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A series of outings
For this first outing of the year, I decided to make three consecutive trips. Back-to-back trips make it easier to keep track of the fish and limit the risk of losing them. Bluefin tuna move at great speed and are capable of covering several dozen miles in a short space of time. He it's easier to keep track of fish by going out regularly.
Added to this is a solid information network that provides precise data on fish location. All these elements helped me to find fish every day and thus optimize my outings.
Tracking birds
We can't say it often enough: birds are our most reliable allies when it comes to spotting hunts. They don't make mistakes, and analyzing their movements is the key to successfully locating areas of activity.
I spend a lot of time looking through binoculars to see which way they're moving. As soon as I see a direction in which several groups are converging, I don't hesitate to head in that direction.
You can't be afraid of covering long distances, sometimes several dozen nautical miles. This strategy has paid off time and again.
While we were a little lost in our search, we spotted a few groups of birds all heading in the same direction. Following them for some fifteen miles, we came upon an area of intense activity, where hunting was well underway.
Choosing the right rods
Everyone knows it: bluefin tuna is one of the most powerful fish you can spin.
Fights can be long, so it's essential to try to shorten them as much as possible to optimize the fish's chances of survival on release.
On board, we were equipped with powerful Rodhouse rods, capable of casting lures weighing between 80 and 150 grams, with PE 8 to 10 braid, and strong enough to control the target fish, i.e. specimens weighing between 80 and 150 kilos.
Here are the selected models:
- Black Hole COW Gen 2
- Black Hole Giant 7
- NFC RPK 78
These rods were fitted with reels from size 14000 to 20000, featuring a powerful drag.
We fitted them with PE 10 and PE 8 braids, just in case the fish were a little fussy when attacking.
I'm particularly fond of multicolored braid patterns, with a color change every 10 meters. This allows you to estimate the amount of braid the fish has caught, but also to measure what the angler has managed to catch. It's an invaluable visual cue for managing pressure and adjusting strategy in real time.
A proven selection of lures
The choice of lures and their armament should not be taken lightly. There are two main categories: soft lures and hard lures such as poppers.
I rarely fish with stickbaits, probably to a fault. As far as soft lures are concerned, I've chosen a model that I consider to be the bluefin tuna lure par excellence: the Crazy Sand Eel 220 from Fiii in pink. This lure proves formidably effective on intense hunts where the competition is fierce.
I arm it with Monster heads, new for 2025.
When surface activity drops off or the hunt starts to fall off, I switch to a popper. My favorite is the Feed Popper in sizes 175 and 150 mm. Colors #7 and #08 are the ones I use most often.
These lures are rigged with BKK treble hooks, accompanied by assist hooks or single hooks as required.
