Trolling For Yellowfin-Ahi Tuna

The down time between jig strikes when trolling for yellowfin tuna can seem endless. There are many variables that can make or break a successful troll for tuna. In addition to lure selection and speed, also having the lure at the right depth is also very important. There are different factors in choosing the lure best suited for certain situations. Style, color and size should all be considered. Yellowfin tuna anglers should also remember the effect that ocean conditions and speed can have on how a lure tracks in the water. Crank bait type plugs such as large Rapalas and mirOlures are terrific as are the cedar plugs for yellowfin. However good they are when the seas are smooth they are very difficult to keep in the water in sloppy conditions. Best trolling speed is usually found between 6 and 7 ½ knots; the larger lures will draw bites from bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna but while they help to keep the skipjack away the albacore may not hit the larger sizes. Try to as a rule use darker color lures when trolling for yellowfin in the gray of dawn and as it gets brighter the lighter colors seem to be better choices. Also as it gets brighter try to keep the lure deeper. When the wind blows and it gets sloppy tuna feathers tend to spend to much time skipping across the surface and this may be a time try considering a jet head or a heavier tuna clone type jig.