Tuna Time

It’s Autumn now across Australia, which means one thing…..Tuna run.

We spoke with our Simrad Ambassadors, Michael and Hayley Bonnici, in New South Wales to get some tips on how they target Tuna.

1) What conditions are you looking for when searching for Tuna?

I don’t think the conditions matter but birds are your biggest help looking for tuna most days. Temp breaks and the zero lines play a part.

2) What is the best method for the Yellowfin we have on the East Coast?

In my opinion all methods – trolling, cubing etc. have their place and learning all of them will help you have better success on the water.

3) What are your go to Trolling and Stick Baiting outfits?

I normally troll for tuna first to try and locate them. If they are chasing bait on the surface I will then chase them on stickbaits.

If trolling I use a Shimano switch bait 24kg rod with a Talica 25

When stickbaiting I use a Trophy Hunter pe6-8 rod with a Shimano Stella 14k

4) How do you use the Cmap Reveal Charts bottom contour detail to know where the bait will be holding when over the shelf?

It’s good when temp breaks and upwellings form over canyons and we use the charts as a starting point to identify those areas.

5) How do you setup your Simrad Sonar when searching for Tuna Offshore in deep water compared to the Southern Bluefin in Vic that often hold very shallow?

I run my NSSevo3s to search the top 80 fathoms to as that’s all the depth I need to search. I run 200khz frequency, scroll speed X2, noise reduction low, Gain auto +2

Colour 79.

6) What’s a single piece of advice you would give to someone starting out to get their first tuna?

Listen to reports there’s a lot of people chasing tuna these days. Your local tackle shop will also point you in the right direction. And make sure you have a Profidgie or 2 in the spread.