Is it better to catch tuna in sunny or overcast conditions? For Captain Kevin Beach, the preference is overcast, 1 to 2-foot chop with some dirtiness to the water. You can use heavier leaders if the water is a little dirty, which means you can increase the drag on the reel allowing you to catch f...

Where freshwater and saltwater come together, you can see a variety of colors and color changes in the water. River water is typically brown and when it slides across the top of the saltwater, it can create a variety of colors. As the freshwater begins to mix with the saltwater, you’ll see more g...

Live baiting is usually the most productive method for yellowfin tuna fishing but presentation is key. The most effective live bait presentation for catching yellowfin is achieved by collar hooking the bait. To collar hook a bait, you want to hook the bait on the back side of the gills on top of ...

When you come across a distinct color change offshore, you’ll have different species of fish meeting there. There are different kinds of bait fish and predatory fish gathering there where temperature, current or color change holds those fish. It becomes a two-lane highway where predatory fish are...

One of the most important things to look at when setting up a casting rod and reel for tuna fishing is comfortability. You want a rod and reel combo that you can cast comfortably many times. Another thing to think about when setting up a casting rod and reel are its limitations and the size of th...

Once you have your tuna loins cut out of the fish, you want to remove the bloodline. The bloodline is a darker strip of meat that is more fishy tasting and often oily. The thick end of the strip is shallow and gets deeper as it gets thinner down the meat. You don’t want to cut too deep and get th...

Mark Davis of BigWater Adventures is an accomplished saltwater fisherman. The first step to successful offshore fishing is catching live bait. If you’re fishing for yellowfin tuna, you need to know what they’re feeding on and how to locate and catch that bait. For bait fish like menhaden/pogies, ...

Captain Kevin Beach of The Mexican Gulf Fishing Company takes you through the steps of filleting a blackfin tuna, which is a smaller species of tuna. Beginning with a really sharp knife, start cutting under the peck fin. Begin at the bottom of the fish and cut around and underneath the peck fin a...

Chunking is taking dead bait, cutting it up and releasing a slow and steady stream of chum. You don’t want to overfeed, but have enough to get the tuna to come up to your chum slick. Be sure your hook baits are larger sized so other fish won’t take it. Have enough slack in your line so the larger...

There are many different ways to rig a topwater bait for tuna fishing. In general, you want a leader that connects to the main line and some type of swivel that connects the leader to the bait. One of the best ways to rig a topwater for tuna is to add a split o-ring to the leader connecting the l...

Blackfin and Yellowfin tuna are often found feeding in large groups on current driven bait balls in a specific location. When there is little to no current and the bait is spread out, trolling can be very effective. Blackfin, Yellowfin, and even Bluefin tuna will spread out around an oil rig or b...

It can take a lot of effort to throw topwater for tuna. One way to save some energy and use less effort is to throw it underhanded or backhanded like in tennis. Mark Davis has had a lot of success topwater fishing for tuna with the underhand throwing method as it takes less arm effort because it ...

Captain Kevin Beach of The Mexican Gulf Fishing Company takes you through the steps of filleting a yellowfin tuna after catch. Beginning with a really sharp knife, start cutting under the peck fin. Begin at the bottom fins and cut around and underneath the peck fin all the way towards the eyeball...

Cut the yellowfin tuna filleted loins in gallon-size-bag chunks with the skin still on. Place skin side down, then meat to meat to prevent the skin from touching the tuna meat. Seal the bag air-tight and get it cold immediately. Layer the cooler with ice, meat, ice and so on. If it will be in the...

You can catch tuna in a lot of different variables, so the main consideration when trying to find tuna is food. Tuna like to eat, so if you find the bait, you’ll find the tuna. You can use services like Hilton’s Offshore that will tell you altimetry, which is where your bait is going to be. If yo...

The right bait is crucial for tuna fishing. Tuna feed on different baits depending on the season, so if you have every bait but the one they want, you’re going to have a hard time. Take the necessary time to get the right bait and it will pay dividends. A livewell full of bait doesn’t always guar...

Live baiting is usually the most productive method for catching yellowfin tuna. Some of the most common live baits used when tuna fishing in the gulf are threadfin herring, menhaden/pogies, blue runners/hardtails, and mullet. When choosing a live bait for tuna fishing, you want to “match the hatc...