Words & Images: Sam Gilchrist
For generations the mighty yellowfin tuna has been revered by anglers as one of the pinnacles of saltwater sports fishing. In this article we introduce you to the new hardcore method of targeting this species by casting topwater lures at large schools of airborne fish that has changed the game forever.
A crew of topwater enthusiasts started targeting large tuna off the mid-NSW coast and changed how Australian anglers viewed this fishery. The first I saw of this relatively new target method was through Mike Bonnici of Sydney, who kicked off his topwater YFT addiction with some healthy 30-40kg specimens over the shelf off his home city. The size quickly escalated to 50kg and then 80kg fish and a true addiction was born.
Crews led by the likes of Sandy and Luke Gorecki, Jake Brisbane, Mick Fuller and Paul Wray began chasing these schools of epic fish up and down the NSW coast. All of a sudden, massive tuna with their distinctive fins (resembling sickles) were being actively targeted and consistently caught by trailer boat anglers on topwater.
Finding Fin
The truth is there is a lot of water in the ocean – and when you’re 22 to 50 miles east of land you can be easily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of nothing. There’s no replacementfor time on the water and the insights and skills you’ll develop through fishing with better anglers and reading Hooked Up, but you can reduce 2,137km of NSW coastline to a 20 to 50km area in which to start your search. There are two apps used by recreational and professional anglers when chasing schools of yellowfin: RipCharts and TZ iBoat. They’re both paid subscriptions – which like everything in fishing cost your hard-earned – but are essential in my view and worth the investment. You could save hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in fuel if you can decipher the YFT pattern.
While using these apps you’ll learn a few new sayings such as altimetry, chlorophyll, zero line, sea temps, upwelling and currents. You’ll need to understand these terms, their meaning and what the tuna like in order to effectively reduce that 2,000km of wasted travel to 20km. It’s no easy feat!
To get you started in the right direction, you can look for an upwelling, zero line and a temperature break just beyond the continental shelf. There’s a lot more to the water beyond the shelf than you may realise, and by learning to read the water (the same as reading the water up on the Barrier Reef, say), the more success you’ll have.
Your marine charts and sounder technology may not appear to be as important as it is during your shallow water applications, though once you’ve found your formula on or in a canyon on the shelf, your marine chart will become critically important again. When you sound a school of YFT at 80m below the boat and raise them up to your topwater lures, you’ll appreciate your sounder more than you did before.
Watch the Seabirds
All creatures of the sea must eat to survive and seabirds are no different – they are built to thrive in one of the harshest environments on the planet, our oceans. Three key birds to look for are muttonbirds, gannets and terns; each will be your guide to yellowfin on their day. Study their behaviour acutely and learn to read their behaviour intimately and I can guarantee your rate of success will increase substantially.
I often wonder what physical and sensory tools these birds have that gives them the advantage when chasing down food in the water. Do they have polarised eyes beyond our comprehension? How do they know well before anything or anyone else that a YFT feeding frenzy is imminent? The birds know so much more than we do – they have to in order to survive and because their lives depend on it, you need to learn so much about them and trust me when I say, they will show you the way. Different bird species prefer different baits that the tuna feed on. Understanding this will get you a long way when understanding what birds to follow on any given day. Binoculars are a great tool to have on the boat when searching for birds.
Topwater
Though there’s a bit to it as casting on repeat and fighting large fish takes a physical toll, the reward for effort is balanced. You must be able to cast a long way. Occasionally yellowfin are very sensitive to boats and you’ll need to be able to cast a long way to get to them. Occasionally they’ll blow up all around the boat and everyone will get bites regardless of the cast distance, but this is the exception, not the norm.
Varying your retrieve is very important: sweep, twitch, burn and skip. Each method will trigger bites from tuna, you’ll just need to understand what they want on the day. If you’re sounding tuna down deep, say 50m or deeper, don’t be afraid to throw a popper, as the commotion the popper makes can be very effective when raising fish sitting deep. YFT have very hard mouths and very hard faces, so make certain your hooks are sharp, strong and when you get the bite, absolutely wallop them to set those hooks and drive them home.
The Gear
When it comes to lures, match the hatch. Take note of the bait they’re feeding on and try to find something that imitates it. What I consider when selecting a lure is how far I can cast it. If you can’t cast your lure a long way, don’t tie it on. Some stickbaits feel like you’re casting a balloon, you do not want that one when the fish are at the end of your cast range. What size bait are the tuna feeding on? How does the lure swim? A lure that swims on the sweep and also skips well on a fast retrieve are important factors, so talk to your local tackle store and get them to help you find some suitable stickbaits and poppers that feature these attributes.
You’ll note in some of my images I use the Chain Knot as a connection knot to my swivel at the nose of the lure. It never fails and it acts as a shock absorber, as if you lean into a Chain Knot it expands and flexes like a spring. For me it means you pull fewer hooks, particularly during a long fight.
When it comes to topwater casting rods I am sponsored by Daiwa and love using its gear because it’s been designed for a purpose. There are many rods on the market you can choose but I love using the Daiwa Saltiga Breakthrough in PE8 and PE6 and the Daiwa Spartan S85 PE 6/8. These rods enable me to cast big lures all day with distance and are designed to maximise the retrieves of topwater lures. The butt and handle configurations are also designed to make casting, retrieving and fighting big fish as easy and efficient as possible. Yes, this is high-end gear, but big game fish require quality gear. I pair these rods with either a Daiwa Saltiga or Certate SW 14000. If you’re chasing fish over 80kg I’d go up to an 18000 or a 20000. I spool my 14000-size reels with Daiwa Saltiga 12 braid in PE4 (68lb) or PE5 (88lb). While I’m using PE6 and PE8 rods, this high-quality 12-strand braid features an outstanding breaking strain for its diameter. With the thinner line I can cast further and work my lures with more control. I then connect a 150lb leader to my braid via an FG knot. I use Saltiga Nylon which provides shock absorption and abrasion resistance. My leader is only around 180cm and on long casting rods this means the leader is never around the spool when casting, which greatly increases casting distance. Remember, these tuna can be boat-shy so casting distance is extremely important. The shorter leader is what allows me to have such a disparity between the diameter of the braid and the leader. If you try casting PE4 or 5 with a long 150lb leader you will have a lot of troubles with wind knots and the line could wrap around the stripper guide, so keep it short.
The Fight
So you’ve found the tuna, you’re all geared up and perhaps you’ve overcome the shock and awe of seeing these beautiful fish (hopefully airborne). After you’ve buried the hook in one, you’re on. Now here’s what you can expect: topwater fights are often short-lived as the stickbait or popper seems to really upset the fish and really deregulates their ability to fight hard. Hook placement will have a direct impact on how your fish responds, though most of the time a YFT will struggle to pull much more than 100m of line against what is substantial drag on PE6 and PE8 gear and their ability to circle under your boat is reduced due to the use of braid, short leaders and some amazing equipment by way of rod and reel. Expect fight times of 5 to 45 minutes depending on the size of your fish, hook location and how hard you want to pull on them.
Landing
Have two gaffs on board, even three, if you’re going to take a fish for the table. Be patient with your gaff shot and never go deep to take your shot. These fish, especially when they’re above 50kg, are very powerful and will rip gaffs from hands, or bend and break them. Aim for the head to secure your shot, it’s a tough area and protects the prized meat from damage. You can also steer and lift the fish much easier from the front, then from the mid-section and most certainly the back end. Be prepared for the madness about a minute or two after landing your fish, as yellowfin that are not brain-spiked will go absolutely berserk in your boat and have the potential to cause injury and damage your boat, so get photos quickly then stow your tuna to prevent this.
Releasing YFT is a very dangerous activity, though with catch rates going through the roof and the high yield of YFT meat from each fish it is important you have a system to safely release your share of tuna. A large claw-like lip grip built by an Italian company called the Pratiko would be the most effective way of controlling a fish boatside for release, though this bit of kit will set you back $500.
You cannot really take these fish out of the water if you intend to release them. If they’re removed from the ocean, tuna will not survive, so it’s best practice to catch only what you intend to keep or spend the money and take care if you want to catch and release.
Long pliers are a minimum requirement; wrap the leader close to your lure and keep the boat idling forward to give the fish direction, then remove the hooks. If things go wrong here, I hate to imagine the outcome, so please take extreme care. To make release safer, I’d recommended removing trebles and fishing a single on the rear of your lure – you will have a reduced hook-up rate, but you eliminate a lot of risk when it comes to letting fish go by running your lures this way.
Care For Your Catch
Brain spike, bleed, ice – it really is that simple. You’ll require an XL insulated fish bag and lots of ice if you intend to keep a few of these beautiful fish. Be warned, large YFT melt ice very quickly. The best practice is to empty the YFT gut cavity when icing your fish, which will chill the meat from the inside out. These are special fish and they’re in immense global demand for their eating qualities, so treat them carefully and you will maximise your culinary experience.
