish is a surprise catch when trolling for blues and stripes.

For black marlin, Kona is outside the normal migration range. The entire Kona fleet sees only a handful each year, and these are much smaller than the giants of the Great Barrier Reef far to the south. Old-timers will remind you that the state record weighed 1,205 pounds, but that once-in-a-generation fish was caught in 1980.

Broadbills are the secret sensations for fishermen who know when, where and how to catch them. Most of Kona’s rod-and-reel swordies are caught at night during ika-shibi (traditional hand line) trips that target tuna. With its giant staring eyes, the broadbill is readily attracted to lights at night and to the squid schools that gather in the glow. The state record 503-pounder took the bait in June 2006 at the start of what are usually the three best swordfish months. Only a few boats cater to the night-fishing trade.

Hawaii Tuna Fuel Jet Revolution

More than fifty years ago, Hawaii troller Henry Nishikawa ignited the jet revolution when he caught a world-record ahi on a metal-headed lure drilled through and through with holes. His 269-pound yellowfin didn’t last long in the record books after anglers in the eastern Pacific discovered a tribe of bigger tuna off Mexico. Yet the IGFA record book is still overwhelmingly Kona on the ladies’ side: Kona catches made by women hold the 16-, 20-, 30- and 50-pound-class marks.

Though Kona waters attract ­resident schools of yellowfin year‑round, ahi are most abundant in late spring and throughout summer. As schools migrate west to east through the islands, the big runs reach Kauai first by Mother’s Day in May and Kona by Father’s Day in June. When the action is wide open, lucky boats can catch as many as 10 a day, all in the 100- to 220-pound range, by trolling or live-baiting with aku (skipjack tuna) or opelu (mackerel scad). During the rest of the year, ahi specialists target them with green-stick gear, and continue to catch a few each trip.

Hawaii’s state record ahi (a July catch) of 325 pounds is unusually large for central Pacific yellowfin tuna. Kona’s biggest ahi each year normally hits 250 pounds (258.5 in 2013). The state record bigeye (277 pounds in July 2013) and the biggest albacore (89.2 pounds in April 2011) both were caught on the Big Island’s windward (eastern) coast. The albacore weighed more than any on the IGFA record list but did not qualify for world-record status because it was caught on commercial-fishing gear. Kona ­fishermen regularly catch albies (tombo ahi) in the 60s and 70s on sport fishing tackle.

Mahimahi, Hawaii’s Gift to the World

Almost 70 years ago, Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club official George Perry set the 130-pound-class IGFA world record for dolphinfish with a 72.5‑pounder. That record didn’t last long, but the name “mahimahi” is Hawaii’s gift to the world, because it replaces the confusing name “dolphin” on restaurant menus. Though Hawaii has no current IGFA mahimahi records, the state-record 82-pounder confirms the potential. That record fish was a September Kona catch, but mahimahi are available any time the current drags a “floater” within trolling distance.

Mahimahi live up to their name (it means “very strong”), and the brightly colored, agile acrobats do their muscular tricks in Kona waters year-round. Occasionally huge schools gather around flotsam and jetsam for a wide-open bite that can go on for days. Then, skippers gear down to match the catch with sporting 20- and 30-pound-class rods. Unless a Kona skipper finds a floater, mahi are incidental catches on marlin and tuna trips.

By the way, the mahimahi record aside, Perry went on to catch the largest blue marlin in each of the first two Hawaiian International Billfish Tournaments (HIBT). The HIBT became an annual Kona fishing feature in 1959 and soon inspired dozens of other Kona tournaments. During the most popular tournament months of June, July and August, events compete with each other every week

Ono Blitzes, Summer Phenomenon

A Guide to Big Fish off the Big Island

Ninety years ago, a mysterious fellow known only as “J.B. Stickney” caught a 124.75-pound wahoo in Hawaii waters to set the world record. That was five years before the IGFA was founded, a time when records were compiled by Van Campen Heilner of Field & Stream and Francesca R. La Monte of the American Museum of Natural history. Ono — what wahoo are called in Hawaii — average 30 to 40 pounds, which makes J.B.’s catch even more extraordinary.

Big ones do show up now and then — state-record-holders Tom Brandt and Sky Mullins surprised their 133.2‑pound ono off the windward coast of the Big Island in December 2000. The major ono run reaches the Big Island in May of each year and hangs around into early September. Some ono are caught year-round, with early morning being your best chance. Kona skippers typically troll the 40-fathom line at the start of each trip to pick up any ono that might be harassing the nearshore bait schools.

To ward off the ono’s sharp teeth, skippers rig their special ono lures with single-strand stainless leaders. Ono slash at heavy-headed subsurface lures like weighted jets and lead-head feathers. On a typical trip specifically for ono, a successful boat might catch three or four fish. In years when ono blitz the summer currents, boats are known to hook as many as 40 on a single trip.

Other fishing areas might see the diversity of big-game fish that Kona has, but few have them in the sizes regularly seen here. In Kona, your next strike could come on any day of the year, in any phase of the moon, at any turn of the tide, on routinely comfortable seas, and be one of the Pacific’s biggest and most exciting game fish.

Shore Fishing off the Big Island

The post Kona Hawaii Offshore Fishing appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Yellowfin tuna attack in packs, like wolves descending on a flock of lambs. Often, these 50-pound footballs launch completely out of the water to crash bait from above.

On the hook, they fight like bulldogs with a headstrong run capable of pegging anglers to their limits. On the table, the meat tastes delicate, whether seared like a steak or sliced up cold and raw.

Among the top locations to catch this most-popular gamefish has to be Hatteras Island, North Carolina. Captains troll ballyhoo, cast topwater plugs, dangle baits from a kite or jig vertically. Fishing out of the famed Oregon Inlet, on the east side of Hatteras island, or the fabled Hatteras Inlet on the south side of the island, anglers find ample opportunities to catch the yellowfin tuna of a lifetime.

On the Line in Oregon Inlet

The combination of warm-water eddies and deep structure attracts tuna to the waters off Oregon Inlet from October through June. While blackfin, bigeye and bluefin tuna visit the area, yellowfin tuna remain the star attraction.

The charter fleet fishing out of Oregon Inlet developed the tactics that anglers all over the world use to score yellowfin. Based out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Capt. Charles Haywood chases tuna on his 55-foot custom boat, Rigged Up.

Haywood has fished Oregon Inlet since childhood, starting as a mate for some of the most iconic anglers on the water and later becoming the owner operator of his own boat. After decades chasing yellowfin, Haywood and the rest of the tuna fleet have developed foolproof tuna tactics.

“We can catch yellowfin tuna all winter,” Haywood says. Later, the spring season heats up from early May to late June. While every angler prays for calm weather, Haywood says the best tuna days are a little rough. “Not hell-bent, but a 12- to 18-knot wind seems to get the fish moving,” he says. On a stiff northeast swell, he spots schools of yellowfin swimming downsea.

Getting to The Point

Haywood looks for yellowfin where the edge of the Gulf Stream crosses the continental shelf, anywhere from 30 to 50 miles offshore. Ground zero is a cut in the shelf called The Point. The warmer, clearer water of the Gulf Stream meets the cooler, dirtier water of the Labrador Current in a noticeable seam. As the currents ebb and flow, the seam moves north and south along the edge of the shelf. When the warm water crosses over a hill, cliff or canyon in the edge of the abyss, yellowfin tuna stage to feed.

“This time of year, yellowfin will hold inside or outside the stream,” he says. Haywood has caught yellowfin in water from 68 to 78 degrees; he says 70 to 74 degrees is ideal.

Haywood relies on his fish finder to mark tuna and bait as the boat moves from one piece of structure to another. Once he finds fish on a hill or canyon, he works the area until he dials in specific locations and determines the best direction to approach them.

The Perfect Spread

To catch yellowfin, Haywood trolls skirted ballyhoo at 6.5 to 7.2 knots. He starts with a large ballyhoo rigged beneath a Sea Witch skirt. Haywood keeps a complete palette of skirt colors, from black-and-red to bright pinks and whites. He changes colors to meet weather and water conditions.

He pulls the ballyhoo using 50-pound-class tackle and spools up with 130-pound braided backing. To the backing, he adds a 100-yard topshot of 80-pound mono and crimps a 25-foot leader of 180-pound fluorocarbon between the topshot and the lure.

An effective tuna spread consists of a dozen baits fished from a web of lines. Haywood makes use of long riggers to long-short riggers, short-short riggers, two or three shotguns and flat lines splashing just a few feet from the transom.

Haywood recommends changing each lure’s position until it swims correctly: riding down the boat wake and popping out of the water every minute. Sometimes the fish favor long baits swimming deeper and other times, the tuna attack short baits splashing on the surface. With the right spread, a pack of yellowfin will attack every bait until every rod bends double.

After the first bite, Haywood keeps trolling, hoping to hook multiple fish. By the time he slows the boat to let the anglers work on the fish, he has moved away from the structure. With the swift Gulf Stream sweeping him away from the honey hole, Haywood turns his boat into the current while the anglers fight their fish.

When the spring bite turns hot, anglers descend from every direction to get in on the action. Chartering a professional captain can help you learn the ropes.

Haywood also encourages visitors to network with local captains to monitor weather conditions and navigation hazards. The channel markers don’t mark the channel, and a big winter swell can make the outer bar almost impassable. “We may be tough on the outboarders,” he laughs, “but the inlet is always changing. Don’t be afraid to ask for local knowledge.”

Chasing Action in Hatteras Inlet

Although it lies only 60 miles south of Oregon Inlet, Hatteras Inlet is a world away. While the fleet fishing out of Oregon Inlet enjoys steady action on yellowfin tuna, anglers fishing out of Hatteras Inlet chase tuna that ride eddies of cooler water spinning along the Gulf Stream.

Capt. Rom Whitaker has chased yellowfin out of Hatteras Inlet for 40 years. “Ten years ago, tuna fishing was excellent,” he recalls. Then, local anglers suffered a dry spell — until last year.

Whitaker says the behavior of the Gulf Stream eddies changed. “We had less current and more eddies,” he says — perfect conditions for yellowfin tuna.

The Gulf Stream current can rush faster than 5 knots up the coast, and that deep, blue water is too warm and turbulent for tuna. Instead, Whitaker looks for an eddy of cooler, slower, green water spinning up from the south.

“The water in the eddy can be 3 degrees cooler,” he says. “As the eddy moves up the coast, the current will change from southwest to nothing to a backing tide out of the northeast.”

For this reason, Whitaker starts each day studying satellite sea-surface-temperature images. While on the water, he monitors changes in the eddy with his Sirius XM satellite service. He also talks to captains who fish out of Morehead City to the south, asking about water temperature, current and other details for clues to where the tuna are holding—on the edge, in the center, or at the top or bottom.

Once he determines the most likely area, he looks for where the water crosses underwater structure. “The tuna ride the eddy like a train,” he says. The fish might stop at canyons and rock piles, but they continue to move with the water. “One day they might be south at the 800 line, then the next day they’ll be at the triple zeros, and the third day, they’ll stop behind the Rockpile,” he says, referring to Loran-C locations.

Shifting Tactics With the Seasons

Whitaker says the Hatteras yellowfin season runs from April until early July. As the months progress, his tactics change. He prefers trolling Sea Witches and ballyhoo. If that doesn’t work, he might try dropping a spoon on a planer, or adding a spreader bar into the mix. “I like the spreader bar in the middle of the spread,” he says.

If Whitaker marks fish on his fish finder, but can’t get a bite, he drops 200-gram vertical jigs. If he sees yellowfin jumping out of the water, he grabs a spinning rod rigged with a topwater popper. But his favorite way to catch tuna is with the kite, he says.

When the tuna feed on flying fish, they turn up their noses at trolled baits. Dangling a rubber flying fish from a kite can be just the thing to entice the tuna to bite. Whitaker uses 30-pound tackle spooled with 65-pound braided line. He attaches the mainline to a 4-foot section of 200-pound monofilament holding the lure. He can run two lures off one kite, trolling fast enough to keep the kite in the air and the lures bouncing off the wave tops.

Read Next: More Yellowfin Tuna Tips

“It’s a very visual bite,” he says, describing how tuna launch into the air to snare a flying bait. Yellowfin seem to prefer their prey hanging three feet off the surface. With a lot of line in the air, it’s important to quickly retrieve slack. Sharp hooks snare the fish until the angler can catch up using the reel.

On a typical day tuna fishing, anglers might have to employ several tactics before hitting the mark. Expect to switch from trolling ballyhoo, to casting plugs, jigging metal and flying a kite. But if you can find the right water over the right structure, you’ll find some of the world’s best yellowfin tuna fishing.

FAQ

The post Spring Into the Yellowfin Tuna Fishing Scene appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

“HOLD ON!” yells Capt. Shane Jarvis, and you’d better listen because he’s spotted diving birds and spinner dolphins on his Simrad radar. That means just one thing: surface-busting yellowfin tuna. He points the boat in their direction and guns the twin outboards in search of sashimi.

Jarvis has established an island retreat in Panama’s Gulf of Chiriquí, 30 miles from the Costa Rican border. No purse seiners are allowed in Panamanian waters, so the fishery remains fertile. Anglers can chase billfish, mahi and inshore species, often in the same day, but the marauding tuna are typically the biggest draw. Massive schools thunder around and anglers who can intercept them reap the benefits. His base on Isla Parida, 10 miles offshore, puts him closest to the action.

“The tuna are here year-round, but the bait really moves in with huge pods of dolphin from April to August,” he said. He’ll locate the action with his radar, and attempt to cut it off. “You want to figure out the direction they’re moving. When they’re in super-tight groups, you can do that, but some bait — like flying fish and squid — can’t be herded. They’re more erratic.”

Upon arrival to the action, anglers try to launch a Yo-Zuri Bull Pop or Mag Popper into the midst of the frenzy. At first, some are too awed by the airborne tuna to act. If the fish go down, it’s time to start all over again, searching the radar for action that could have moved miles away in the blink of an eye. All too often, though, one or more anglers hook up.

“The key is to loudly pop the lure one or two times so the fish can hear and see it,” Jarvis explained. “Then move it faster … pop-pop-pop-pop. When you hook up, apply as much pressure as you can from the get-go. It pays to be in good shape.” That’s because while the tuna tend to school up by size, a 200-pounder can suddenly appear in a group of 20- to 60-pounders.

Jarvis, as part of Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, has outfitted his three World Cats and one Freeman with custom front casting platforms and protective rails. The latter prevent anglers from going in the drink when casting or battling a giant yellowfin. He uses specialized popping rods from Blackfin and Shimano Twin Power 14000 spinning reels spooled with 65-pound test Yo-Zuri Superbraid and a shock leader of 80-pound test Super Fluoro.

At night, anglers return exhausted to the lodge’s compound on Isla Parida, and the biggest decision for the following day is whether to go on another hunt for tuna, or to focus on billfish and inshore species. Fortunately, it’s not a single decision that must be made. In fact, while this may be tuna popping paradise, and there’s nothing wrong with chasing them exclusively, variety is the region’s true calling card. Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the other species will give you a rest. Befitting the Jurassic Park-style scenery, everything here is prehistoric, mean, and willing to fight to exhaustion.

Planning a Trip

When to Go

The yellowfin are in the Gulf of Chiriquí year-round, and can be caught on surface lures any month, but prime popping takes place from early April through the beginning of August, when the bait is bunched up the best and the seas are calm. The rainy season starts in late summer and runs through the end of October, plus Jarvis closes down the lodge in September and October. The fishing is still good, but it may be uncomfortable to be out there. Opportunities to catch billfish and mahi increase on the edges of the rainy periods. Inshore fishing for species including roosterfish and cubera snapper is good all the time.

Where to Go and How to Get There

Getting to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge. Anglers fly into Panama City’s Tocumen Airport, the largest in Central America, which is served by numerous major airlines and has direct flights from over a dozen North American cities. From there, the package includes expedited immigration, all transfers, and a night at the Hilton. The next morning, anglers fly to the city of David on a Copa jet, take a five minute ride to the airport, and an hour boat ride through the estuary to Isla Parida.

Panama City is exceptionally cosmopolitan and safe. During the stopover, tours can be arranged of the Panama Canal or Casco Viejo portion of the city. Isla Parida is in a national park, which includes World Heritage Site Isla Coiba, known for its incredible diving and whale watching.

The post Panama’s Topwater Yellowfins appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

With a wealth of well-established marinas, resorts and fishing charters all along Costa Rica’s 630-mile Pacific coastline, visiting anglers will find no shortage of options in this small heavily jungled Central American Mecca for tourists. Besides its pristine beaches, Costa Rica offers visitors tropical rainforests, mostly protected and teeming with wildlife, as well as mountains (as high as 12,500 feet) and volcanoes to explore. The country has become known internationally as an eco-tourism center.

But of course, it’s also well known for its great sportfishing, with many options and well-established infrastructure for enthusiasts. Those options include entirely different fisheries on Pacific and Atlantic coasts. The Pacific side is larger and receives the lion’s share of sport-fishing effort in three major areas: Guanacaste in the far north (Tamarindo, Flamingo, Papagayo); the central coast (Los Sueños, Quepos) and the southernmost coast (Osa Peninsula, Golfito). 

These are the major game fish that anglers come to Costa Rica to catch:

Marlin – It’s possible here to catch all three marlin species in a day: blue, black and striped. Blues are particularly prevalent and the advent of anchoring FADs — fish-attracting devices — to offshore seamounts has led to some amazingly productive blue marlin fishing, mid spring through mid fall on the central coast. Since the FADs are 60 to 130 miles out, most FAD operations book trips for two, three or four nights out. Dorado (mahi) are a likely bonus on FAD trips.

Sailfish – They can be numerous enough that double-digit days are not at all uncommon. These are big fish — bigger than western Atlantic sails, running 75 to 100 pounds on average and sometimes much larger. The majority are caught on trolled rigged ballyhoo, but there are good opportunities for fly-fishermen as well (it’s worth noting that 10 of 15 tippet-class fly-rod records for Pacific sailfish came from Costa Rica).

Roosterfish – Central America’s high-finned, high-status inshore game fish, roosters are abundant all along the country’s rocky/sandy Pacific coastline, making it an iconic species for the country. Slow-trolling live blue runners or small tunas provides most of the roosterfish hookups though the powerful fish will hit poppers and stickbaits and at times, flies as well.

Yellowfin Tuna – The Pacific off the coast of Costa Rica is definitely tuna country, where anglers look for big pods of spinner dolphins, knowing well the symbiotic association between the mammals and yellowfin. Often where you find one, you find the other. Add in diving birds and get ready. And tuna action for anglers has gotten even better in recent years, thanks to a 2014 Tuna Decree that prohibited big purse seiners from operating within 45 miles of the nation’s coast.

Planning a Trip

When to Go: Like most great fishing destinations, plenty of opportunities await year-around, but peak times vary in part by area. So, on the central and north coast, late spring/summer offer the best chances of blue marlin while winter might be a better bet in the country’s southern reaches. For sailfish, hit the north coast in summer and winter/spring along the central and south coast. Yellowfin all year for the most part, though the far north is generally best in the summer. For roosterfish and Pacific cubera: any time, any place. The Atlantic-side tarpon fishery is all year, though October-November often prove to be peak months.

Where to Go and How to Get There: Most visitors fly into the country’s capital city, San Jose. The other alternative for international flights is the newer Guanacaste airport in Liberia. The San Jose airport requires a 30- to 45-minute ride to most of the city’s hotels. A variety of small airlines offer in-country service to both coasts. Winter into early spring on the Pacific is a bit drier and a bit windier in general, while summer through mid-fall days are usually calm but often with heavy interior showers spreading out toward evening. Whenever you plan to go, booking far in advance is advisable.

What to Expect: Costa Rica offers fishing resorts, marinas and charters all along its Pacific coast and several in the Rio Colorado and Parismina area on the Caribbean. Boats available for charter can range from small pangas for inshore/nearshore fishing (always check for basic safety equipment including VHF radio) to convertible sport-fishers more than 60 feet long for offshore/FAD trips. While Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica, it’s common to find locals who know at least some English. You’ll need a valid passport to enter the country — and a return flight ticket, proof of which you’ll have to provide to immigration at your time of arrival. Exchange rates for Costa Rica colóns are usually better at the airport, though U.S. dollars are generally accepted and desirable, so bring some U.S. currency. Pay the $29 departure tax before your departure day if it isn’t included in the return flight cost, as lines to pay can get long at the airport.

Helpful Links

There is so much more to do in the country in addition to fishing — ziplining, whitewater kayaking, mountain hiking, horseback riding and more.

• Essential Costa Rica
• U.S. News & World Report Costa Rica Travel Guide
• Crocodile Bay Resort
• Zancudo Lodge
• Los Suenos Resort and Marina
• Marina Pez Vela

The post Costa Rica’s World-Class Sport Fishing appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Gorgeous sugar-sand beaches, swaying palm trees, turquoise waters, and upscale resorts are often associated with fishing paradises — but you’ll find none of that in Venice, Louisiana. Rather, you’ll find a few homes on stilts in an unincorporated community (population 162 per 2020 census) and a dirty skyline dominated by the oil and petrochemical industries’ refineries, plants, storage tanks, oil derricks, chimneys and tall flare stacks, spouting burn-off flames like enormous torches. It’s a backdrop few would call appealing.

Yet visitors travel to this industrial area at the southernmost end of the road in Plaquemines Parish, a two-hour drive south of New Orleans. Why? Must be a mighty big draw to get ‘em down there.

The answer, in a word, is fishing. For some game fish species, the fishing here ranks as some of the best in the world. In these productive waters, around and beyond the mouth of the Mississippi River, red and yellow rule. That is, red drum both inshore and nearshore; yellowfin tuna in blue water around deep oil platforms. There’s no shortage of guides to fish redfish and more from large, fast bay boats. Likewise, charter captains in big, multi-engine center console boats (huge catamarans are particularly popular) promise fast access out the river and to blue water where great numbers of oil rigs serve as FADs teeming with baitfish and predators — besides pelagic big-game fish, the list includes red snapper, grey snapper, cobia, tripletail, jacks (amber, almacos, crevalles), groupers and more.

Venice, in essence, sticks out into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s surrounded by fishing grounds on all sides. For anglers that’s a good thing, except when it’s a bad thing: when hurricanes prowl the Gulf in late summer and fall. Since 1930, more than 30 named storms have hit southern Louisiana. Some major blows like Camille in 1969 and Katrina in 2005 left Venice devastated to the tune of $108 billion, with more than 1,500 dead. Yet Venice always comes back, as do fishermen who can’t stay away.

It’s worth noting that while Venice is uniquely situated in the Gulf, a number of small communities across southern Louisiana are home to outstanding inshore and offshore fisheries as well, such as Grand Isle, Lake Charles, Port Fourchon and many others.

Planning a Trip

When to Go: Two certainties are that you can find good fishing any month of the year, and that winter is likely to be windy. Still, winter can be a good time to fish offshore when conditions permit, not only for really big tuna but large wahoo in numbers around the famed Midnight Lump (a salt dome rising to 200 feet, known as the Sackett Bank on NOAA charts). Summer offers a good shot at marlin, as well as yellowfin and blackfin tunas, plus mahi.

Redfish action can be great throughout the year. While summer months can be torrid, in the heat of summer, a good guide can get anglers back into clear “ponds” in backcountry shallows to sight-cast to laid-up reds. October is hard to beat for fishing in Venice. For one thing, normally in October the really big bull reds (30 to 40 pounds) move into inshore waters to join the smaller school fish. And offshore, skippers can fish the shrimp boats for big yellowfin and blackfin for non-stop action. Swordfish are caught here year-round, though spring through early summer is peak time.

Where to Go and How to Get There: As noted above, getting here is simple indeed. Whether in a rental car from New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport or driving down, you’ll take the only highway you can take — Louisiana 23 south through Belle Chasse (which is about a half hour in light traffic south of the airport) then another 65 miles (just over an hour) down to Venice.

What to Expect: You’ll find many charter operations in Venice that fish blue water and also nearshore Delta areas, plus guide services fish “the marsh,” as inshore waters are widely known. As for accommodations, they’re rather limited. Many fishing operations either have their own accommodations (rooms, sometimes entire houseboats) or work with others who have houses locally, and set up their clients routinely as part of their packages. Many of the charter operators who provide housing also arrange meals. With any luck, you’ll enjoy such an arrangement and, often, that means really unforgettable Cajun cooking.

A dependable all-in-one option is Cypress Cove Marina & Lodge. Full marina and launch ramp are available, plus 45 hotel rooms and limited numbers of townhome rentals. A host of inshore and offshore captains run out of Cypress Cove, so there’s no problem finding a captain specializing in tripletail, redfish, speckled trout, swordfish or yellowfin tuna.

Out-of-state anglers will need a non-resident guide/charter fishing license; private boaters fishing offshore must have a free Recreational Offshore Landing Permit. Other than fishing in Venice there’s not a lot to do, though duck hunting in the fall is an option for some.

Helpful Links

• Visit Louisiana
• Explore Louisiana
• Louisiana’s Delta Country
• Cypress Cove Marina
• Venice Marina
• Journey South Outfitters – Husband-and-wife captains Eric and Moe Newman are topnotch for inshore or offshore, with boats to match, with a small lodge just out of town. Also, Eric worked as a New Orleans chef for years.
• Super Strike Charters – Capt. Damon McKnight has been taking anglers out of Venice for 20 years; his clients stay in houseboats or at Cypress Cove Lodge.
• Redfish Lodge – Capt. Mike Frenette has been known for fishing these inshore waters for decades. The small lodge he runs with wife Lori, sits right in the Venice waterfront near the marina.

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Best Time for California Yellowfin Tuna

Captain Andy Cates, of the Red Rooster III, says the season kicks off in September with 8- to 10-day trips to the lower banks including Potato Bank, Finger Bank and Morgan Bank. This is the land of giants, with the majority of yellowfin tuna weighing 200 to 300 pounds. “If you get a bite, it’s a big one,” Cates says.

The captain compares early-season fishing to big game hunting. He says anglers prepare for weeks for a shot at a true trophy. By January, the water on the lower banks cools down and the big tuna disappear. “We have no idea where they go,” Cates marvels.

That’s when he turns his attention to longer 15- to 18-day trips to the Hurricane Bank. Cates describes Hurricane Bank’s fishing as “action packed.” The bulk of the action is on 90- to 150-pound yellowfin. “Lucky anglers can get eight to 10 bites a day,” he says. 

The main goal of long-range anglers is landing a 200- to 300-pound cow yellowfins. Cates says February through April is the best shot at a trophy. In addition to tuna, Hurricane Bank offers top-notch wahoo fishing.

Cooler Water Temperatures Scared off Sharks

With the season wrapping up, Cates reflects on the trends he observed. “The water stayed cooler, so the fishing was better,” he says. Cates explains the cooler water discouraged sharks and presented a better opportunity to catch a tuna. 

In the beginning of January, Cates explained that the water temperature was in the mid-70s. As the season progressed, the temperature dropped to 72.5 degrees and the sharks disappeared. “It was absolutely brilliant fishing,” Cates remembers.

Hooks and Plugs for Tuna

Going toe to toe with a 300-pound yellowfin tuna requires the most advanced tackle. Cates says, “Lightweight and powerful rods and reels we use make it possible for anyone to land a cow.” The key connection is the hook, and Cates prefers the Trokar 619 series for strength and performance.

The hot lure for trolling for wahoo is the Nomad DTX. Cates laughs, “Everyone on the back of the boat has a DTX.” For the optimal action, anglers tie the swimming plug directly to the mainline. “Using wire makes the lure come out of the water,” he says.

Bluefin Tuna Fishing Heats up in June

As we interviewed Cates, he was preparing Red Rooster III for the last 15-day trip to the banks. When he returns, he expects San Diego bluefin tuna fishing to heat up. “Bluefin fishing is spotty right now but it should get better in June,” he says. 

Cates says the best bluefin action is at night, so he plans to bottom fish during the day and tuna fish at night. “We’ll catch 50- to 200-pound bluefin only 50 miles from San Diego,” he says. 

As for next season on the Mexican banks, Cates is hopeful. “If everything sustains and we don’t get a lot of warm water, I expect next season to rival this year.”

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The Gulf Coast offshore of Venice, Louisiana, is a hot spot for yellowfin tuna, blue and white marlin. Captain Kevin Beach, of Mexican Gulf Fishing Company, says the key to scoring big tuna in clear water is downsizing his tackle and offering a buffet of bait choices. 

Fishing the offshore oil rigs and open water 30 to 50 miles offshore, Beach catches yellowfin tuna weighing more than 150 pounds regularly, with blue and white marlin releases in the mix too. 

Try Different Baitfish

Beach and his 42-foot Freeman Pale Horse start the day catching bait. “When the bait shows up, everything else follows.” Using No. 6 to No. 8 Sabiki rigs, he loads the livewell with hardtails (blue runners), scad and threadfin herring. “The tuna are temperamental and finicky, so I take a variety of bait,” Beach says.

After he makes bait, Beach runs offshore looking for clear green or blue water. “Clear green water has been the best,” he points out. Some days, Beach finds the tuna within 20 miles of the beach, but the most reliable bite is usually on the rigs out to 50 miles. 

Light Tackle Gets More Bites

When Beach sets out the baits, he starts with 50-pound-class rods, 100-pound leader and a 6/0 to 10/0 hook. If the fish are skittish, he downsizes. “I’ll go to a 4/0 hook and 15-pound leader,” he says. But Beach avoids battling big tuna on light tackle. “I’d rather get fewer shots at fish with heavier gear,” he says.

To improve his hookup ratio with lighter tackle, Beach has gone to a thin-wire Eagle Claw L2004. “With the light leader, I’m not using enough drag to straighten the hook,” he explains. The light-wire hook improves the presentation of a small bait. 

Use Spinning Gear for Open Water Tuna

Everyone knows fishing is hot around the oil rigs, but Beach likes to find fish in open water. He gets really excited when he finds a whale shark swimming on the surface. “Tuna in the open water haven’t seen 100 hooks, and they’re not afraid of the boat,” he says. This is a perfect opportunity to catch big tuna on a spinning rod and topwater lure.

Beach warns anglers to use heavy spinning tackle. He laughs, “A light rod and reel results in a long battle and usually ends in heartbreak.” He says bruiser tuna require a seven-foot rod and Daiwa 18000 and 20000 Saltiga MQ reels. The reel is spooled with 80-pound braided line and a 4-foot leader of 80- to 100-pound test. He connects the leader to the mainline with an Alberto knot. “Topwater lures change through the season, but the Halco Slidog is consistent,” Beach says.

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Central and South America’s often-­fabulous Pacific coast fishing is no secret. Proof of that lies in the proliferation of marinas, charters and fishing resorts from southern Mexico through Panama. While few areas are yet truly crowded with anglers, in many stretches, you can expect company on the water. Not so off Colombia. In three days of fishing during a springtime visit to that country’s Pacific coast, out of Bahia Solano, I saw precious few other boats, and those were being used for local transportation or artisanal fishing. In that respect, the country might be similar to fishing Panama a few decades ago. The coastal topography is certainly reminiscent of Panama, but anglers who like long stretches of water all to themselves will appreciate Colombia.

And there’s more for sport fishermen to appreciate here. About a decade ago, Colombia declared a large chunk of its waters (including Bahia Solano) from the pristine coastline to 20 miles offshore as a “zona exclusiva de pesca artesanal”—a zone designated exclusively for artisanal fishing, encompassing more than 240 square miles of ocean and, I was told, the country does enforce it.

That might explain why in three days I saw no sign of any large seiners or longliners—and perhaps why, on the mornings we ran offshore, we had no trouble finding schools of yellowfin tuna.

Safe Tuna

After a leisurely breakfast at the Hotel Playa del Oro, I joined Paul Michele, now with a Band of Anglers, and Milo Marulanda and Alejandro Linares, with Sport Fishing Colombia (sport​-fishing​colombia.com), carrying our tackle to the beach where a panga waited to carry us the 50 yards out to the 32-foot Angler center-console (made in Colombia) with twin Suzuki 115s, on which we would explore the fishing off this coast.

Our skipper, Tirso Villaba, said on that first morning, we’d head offshore in search of breezing yellowfin, fast-moving schools chasing bait on top. Both Linares and Marulanda had told us emphatically that, thanks to restrictions on industrial fishing, angling success off Colombia’s Pacific coast keeps improving.

Marulanda says he’s seen large fishing vessels bearing flags from other countries being detained by Colombian military boats for trying to fish in closed areas.

“I think the tuna know they’re safe here,” Linares says.

And sure enough, with a short run offshore on the smooth ocean under leaden skies, we found tuna among the dolphins and began throwing big poppers. Among quite a few smashing strikes, we connected and held onto three in the 30- to 60-pound range. (That also gave us a chance to try out the new Okuma Makaira and Azores spinning reels we’d brought down, which performed flawlessly.) The fish were scattered and moving fast. We could have kept running-and‑gunning for them all morning—and we were tempted—but we decided to make the 30-mile run north to Punta Piña.

Here, we found a line of tall rocks jutting for miles well out into the Pacific. It couldn’t have looked fishier, though the water being cooler than usual—which Linares had warned us about—seemed to have shut off any major bite. That came as a surprise to Michele, who had fished this coast previously. Last time he was here, he says, a huge school of 15- to 30-pound mullet snapper at the surface made for fast topwater fishing. These he generally got to the boat; not so much the big Atlantic tarpon that he also hooked here, which jumped off.

In fact, tarpon are regularly hooked on Sport Fishing Colombia boats along the coast north of Bahia Solano, though few are landed. Linares says the numbers of the resident population of tarpon seem to keep growing. Marulanda agrees, noting that their anglers have caught quite a few tarpon, at least one of which looked to be upwards of 200 pounds.

But we kept working the rocks, and late on that first afternoon, we caught three cubera, two on Michele’s big popper. One of those big snapper would have weighed 50 to 60 pounds or so. As Michele was bringing that to the boat, Linares was lifting in a large bluefin trevally that struck his metal jig.

Sails on the Surface

Our second morning proved similar to the first, as again we found yellowfin offshore pretty quickly. After moving closer to shore, we spent more time jigging, though powerful currents made that difficult. At one point we found numbers of Eastern Pacific bonito—tasty, toothy, smaller cousins of dogtooth tuna—hanging well above bottom in about 300 feet.

But the third (and our last) day was an eye-opener. Initially we enjoyed some nearshore action, including a roosterfish lost near the boat, some smaller cubera, African pompano, big Pacific jacks and Sierra mackerel. I caught a nice orangemouth corvina in the 12-pound range casting a Z-Man GrubZ near shoreline rocks.

But it was the trip back to the lodge late in the afternoon that I most remember despite not catching much. The Pacific had lost its chop, and its mirrorlike surface reflected the blue sky’s high, thin clouds. We did manage to boat some good mahi, which we spotted while running then pitched baits to. As the sun neared the horizon, we saw a dorsal fin, waving high above the surface. Sailfish! Then we saw another, and a third.

We eased up to pitch a live goggle-eye, but the fish proved pretty spooky, and we had no takers. As we motored on, with dusk approaching, we began seeing more sails and bills and free-jumpers in considerable numbers. We managed to put liveys right in front of a couple as they sat nearly motionless, but they couldn’t have been more disinterested. Soon, the encroaching darkness forced us in.

There was no telling why the fish had lockjaw just then, but in any case, I had to be impressed with seeing so many sails in a small area. I regretted that we didn’t have another day to try trolling the waters for sails.

In fact, our local experts had described some remarkable sailfish numbers, acknowledging that they’re still working out the sailfish fishery here.

“In April and May [coinciding with the peak of the sardine run in these waters], there’s a huge migration of sailfish, when you can find thousands of sails in the waters off Bahia Solano,” says Steve Peak, who owns Sport Fishing Colombia. So far, few recreational fishermen have much awareness of this fishery, he points out.

Linares says the sails are offshore year-round, but when the sardines move in, so do sails, and that’s when they move quite close to shore in great numbers.

Also, Marulanda adds, the average size of sailfish here has been impressive, with many in the 90-pound range.

“Colombia is the last frontier along the Central/South American coast for sport fishermen. The gamefish species are the same as those in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama,” Linares says, “but Colombia lacks big numbers of fishing boats,” and that translates into fish that just aren’t used to seeing lures, he says.

Planning a Trip

Not so many years ago, internal and political unrest made Colombia a place most American tourists avoided. But in the past decade or so, that has changed, and the country has again become an appealing destination.

We flew into Medellin. I had long associated that name with drug cartels, but in fact it surprised me as a large, vibrant, clean and new city. It’s set amid mountains (its 4,500-foot elevation keeps Medellin temperatures mild) and, at least in the part of the city we walked around, we found considerable green spaces. Also, prices remain a relative bargain, so far. For instance, a nice breakfast at the airport was $5, and a great ribeye steak dinner with wine, about $25.

To reach Bahia Solano, we made the one-hour flight out the morning after our overnight in Medellin on Satena airline (satena.com) and checked in at the hotel Playa de Oro (playadeorolodge.com).

While the hotel might be considered rustic, it offered the necessary amenities, and I found it quite comfortable. The meals were outstanding and offered varied preparation each evening for the fish we brought in. (Memo to would-be visitors: Don’t release a good-size corvina!) Nor will the cost set you back unreasonably; at press time, I found the rate for a double room at about $75.

Read Next: Fishing the Lonely Pacific Coast of Colombia

Our Angler center-console boat proved adequate for our needs and was large enough to permit four anglers to fish simultaneously. Sport Fishing Colombia (sportfishingcolombia​.com) can help arrange package trips of four to six full fishing days, including in-country flights, ground transportation, meals and accommodations. We brought our own gear, but Sport Fishing Colombia has plenty of high-quality rods and reels to offer. The outfit suggests that anglers bring their favorite lures and jigs, but it also has a selection available. As far as what else to bring, of course plenty of sunscreen and bug repellent should be in your bag. (Though biting bugs didn’t bother us much, fortunately.) When I travel to remote areas, I take an ACR ResQLink personal locator beacon as well, which offers a bit of peace of mind. (It’s one of those things I’m glad to have and hope to never use.)

Atlantic Tarpon: Going Pacific

Early in this century, anglers fishing along the coast of Panama or Costa Rica reportedly hooked what they swore were Atlantic tarpon. These days, hooking big tarpon on the Central American Pacific Coast has become fairly commonplace. But their numbers seem to be increasing, and Colombia is a good case in point. While most of these fish are jumped off by the anglers, unsuspecting and unprepared for a fish that’s difficult at best to hook, the thrills are there. And Sport Fishing Colombia experts say it’s not just the odd fish but, more recently, anglers are encountering large schools of them and on a fairly regular basis.

Such ostensibly growing numbers suggest the fish could be spawning and growing in the Pacific, and Ross Robertson, Ph.D., a leading expert on Pacific fishes of Central America, says, “There are some very small tarpon in the eastern Pacific that must have been spawned here.” On the other hand, he stresses that Atlantic tarpon have been swimming into the Pacific via the Panama Canal for decades. Also, the recent enlargement of the canal might facilitate such relocation of tarpon. Much remains to be learned, but it is certain that tarpon are here to stay and offer yet another great ­gamefish target for sport ­fishermen in the eastern Pacific.

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Stand-Up Sticks for Yellowfin Tuna

Big tuna, big stick? No, you don’t need a heavy, solid‑fiberglass stand-up rod to fight big yellowfin or bluefin tuna anymore — not since the latest advancements in build materials.

No doubt, all-fiberglass rods are extremely durable, so much so that some anglers may never put down their favorite tuna fishing rods. Popular examples include Penn International V stand-ups, Calstar West Coast series, Star Aerials and others, though it’s important to note that some of these glass rods utilize hollow or tubular construction.

But with 50- to 80-pound-class conventional reels getting smaller, and the diameter of braided super lines shrinking, it’s not surprising that stand-up conventional sticks — tuna rods that you might have to clutch for long battles — are losing weight and gaining action. Some of the best tuna fishing rods available today might also be some of the lightest in weight.

Tuna Fishing Rod Construction

Over the past decade, composite rods have been taking over. Fiberglass- and-graphite ­construction rods produce the strength of fiberglass, plus the sensitivity of graphite, says Mike Whitman, director of marketing for Fin-Nor rods. All-glass rods tend to be less sensitive and much heavier when compared with composites, he says.

Fishing rod manufacturers use confusing terminology to explain one part of the composite mix. “We say graphite rods, but it’s really carbon fiber,” says Chris Cathart, Penn’s lead rod engineer. “The two terms are often used interchangeably.”

Graphite and carbon fiber are both produced from carbon, but graphite is carbon atoms arranged as hexagonal rings and layered, while carbon fiber is a chain of carbon atoms. Carbon fiber helps produce a smaller-diameter sensitive blank with better action.

“With older fiberglass rods, the mono main line stretched and afforded the angler some give when fighting a fish,” says Cathart. “Today’s braid super lines don’t have the stretch, so increased action in the rod is necessary.”

Top tuna fishing rod manufacturers produce stand-up conventional rods with a composite mix of graphite and glass, including Fin-Nor’s Tidal PowerLite, Penn’s Bluewater Carnage and Shimano’s Terez. “The graphite in the rod keeps the overall weight down, while the glass gives it durability,” says Shimano product manager Robby Gant. “A slight high-stick with a rod with too much graphite and it explodes, while too much glass and you’re fishing with a rod that’s too heavy.”

Cathart did a comparison between Penn rods made of 100 percent fiberglass and others with carbon-glass composite to find that weight differences total as much as 20 percent, depending on the rod model.

Characteristics of the Best Tuna Fishing Rods

Layered construction in rod blanks means that yellowfin and bluefin tuna rods no longer have to resemble a ­broomstick. Shimano’s TC4 process creates a thick rod wall but still produces a slim diameter by utilizing two inner layers of T-glass and an inner and outer layer of carbon.

“Let’s say you are holding a 6-foot steel rod like you’re pulling on a fish,” says Gant. “Anyone, even a kid, can grab the end of the steel rod and yank you around — that’s equal to a fish winning the battle. Some anglers feel like if they aren’t getting beat up, then they aren’t putting enough pressure on the tuna — that just isn’t true.”

Rod actions are lighter and faster than in the past, says Whitman, but it’s parabolic action rather than fast-tip action. Parabolic action refers to the characteristic of a rod to bend down toward your hands while fishing — this ability leverages more pressure on a tuna from your tuna fishing setup.

Length of the rod also has an effect on its action.

“All Fin-Nor [boat] rods are at least 6 feet, 10 inches,” says Whitman. “The only difference is in the power of the blank. This rod length allows the angler to cast the bait rather than just use it for conventional trolling.”

In the Pacific, long-range ­fishermen use rods over 7 feet to clear the corners of the boat when pulling on a fish. These types of boats incorporate high rails; many anglers place the foregrip on the rail, in essence making the rod shorter and easier to pull on fish.

To really clamp down on a massive tuna, a shorter rod helps, so pick your tuna fishing gear wisely.

“When fishing big tuna in the Gulf of Mexico out of a center-console, a shorter rod from 5 feet, 6 inches to 6 feet is perfect,” says Gant. “You get enough length to clear the outboards, and the shorter rod really lends itself to pulling with maximum force on a fish stand-up style.”

Tuna Fishing Rod Hardware

Aside from the blank itself, a rod’s hardware makes a difference. No matter what, make sure your main line slides cleanly through the guides. “Quality guides on rods these days really don’t fail, however the wrapping on those guides is key,” says Gant. “A double- or triple-wrapped guide better withstands the strain of a tuna year after year.”

I asked Sean Cheaney, at Mudhole Custom Tackle, about his ideal big-tuna stand-up rod.

“A short, bent aluminum butt for leverage, 10- to 14-inch foregrip, and AFTCO HD roller guides and top, all paired to a 6-foot composite Calstar Grafighter blank in the 40- to 100-pound class,” he says. “On this style of rod, I wouldn’t waste my time with anything but an aluminum butt.”

Newer rods with aluminum reel seats and butts are fairly indestructible, plus the aluminum provides added strength. Even still, economically priced graphite reel seats have come a long way, and hold up well against yellowfin. “Yes, aluminum is a stronger material, but in all the years I’ve been building fishing rods, I have never seen a graphite seat fail,” says Gant.

For true stand-up tuna fishing, Shimano introduced new carbon butts — half the weight of aluminum but equal in strength, the company says — on Terez and Tallus rod models. “A Tiagra 50 with an all-roller rod and aluminum butt is 2 pounds heavier than a Talica 50 with the new Terez rod featuring a carbon butt,” says Gant.

But hardware isn’t the most common cause for rod failure; it’s usually misuse by the angler. “Grabbing past the foregrip, high-sticking the rod, or allowing the rod to smack the gunwale are the most common ways to break a rod,” says Cathart.

Don’t accidentally abuse the rod, especially when transporting it in the truck or the boat. Impact fractures that nick the graphite cause a weak point.

“I hear fishermen say, ‘I was just pulling on a small tuna, and the rod broke,’” says Gant. “Actually, that rod broke when it was smacked against the gunwale or bouncing around in your truck, but it separated when you were pulling on a fish.”

Compare Stand-Up Tuna Fishing Rods

The post Best Tuna Fishing Rods appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

NGS Picture Id:1055393

It was a slow summer at Hudson Canyon off New York, but we were going in any case, because you can’t catch tuna when you’re dry on the dock. We weren’t halfway out when we saw life—a half-dozen whales rolling, and tails rising among what must have been 100 or more tightly packed bottlenose dolphin. Dozens of shearwaters flocked around the ­commotion. Extending outward for 100 square yards, storm petrels dabbed the blue 75-degree surface waters. The sonar screen read 180 feet. Something was up.

One cast into the mayhem created instant action. As soon as the bail closed, a fish grabbed the lure, and the rod doubled over at an impossible angle. Line easily peeled off the reel against a good 30 pounds of drag. The mate looked over at me with a big smile on his face and said, “Well, I guess we’re not going to the canyon.”

Running way offshore for big pelagics is ingrained. Want to catch tuna? Hit the “deep,” the “edge,” the canyons. And whether you see life or empty ocean, deploy a spread and troll blindly for hours.

But in recent years, most of the good fishing has occurred well inshore of the canyons, and trolling isn’t required.

All About That Bait
We owe this success to one thing, and one thing alone: sand lances, Ammodytes americanus (known locally as sand eels)—long, slender, 6- to 8-inch ­low-trophic-level fish with a pointy snout.

During the past six or seven years, when the sand eels have shown up—usually by mid-June—they’ve appeared in extraordinary numbers. Anglers know about it pretty quickly because often the entire list of oceanic predators also find them. Not just those with fins, but those with wings as well. Everything appears to eat sand eels.

To be clear, this bait does not reside in deep water. As the name suggests, sand eels prefer relatively sandy habitat in 40 fathoms or shallower. They also burrow at night into the soft substrate and spend their days feeding on zooplankton. They’re not equipped to frequent deep, high-­pressure water, thus don’t expect to see big ­concentrations at the canyons.

Why do they gather, and why recently have they flooded the 20- to 40-fathom area from Maryland to New York from mid-June to mid-September? Those are more-difficult questions to answer, but it seems likely that the mass migration involves a food source. Adult and larval sand lances feed primarily on copepods (immature crustaceans) and other tiny animals, so they might be focused on a new zooplankton bloom.

Regardless of the reason, the ­sand eels now congregate so thickly that once you’re into them, you often can’t read bottom on your sounder. And it’s clear that when they’re abundant, they attract a host of predators—most important of which are bluefin and yellowfin tuna—that gorge on the smallish baits with reckless abandon.

Location Indicators
“It’s all about finding life when you make these midshore tuna runs,” says New Jersey charter captain Gene Quigley (shorecatch.com). “I’d say we look for whales more than anything, but there are certainly other indicators.”

Not only do whales and tuna feed on this same prey, but both bluefin and yellowfin tuna often swim directly beneath the whales, possibly slurping up stunned sand eels after a whale has lunge-fed.

“We look for [bottlenose] dolphin too,” Quigley continues. “Not just the rolling ones, but the ones that are clearly smashing sand eels.”

Finding cow-nosed rays in 150 to 200 feet of water in July or August might be one of the best tuna signs. “Man, you run across a school of cow-nosed rays, and you’re a fool not to stop on it,” says New York captain Cory Crochetiere (nycfly​fishing.com). “Drop a jig under them, and it’s often an immediate hookup.”

On a clear, calm day, you can see rays pushing water when they’re on the surface. But often they swim 10 feet or more down. When they pass under your boat, they’re easy to see. For better or worse, rays also hit a jig or soft plastic.

Rays often appear accompanied by storm petrels, or what we call “tuna chicks”—small unassuming birds that seem to dance on the water. Just the presence of these birds, with or without the rays, can indicate sand eels, and subsequently tuna.

The petrels clearly don’t feed on sand eels. More likely they’re eating the same planktonic animals as the sand eels. A mother lode of storm petrels signals a mandatory stop, but even if you see just a half-dozen, give it a try. “We had our largest bluefin last year, casting a stickbait at a flock of what was maybe six or seven tuna chicks,” Crochetiere says. “A 250-pound-class bluefin came out of nowhere and crushed the plug.”

Shearwater birds also can suggest the presence of sand eels. If you see shearwaters circling high above the water, make a stop. They might be seeing something that you can’t, such as big pods of sand eels or even cruising tuna.

While you’ll likely see such life fairly close to shore, inside 20 fathoms, you probably won’t see tuna, at least during the June-to-September period. We really don’t stop on anything inside 20 fathoms, unless we see obvious signs of tuna feeding. Generally, we find the sweet spot in the 30-fathom range, more specifically in 150 to 200 feet of water.

However, even in that depth range, if the water looks green or dirty, most of the time we just move. You occasionally might find bluefin in less-than-blue water, but rarely yellowfin. Look for sand eels in cobalt-blue offshore water. That doesn’t guarantee tuna, but work the area. Nearby tuna eventually will find that bait.

Serious Gear
We fish these sand eel aggregations with soft-plastic and hard baits, using stout spinning tackle. Our favorite reels include Van Staal’s VSB250, Shimano’s Stella 18000 and 20000, and the Daiwa Dog Fight Saltiga 8000. For a more affordable alternative, try the Quantum Cabo 120.

Reels should be spooled with at least 80-pound braid and 6 to 10 feet of 80- to 125-pound fluorocarbon leader.

Rods must be specific to the tuna-popping-and-jigging game as well. Popping rods measure 7 feet, 6 inches to 8 feet, 4 inches long (casting distance is important), and they should be strong in the butt section for extended fights and real lifting power. Favorites include the Centaur and Race Point by Saltywater Tackle.

Rods to fish soft plastics, such as RonZs, can be shorter, at 6 to 7 feet, but they should demonstrate the same parabolic composition. Madd Mantis makes an affordable 7-foot all-around rod.

June and July Bluefin
Sand eels usually start to show in the 30-fathom range by mid-June. “It’s generally a water-temperature thing,” says noted New York offshore angler Ray Phelan. “Right around 65 degrees, we start to see them, and they get more abundant as things warm.”

Late spring also marks the appearance of larger (for spin-fishermen) bluefin in the 200-plus-pound ­category. Moving into July, the bluefin become more manageable in size—in the 80-pound range.

“Yeah, we get a few on poppers and stickbaits,” Crochetiere says, “but during the past couple of years, the shearwaters were so bad that you’d waste valuable time untangling birds. Most of the fish we catch [when that happens] are on RonZ soft-plastic baits.”

The 10-inch RonZ tails come rigged with a 500-pound Krok swivel eye, 500-pound through-wire, and a 9/0 Gamakatsu HD live-bait hook. Not only does the bait move easily side to side on the swivel in an articulated fashion, but the connection is super strong. You might experience tackle failures fighting tuna, but they won’t involve this lure.

The soft-plastic tail wiggles so easily that you won’t have to impart much action to make it resemble a sand eel. Even when working this bait very slowly, it still features a ton of movement. “Tuna will often grab it on the drop,” Crochetiere says. “And we’ve certainly caught fish just dead-sticking them,” or, leaving the rod in the holder.

We’ve learned over the years that bluefin like a slow bait presentation. Even with plugs, a long, slow retrieve draws way more strikes than a fast one.

Once you get the RonZ below the surface, avoiding a shearwater attack, it works really well. Yes, metal jigs can and do work, but not as well as these 10-inch soft plastics.

When the birds abate, Crochetiere mixes in some poppers and stickbaits such as the Nomad Riptide. This 200 mm (8-inch) translucent floating stickbait features a single strip of reflective tape on its sides, and closely mimics a sand eel. Work this bait in a slow, sweeping fashion. Other effective plugs include the Siren Deep Seductress, Shimano Orca and Daiwa Slider.

“Poppers are pretty awesome too, if for no other reason than the often-violent blowups,” Crochetiere says. His popper choice: the Madd Mantis Atasi. “Not so easy to find anymore, but there’s something about this plug that draws crazy strikes.”

Late-Summer Yellowfin
By late July or early August, you might catch a yellowfin while targeting bluefin in that same, general 30-fathom range. And then, in what seems like the span of a few hours, the bluefin can disappear, presumably shooting up to New England and farther north.

“I’m not sure if it’s a ­temperature change, or it’s just that so many yellowfin show up that they push the bluefin out,” Quigley says, noting that the water warms to 74 or 75 degrees in midsummer.

The bait doesn’t change, however; the sand eels continue to swarm. Fishing yellowfin on sand eel ­aggregations remains similar to targeting bluefin, with a few nuances. Yellowfin seem to swim with the dolphins to a greater extent than the bluefin. A popper placed in front of a school of feeding dolphins often results in an explosive strike from an 80-pound tuna. Cow-nosed rays also dependably indicate nearby yellowfin; the fish often swim directly underneath the rays.

Unique to yellowfin, however, are the skipjack schools. “We have a lot of success throwing big poppers in those skipjack schools,” Quigley says. “The big yellowfin come up from underneath all those skippies and hammer them.”

I don’t think the yellowfin eat the skipjack. Both species seem to feed on the sand eels. Almost every time we clean a yellowfin, we find a stomach packed full of eels, but no skipjack.

Read Next: Bluefin Tuna Blitz Behind the Scallop Boats

Sand eel fishing for tuna winds down in September mainly because the weather worsens and the water cools. Yellowfin, in particular, begin to migrate to deeper water.

The eels do remain, and anglers can fish another brief run of bluefin in December as the tuna head back south. During that time, fishing occurs in much shallower water closer to shore. But that’s its own unique and extraordinarily difficult fishery, requiring its own article.

For summer tuna, remember that farther might not always be better. Think twice about running long, or at least keep your eyes open on the way to the deep. Find the life, and you might score big without burning all that fuel.

About the Author
Capt. John McMurray is owner/­operator of One More Cast Charters in Oceanside, New York, as well as the president of the American Saltwater Guides Association—a coalition of professional guides promoting better business though conservation.

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