fishing Long Tail Tuna - Tips & Tricks

[Luvit]

Thanks Al,

Would you mind giving me a call and we can have a chat about a rod? 0412 808 823 or I'll call you if you would like to provide your number.

cheers

Wayne

[kmcrosby78]

Thanks very much for the effort you put into your post Tunafreak - much appreciated by myself and I'm sure plenty of others. I came across them a few weeks ago between Shornecliffe and the Measured Mile but couldn't entice one with a few different slugs - need to have an assortment of plastics at the ready. Geez 10 each in a day is awesome!!!

[tunafreak]

Kmcrosby, that can be a productive run through there, there are allot of mack tuna getting through there at the moment also and it is easy to mistake them for Lt's if you don't know what you are looking for.

Mack tuna feed fast and thrashy and push water differently to a longie, the schools also travel quite fast.

Lt's will usually move a bit slower and sit in the same spot for longer and ball the bait up more, sometimes they feed quite gently but other times they feed quite aggressively/violently and there's no mistaking what they are as there is not really any other fish in the bay that pushes water like a Lt..

Some people will tell you that you identify longie schools by the fish jumping out of the water, this is partly true as it is something longtail do but not something they always do, other species including mack tuna will jump also.

Like I said in my previous post, slugs have their place and work well for surface busting schools but plastics are more productive.

The most successful slug I've used over the years has been the river to sea 25 gram sea rocks, favourite colours are the pink, pearl white and pilchard colour, I always replace the trebles with singles. I like to use mustard hoodlums for singles, I remove the split ring from the slug and open up the eye of the single hook (heat it first) and attach it directly to the tow point of the lure, this method also helps the lure run more true in the water and reduce spinning. I have used purpose made singles but have bent them and went back to hoodlums as I've never bent one.

Cheers,

Al

[tunafreak]

A couple more points.

The bait fisho's don't have to miss out on these great sport fish either, a shore fire method to get them on bait is to drift single hook rigged unweighted/lightly weighted pilchards through the feeing zone and you'll pick up fish as they travel through the area.

Lobbing livies into the feeding schools will yield plenty of fish too, it's probably the easiest way to get them, I haven't done this for years but can remember even if you fudge up a cast the fish would happily travel 10-20 metres away from the school to nail a well presented live pike and being such a big bait they would absolutely smash it. You have to make sure your terminals are up to scratch here as the tuna will pop you on the hit if your knots and hooks aren't top notch.

Last point is etiquette. Please practice good etiquette, basically this means have respect for your fellow anglers and give them space, if you see someone tracking/stalking fish leave them alone and go and find your own school to track......all you will achieve if you try and muscle in on other peoples action is to spook the fish and ruin it for both parties and you may find yourself on the receiving end of a bit of bay rage....

There is no need to follow the same school as someone else, there are plenty to go around, when the fish are on there will be multiple schools about and they will be spread over a large area..

Ok I just remembered another important point, fuel.....you can tend to burn quite a bit of fuel when chasing choons so make sure if you don't have a big tank in your boat to take extra. I usually burn 25-30 litres for the day (40 hp Etec, 4.2 tinny) but there are days that I could use up to twice that, I have a 50 litre underfloor tank and carry a 10 litre jerry for just in case. Try to remember to keep an eye on the gauge as in all the excitement it can be an easy thing to forget about.

Cheers,

Al

[samsteele115]

TAKE A TERN FOR THE BETTER 

I am now into my third season of targeting Longtail Tuna and have learnt a lot in that time! Not only from helpful threads such as this one and the many articles that appear from a simple 'longtail tuna' search on google, but the many hours I have put in to catching (but mostly NOT catching) these awesome local sports fish. 

Most aspects of Longtail Tuna fishing are covered in these types of threads, from what tackle to use to how to approach a surface feeding school with the boat. The topic that I realise doesn't get spoken about in great depth or detail is how to find the fish by observing the birds. Of course, in nearly every article about these fish you will find phrases like 'follow the birds' or 'the eyes in the sky are your best friend'. But what does this mean if you don't really know what you are looking for?

After many hours of trying to be very observant and sometimes focusing mostly on the birds and how they act I have noticed a few characteristics that I will try to explain as best as I can later on in the article. I have noticed terns to be the most reliable bird ahead of gulls, gannets and other sea birds so please note these characteristics are of terns only.

 

                                                     Common Tern with its prize

The advice that I got initially was the idea that when the birds are hovering over a school, the fish are generally at the same depth as the birds are above the water. So when the birds get closer to the surface, so are the fish as they push the bait up. Think of it as a mirror image and pretend the birds are a school of fish. This is mostly true, but in recent times I have found this theory to be flawed on some occasions. Sometimes when fishing in different light conditions the birds may need to fly higher or to the edge of the school to be able to get the best view, so keep an eye on their beaks and where they are pointing to gain a rough idea of where the fish may be. Always have an open mind and you will learn something new every session; there are no set rules for catching these fish.

Here are a few behaviours of terns that I have noticed when fishing for Longtail Tuna during the peak season:

Travelling from A to B

When a bird seems to be flying around in search of food. They fly at a half pace scanning their heads from left to right. These birds may be ignored to an extent but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on them in case they see something.

Resting 

Often you will find a flock of birds sitting on the water. This might sound stupid, but if they are nearby drive your boat towards them and scare them off. They can sometimes put you onto fish within a few minutes if they are around!

Tracking 

Is when a bird or birds are following a school of fish whilst constantly looking down. They are flying with a bit more intent and sometimes flutter and dip towards the water if they notice fish are starting to rise. They might be able to see bait fish that aren't close enough to the surface to be able to feed on them or may be following a school of predators. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to get a cast in there! A lot of hookups come from casting around these tracking birds without actually seeing fish busting up. Idle around the area if there are multiple tracking birds and get the boat in a position to cast below them. Remember to keep an eye on your sounder and hang around bait if you find some.

Sprinting 

Is when they are flying at full speed, obviously. Usually you can see a few single birds from different areas flying urgently in the same direction as each other. They know something that you don't and if you follow them you will most likely find the fish.

Hovering, circling, diving

This is how they act when they have found predatory fish pushing up bait to the surface. They will trace back, circle and hover until they get an opportunity to feed. Once the birds start diving it means there are bait fish on the surface and you will soon see a tuna feeding frenzy more often than not. As soon as you see birds acting this way, it is important to take the opportunity to get the boat in the best position for when the tuna break the surface. Those precious seconds of anticipating where the tuna will surface could mean you are able to get one more sight cast ahead of the fish before they go down and start to round up the bait again.

 

These are my observations and theories so far and I hope you learnt a thing or two about how terns go about their daily business. It is the birds who fish every day to survive so make the most of their presence. Understanding their behaviour will save you time and bring you success if you can differentiate between a bird stalking a school of fish or a bird simply passing through the area for example.

As they say, 'the eyes in the sky are your best friend.' Thanks for reading and happy tuna fishing,

Sam.

Edited September 26, 2016 by samsteele115

[samsteele115]

Does anyone know where the original article has gone? @Angus @AFO Admin

[kmcrosby78]

Interesting Sam - doesn't appear to have been edited. Perhaps there was a problem when the change to the new website occurred?  Just an idea.

[AFO]

sorry please explain further @samsteele115

[kmcrosby78]

On ‎28‎/‎03‎/‎2012 at 8:59 PM, PlasticFantastic said:

[article]613[/article]

This appears on the original/first post instead of Mark's tips he had put up.

[AFO]

Ok, yes on the long term to do list is to correct broken links to articles. Have put the article now into the first post 

[samsteele115]

Thanks for replying for me @kmcrosby78 haha, didnt see this notification til now. Thanks @AFO Admin

[Old Scaley]

There has been a bit of chatter about catching long tails this week so I thought I would drag up this post which has some excellent advice about chasing the elusive critters in Moreton Bay. Might help some of the new members who may have joined since it was last replied to. You may need a couple of hours to read it all, but there is some great stuff in here.

[timtam_]

15 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

There has been a bit of chatter about catching long tails this week so I thought I would drag up this post which has some excellent advice about chasing the elusive critters in Moreton Bay. Might help some of the new members who may have joined since it was last replied to. You may need a couple of hours to read it all, but there is some great stuff in here.

Love it! Cheers 

[samsteele115]

So much to learn in this thread, some really good info!  The stuff from tunafreak is like gold. Hands down brisbanes best longtail fisho so if you see him out there keep your distance but watch and learn  

Edited September 26, 2016 by samsteele115

[bowds13]

Hey gents, great read with all this information.

Im looking at building a dedicated long tail rod, I was just after your opinions on what blank would be preferred specs if you were choosing one. 

Cheers

[kmcrosby78]

Mate send a PM (Personal Message - he is on page 6 of this thread, click on his username and you'll be able to message him) to @tunafreak who builds his own and should be happy to help you. I'm not sure how often he checks this site but when you send him a PM it should pop up in his email.  Good luck - let us know how you get on.

[samsteele115]

He doesn't visit the site anymore unfortunately @kmcrosby78. Last time I spoke to him he wasn't building rods for others anymore from memory.

@bowds13 a minimum of 12-20lb rod with a 7'2 minimum length. You can afford to go a little heavier and longer than that and you certainly wont regret having the extra power on the 15kg+ moreton bay longies if you hook up to one.

The longies up north are smaller and you can afford to go lighter.

[kmcrosby78]

Cheers Sam - thought he might be able to help with advice on a blank, etc but seems he's focusing on catching .....  

[bowds13]

Thanks guys, I'll have a look around and see what I can find. might have to get a 8" blank and cut it down to what I need. I think I'll go on the heavier side and use it as a big stick bait/plastic rod for the big longies. Now I just have to sort out getting a chance to actually go fishing.

[samsteele115]

12 hours ago, bowds13 said:

Thanks guys, I'll have a look around and see what I can find. might have to get a 8" blank and cut it down to what I need. I think I'll go on the heavier side and use it as a big stick bait/plastic rod for the big longies. Now I just have to sort out getting a chance to actually go fishing.

Keep it 8' or close to it I reckon! Having that little extra casting distance from a longer rod can be the difference between a fish or not sometimes. Once fighting the fish under the boat you will curse long rods, but at least you got the hookup and that's all that matters

[Hweebe]

On 16/04/2015 at 1:14 PM, samsteele115 said:

TAKE A TERN FOR THE BETTER 

 

An oldie but a goodie. Thanks Sam for the tips I dug this article out just before my Trip to hervey bay for xmas 2020 and your tips are spot on when searching and reading the birds.

[samsteele115]

12 hours ago, Hweebe said:

An oldie but a goodie. Thanks Sam for the tips I dug this article out just before my Trip to hervey bay for xmas 2020 and your tips are spot on when searching and reading the birds.

Thanks mate! Just been up there myself. Get any?

[ori8ja40]

I have seen them in the Brisbane River, and did catch 3 70-80cm mac tuna Polyform buoys UAE in the river one year. Jeff F's avatar/display pic is of a 70-75cm mac tuna caught around the same time I got 3 in the river.

[tdk.collective]

https://youtu.be/8Ky9cnpQE9s 

[Kizzyaggots]

Some real nice steaks there on those little drag busters. Can anybody recommend Shimano reels and rods to suit these brutes?

[Drop Bear]

On 31/05/2022 at 10:05 PM, Kizzyaggots said:

Some real nice steaks there on those little drag busters. Can anybody recommend Shimano reels and rods to suit these brutes?

I just bought a Stradic 6000 with 30 lb braid. Its pretty fast and a great reel for the price. I matched it with a live fibre 7 foot RLF8 (8 - 15kg).

This is probably considered light for longtails and if there are lots of sharks I don't think you would get any to the boat. The plus side is it is very nice to cast and light in your hand. Its all about compromise... if and you could go a LOT heavier. Up to you.