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Yellowfin Tuna Fishing -- The Basics

By Bill Rollins 10/05/2022 6 mins read

Before you head to the coast for yellowfin tuna fishing in North Carolina, you should know a few things. Here are some tips. Know your season, pick the right boat, research the schooling species, and make sure you know what the weather is like. These tips will enable you to maximize your fishing and catch the largest yellowfin around the globe. This knowledge will make it easy to catch a huge yellowfin.

Season

There are many seasons for yellowfin tuna fishing. Yellowfin tuna can be caught by recreational anglers throughout the year. However, they are most active in spring. Yellowfins can be caught using topwater plugs or trolled baits. Yellowfins tend to attack in large packs during the spring season. Although these huge fish appear like 50-pounders, they fight fiercely and are capable of running strong.

The Northeast Corner of Big Rock hosts the largest concentrations and strongest currents. The northeast corner of Big Rock is where yellowfin fishing is most popular during billfish tournaments. Dillon says that it is better to fish elsewhere during weekdays, as small boats and other vessels can cause problems with fighting and trolling. If you are able to catch the tuna in calmer waters, fishing in Big Rock is unnecessary.

Yellowfin Tuna can be caught in calmer seas during the summer. Yellowfins will only tolerate 70-78 degrees of water. However, they won't be comfortable with temperatures exceeding 90°F. It is best to fish in the middle of summer. For the best chance of catching these fish, look out for bonitos crashing on the surface and birds in groups. Good indicators of where they are located are bonitos or glass minnows.

Spring: In spring, yellowfins are plentiful in the Gulf Stream off the coast of North Carolina. The thrill of battling an enormous beast while yellowfin tuna fishing is possible in North Carolina. Yellowfins have a large amount of meat that can be taken home due to the generous regulatory allowance. If you are looking for a good yellowfin fishing trip, it's the time to plan your trip now!

Tackle

Yellowfin tuna thrives in deep water and are highly migratory. Other tuna species may spawn all year long, but yellowfin tuna prefers warmer temperatures so they will tend to be closer to shore. While younger tuna will typically swim at or near the surface, larger specimens will move deeper into the ocean, mixing with other species. Yellowfin tuna can be a valuable table ingredient, so NC fishing charters primarily focus on this species.

North Carolina tuna fishing is best done on a large, seaworthy charter boat. While the fishing season can vary greatly, recreational anglers still catch tuna throughout winter. Yellowfin tuna can be caught using artificial lures, ballyhoo/seawitch gears, and other methods. For these fish, a planer can be used. Try a fishing charter with larger boats for a more difficult day.

Most charter boats use blue/white Ilander skirts, or multi-colored spreader bar. However, yellowfin are attracted to pink and green colors. You can try a black/purple sleeve on cloudy days if time permits. If you're on a budget, you can also try a naked rigged bait. A tuna may be attracted to an unseen bait, and will avoid skirts altogether.

Use a rubber fly, or plastic lure to attract yellowfin tuna. These lures work well when the conditions are right. These lures have a higher chance of attracting a bite compared to rigged natural fish baits. Make sure you adjust the hook length if you use lures to bait. This will prevent the lure from bouncing off the surface and causing it to become scared.

Schooling species

Yellowfin tunas are often called schooling fish for a variety of reasons. They are often found swimming in groups of at minimum two species. Others fish such as sharks, billfish, and other species are also common in these groups. But yellowfin are different in that they frequently school together. Apart from schooling, yellowfin have been known to congregate together with driftwood, seagrass patches and even dead marine mammals.

Small schools create strong bonds between fish and their communities that can last for many decades. These bonds could be due to kin recognition and general school fidelity. General school fidelity develops before the larval cohorts disperse, thereby preserving most of the brood-mates. The presence of small yellowfin releasing FADs together with skipjack tuna indicates that species differentiation can be overridden by individual size.

Larger species of yellowfin tuna often form schools with dolphins. They may also school near oil wells. These tuna make swimming faster and easier by folding their fins when they spawn. These fish are quite common in the sea and make up a large portion of canned fish in the United States. Yellowfin tuna also rank high in sales.

They are most often found offshore but can occasionally be seen near the shore. They eat baitfish from mid-ocean islands. Under certain conditions, inshore yellowfin tuna might venture to the continental shelf. The researchers conclude that these fish may migrate between mid-ocean islands and the open ocean. It is crucial to observe yellowfin tuna as they live in their natural habitats. They may also associate with drifting objects.

Boats

There are many different types of fishing boats used for yellowfin tuna in the offshore waters of North Carolina. Charter fishing boats with large sea-hulls are the best. These prized fish are caught by boat captains who use artificial lures, ballyhoo/seawitch and other rigs. For catching tuna, planer rigs are also a good option. For tuna catch, the catch is always better than canned tuna. If you are looking for a fishing boat to take you to tuna school, a sea-hulled yacht might be the right choice.

Yellowfins are plentiful in North Carolina waters, and experienced anglers with a 24-foot Harris sportfisherman can reach them within an hour. Charterboats can safely reach the Gulf Stream, a crucial area to catch tuna. Do-it-yourself anglers can reach Gulf Stream using a small boat or a faster craft on calm summer days. They will reach the tuna within a few hours.

For offshore fishing enthusiasts, mid-season yellowfin can be especially rewarding. These tuna can settle into a pattern over several weeks and respond well to repeated chunking. These fish might even become regular guests to the area of congregated fish on a fishing vessel. Offshore fishing enthusiasts enjoy the challenge of trolling for yellowfin and the thrill of an early blitz. They love yellowfin's unique fighting style.

The most popular locations for yellowfin tuna in North Carolina are in Hatteras Island, and the inlet is also a prime area for these species. Boat captains will troll with ballyhoo and topwater plugs, dangle baits from kites, and jig vertically in these areas. These waters attract bigeyes tuna only once a decade.

Management of yellowfin tuna by the NMFC

The joint management plan of NMFC, IOTC, and NMFC for yellowfin Tuna in the Atlantic Ocean was based on a premise that production of this species is concentrated in waters offshore the Gulf of Guinea. This area, which is a tuna nursery, is adjacent to west central Africa. There is also a large purseseine fishing operation. These purse-seine tuna fisheries target small fish that have been lured by fish-attracting device.

The Indian Ocean's yellowfin Tuna stock is severely overfished and the number of catches continues to rise. Scientists warn that the fishery could collapse within five years. Many prominent food retailers call for urgent action in order to protect the Indian Ocean yellowfin fisheries. South Africa and the EU proposed a revised interim management plan in an attempt to restore the population.

Since 1989 when the United Nations Environmental Program, (UNEP), identified DGN as an important bycatch of marine mammals, the DGN fishing industry has been under close inspection. To monitor the fishing industry, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission has established an observer programme. Data from the observer programme and other sources (including commercial fishing companies and local governments) are entered into the Pacific Fisheries Information Network, which is administered by the U.S. government. It is distributed to both the member agencies and private individuals.

The NMFC uses both satellite tags as well as internal tags to track the yellowfin population. The NMFC and LDWF have used satellite tags to track the yellowfin tuna population in the Gulf of Mexico. Satellite tags were used to monitor the tuna's life cycles. Despite recent increases in satellite tags, some tags were retained in fish for longer than three years.

FAQ

Is it safe to eat fish caught by someone else?

No matter where your fish is purchased, make sure you ask the seller whether they have an expiration date. The fish is safe to eat if it doesn't have an expiration. You shouldn't eat fish that smells or looks old.

Are there special clothes I should wear when fishing?

Yes, you definitely need some type of clothing that protects you from the elements. While fishing, you will often wear a waders costume. Waders are waterproof trousers that cover the legs, feet and ankles. Wader suits can have boots attached. Other waders suits are designed to be used without boots.

To fish, do we need a pole?

Yes. A bobber is used to keep the bait from getting away when fishing. The bobber has two parts: the float and the line. To cast a lure, attach the hook to one end of the line. Then, pull the rod out and release the line. You should not use a Bobber as the lure can sink into the water and make it more difficult for fish to bite.

Statistics

Orvis, Simms, and Fishpond have been making some of the best packs and vests for a long time, and it seems like 90% of the anglers around the area use these brands. (troutandsteelhead.net)
Coarse fishing is 100% catch and release these days. (linesonthewater.anglingtrust.net)
About 40 percent of all fish are freshwater species. (takemefishing.org)
To substantiate this theory, Knight attempted a systematic inquiry by considering the timing of 200 'record' catches, more than 90 percent were made during a new moon (when no moon is visible). (myfwc.com)