Constantly on the move, southern bluefin tuna are a schooling fish that follow the ocean currents from the moment they are born to the day they are caught. Jarrod Day shares some top GPS marks to help get you in the mix this season

In Victoria, bluefin are more commonly caught along the west coast due to the southern continental shelf’s proximity to the shoreline, some 60 km away, around the bottom of Tasmania to where it travels back up the eastern coastline of the country.
While abundant from March to June, bluefin can be caught year-round for those willing to head out and have a troll. In saying that, the majority of bluefin are caught when they are in greater numbers with Easter signalling the real kick start until the end of May before the bone chilling winds from the top of the Arctic polar caps blow in and keep anglers indoors.
Finding tuna takes skill and while they do not tend to hold in particular locations, they do frequent large areas each season.
Despite the relatively short run to the ‘tuna grounds’, only those with the right boat can access the area in most fishable weather conditions. Smaller boats tend to focus on the inshore grounds while even the odd smaller craft, fishing just out the front of the harbour, have been known to see the odd tuna caught throughout the season.
When searching for tuna, specific GPS marks can’t always guarantee the pot of gold at the bottom of the rainbow; however, they do guarantee a general area in where the fish should be loitering at some point throughout the season.

Simon Rinaldi from Red Hot Fishing Charters knows how just how productive the West coast tuna fishery is. Throughout the season world class tuna like this 100kg+ model are a possible capture

CHASING ‘TOONA’
Though there are many techniques available to catch tuna, southern bluefin are mostly targeted by means of trolling lures. Those that regularly troll for the blue rockets use a mix of hardbody diving lures and skirted lures in a range of sizes and colours.
Trolling for tuna warrants the use of game tackle and in my opinion, the perfect trolling outfit consists of either a Shimano TLD 50w or Tiagra 50w loaded with 24 kg line. For the angler wanting a challenge, a 30w will suffice when loaded with 15 kg IGFA. When it comes to selecting a rod, I use a Wilsons Australian built Texalium 15/24 kg roller tip which is made from a well-constructed blank that absorbs the initial impact of the hook set unlike other re-enforced composite blanks.
The rest of the set up consists of a 200 lb wind on leader with a 15 kg Mustad snap swivel crimped to the end of the wind on. The lure, should it be a hardbody, must be rigged with one metre of single strand wire to prevent the lure from pulling out of the water.
Hook choice comes down to your own experience and personal preference. You can either rig your hardbody as is, with two stock standard treble hooks or re-rig it with a set of Mustad Kaiju Inline hooks which ensure a cleaner and more solid hook set. Popular tuna trolling lures include Zerek Pelagicz, Yo-Zuri Hydro Magnum 140 and 180s as well as Rapala X Raps.
Skirted lures on the other hand differ in size with 5” and 6” sizes being the most common. Richters 502/506 soft grassy, UV/Blue soft grassy and Dorado 502/506 and UV/Blue are particularly productive on the local tuna scene. Skirted lures are easily rigged with 200 lb leader and a size 7/0 Mustad Southern Tuna hook.
After all that is set, it’s time to get down to business.

The west coast tuna fishery isn’t all about southern bluefin either. Throughout the season, big albacore are a common catch along with butterfly tuna and dolphin fish.

PORTLAND
There are many locations to find tuna (in season) around Portland; however, it’s important to know that they don’t tend to hold on particular reefs but rather congregate in certain areas because of the large concentration of bait being pushed along the continental shelf by the Bonney Upwelling. Through a combination of environmental factors, the Bonney Upwelling annually brings cold nutrient rich water from the deep seafloor onto the continental shelf from November to May, which is peak tuna time. During these months, the below GPS co-ordinates mark locations where you’ll encounter tuna providing you’re willing to work the area surrounding the points.
GPS marks are best used as a guide. Once there, work the area hard and always keep your eyes on the birds in the sky. Birds dive bombing the surface are a sure sign that there is a school of bait below with tuna underneath, waiting for a tide change to push them to the surface.
Top of the Horse Shoe
S 38 41.264
E 141 23.447
Cape Bridgewater
S 38 25.721
E 141 28.759
Lawrence Rock
S 38 24.186
E 141 41.507
S 38 25.194
E 141 40.417
Portland
S 38 20.515
E 141 45.544
PORT FAIRY
An hour’s drive closer to Melbourne than Portland, fishing out of Port Fairy offers quick access to the renowned Lady Julia Percy Island which is known for its frequent return of kingfish in the summer months and tuna for the most part of the year.
A little further from the shelf than Portland, the run is about 70 km one way but between the shelf and the ramp there is a lot of water in which solid numbers of tuna can be found.
Lady Julia
S 38 26.105
E 142 00.103
The Ribbons
S 38 30.718
E 142 12.486
Hiccup
S 38 49.410
E 142 00.289

Because of the local cray fishery along the West coast, launching your boat any earlier than first light can be dangerous. The last thing you need is for your boat to become entangled in a cray pot net or even worse, be toppled by ocean swells in the dark.

WARRNAMBOOL
Warrnambool tends to fire up mid-season trough to the end of the season from July to August. This tends to be the tail end of the schools as the majority of the fish have followed the shelf with the spill over, following the inshore contour lines and currents.
There are lots of lumps and reefs which are all worth concentrating on in this area. Providing Portland see’s a lot of tuna early in the season, you can bet that Warrnambool will also see a good run.
Inshore Lump
S 38 27.269
E 142 30.327
The Drop
S 38 00.246
E 142 22.666
APOLLO BAY
The waters around Apollo Bay are attractive to tuna due to the uneven bottom and current upwelling’s that funnel baitfish into the area.
Throughout the season, tuna can be found right out the front of the harbour but the more common locations to find them includes the area between the harbour entrance and Point Franklin. A little further from there, an area known as big reef is a big fish producer as it is known to hold vast quantities of baitfish including pilchards, whitebait and redbait.
Big reef
S 39 05.621
E 143 17.647
Point Franklin
S 38 54.389
E 143 32.423
Blanket Bay
S 38 49.740
E 143 42.573
The Edge
S 39 32.556
E 142 59.472
Lump
S 39 04.504
E 143 41.160
When the hoards of tuna arrive along the west coast it’s on for young and old and with world class 100 kg-plus tuna common throughout the water, going out under-gunned is a recipe for disaster. If you are heading down to tuna town, make sure you’re rigged right the first time; no one wants to lose a fish, especially one of epic proportions.

Works in Compleat Angler’s Head Office and has been an accomplished fishing journalist for the past decade. Jarrod is married with two children and resides in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. He has extensively fished throughout Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory as well as many international destinations.
Having built his writing career over many years, Jarrod is endorsed by L.Wilson, Yo-Zuri, Spotters, Richter Lures and Compleat Angler.