Along our gulf coast of Florida there are eight species of tuna that frequent or make seasonal passes within reach of local anglers. There are bluefin, yellowfin, big eye, albacore, skipjack, blackfin, bonito, and little tunny. The latter two are the smallest varieties of tuna to be worth fishing for, and to most anglers, are strictly fun or just for bait.
Tunny and bonito are strong,fast , and wild in their mannerisms, slashing through a chum slick and slapping aggressively at almost any bait presented. Once hooked, typical tuna behavior is to run like hell, try to go as far and deep as possible, and when near the boat, do it all over again. The sheer enjoyment of catching these little “footballs” is enough to excite anyone, novice and expert alike.

The Atlantic Bonito and the Little Tunny are very similar in appearance, but have differences and are easily distinguished by the fact that tunny have a series of four to five dark spots below the pectoral fin, and bonito do not. Other differences are slight and more anatomical, so look for the spots. On the table, these two fish are very tasty if prepared properly, so don’t disregard them as dinner if you should catch a few.

The small tunas, unlike their larger cousins, aren’t completely edible. Only the back meat, that flesh above the lateral line, is good for cooking. The rest is oily and heavily blooded, and reserved best for bait or chum. Once the back meat is removed, cooking in light oil with a little spice makes this fish delicious and may surprise those who for most of their fishing careers have thought small tuna to be trash fish.

Another small species of tuna found along the gulf coast is the blackfin tuna. Blackfin are considered “true” tuna, not in the skipjack portion of the family like bonito and tunny. The blackfin will range to 40 pounds and can be caught in depths from 70 to 150 feet by trolling, drifting with live baits, or casting to feeding schools if found. Some anglers live for the days they find shrimp boats culling their catches early in the morning, as very often blackfin tuna will be below the shrimpers taking everything that hits the water. I’ve been witness to dozens of blackfin feeding below shrimp boats in the early morning hours and have caught many by casting live baits at the waterline of shrimp boats (with the skipper’s permission, of course).

Another favorite past time of the blackfin is to follow dolphins as the wary mammals cruise far offshore. If you spot a pod of dolphin in more than 100 feet of water, deploy your trolling gear and trail behind them, lagging 100 yards or so, and the tuna will often be there. Tuna follow dolphins to take advantage of the mammal’s food location expertise, so those you find near dolphins will usually be in a feeding mood.

When trolling for tuna, three essentials must be remembered in order to be successful; trolling speed, lure selection, and depth.

The speed of the troll should be a little faster than normal, between 7 and 10 mph, to ensure proper action of the lures. Tuna like fast baits, they find them attractive and the speed instigates impulse strikes by excited fish that can’t help but attack the dancing lures.

Lures can range from hard baits like Bombers, to soft artificial ballyhoo, skirted lures, cedar plugs, artificial squid, or rigged live baits (trolled slower). Selection is something that is quite tricky, and sometimes I find myself changing lures several times an hour looking for what works best that particular day. A wide assortment of differing styles is great to have handy for those finicky days, but good standard lures are bullet-headed skirts, feathered lures, and natural colored hard baits.

Depth can be a crucial factor when trolling for tuna in that some species don’t range too shallow, while others may range to the vast depths of the gulf. Bottom contour plays a part in depth, and many times species such as blackfin tuna will run along ledges in search of food forced upward by upwelling currents. When fishing near such structure, it’s not unusual to see a color variance or a rip current at the surface. This is an excellent area to troll as larger fish haunt these natural phenomena for the food varieties available. It’s not often that trolling over a bottom devoid of structure will be productive, so look for what’s there and take advantage of it.

During the late summer the Gulf Stream makes its annual loop towards shore, and along with it comes the huge wealth of food resources the stream carries naturally. The loop also pulls large tuna such as yellowfin, bluefin and big eye in with it, as these fish tend to run the currents of the Gulf Stream looking for food. This once-a-year “tuna party” is greatly anticipated by many savvy to it’s bounty, and these anglers spend weeks preparing to take to the gulf for this advantageous occurrence. Other species such as wahoo, mahi-mahi, sailfish, white and striped marlin, and even blue marlin will follow the Gulf Stream, and it’s not uncommon to get a chance at one of these others while trolling or drifting live baits for tuna.

Tackle preparation is a must for those chasing bigger tuna. The relatively light tackle used for bonito, tunny and blackfin is simply not adequate for larger species of tuna and those other beasts who may be attracted to the lures you troll. Beefing up your tackle may be expensive, but it’s the only way to be sure you won’t lose your “biggest fish ever” to a broken reel or rod. My personal favorite reels for big tuna are the Shimano TLD 25 and the TLD 50 II, both tough, lever drag reels capable of stopping these big fish and both carrying line capacities making them able to withstand long runs. The TLD 25 holds over 400 yards of 40-pound test, while the TLD 50 II carries 800 yards of 40. The TLD 50 II is a two-speed reel, allowing a slow retrieve for bottom fishing and a fast retrieve for high-speed fish such as tuna and wahoo.

Once you’ve got your tackle ready, make sure you run a strict checklist on your boat. Go over your standard safety gear, be sure your VHF radio is working properly, and most importantly, don’t go by yourself or in an undersized craft. Remember; don’t end up one of those stories in the news where the fisherman never returned, check and double check before your long trip out. The best way to have a great time chasing tuna without investing in new tackle is to book a trip with a reputable skipper. Go out, spend a day, have a great time and learn from what you see and do, it’ll make you a better fisherman the next time you go on your own.