Scott Gray hits the surface for bluefin tuna with great success. He details the best times and methods to search for the fish as well as visual factors that determine whether or not surface approaches will be effective.
Photos by Scott & Tracey Gray

The 2012 tuna season provided excellent fishing for recreational anglers though autumn 2012 as they made their annual migration along the south-west of Victoria’s coastline. While there were good numbers of fish out wider near the continental shelf there was also plenty of fish in close, particularly in locations such as Port Fairy and Warrnambool where fish were seen busting on bait balls in as little at 25 m of water. This provided excellent visual surface fishing and exceptional accessibility for anglers in relatively small vessels.
While I love trolling for tuna I left the overhead reels at home after a couple of successful trips this year and just fished with light threadline reels. Casting a variety of surface lures at them often proved more productive than trolling, especially when the fish were visibly feeding and proving finicky to catch on other techniques. Plenty of anglers who regularly fish for tuna would be aware of the frustration of trolling through busting fish without getting a bite. Driving up on a school of fish only to drive over them and put them down before watching them re-surface after the boat had trolled past them is equally frustrating. This is when surface fishing comes into its own.
Surface fishing to tuna is often only effective when the right opportunity arises. To go out and expect to catch fish each trip using just this technique was difficult. Some days the fish would stay up for hours at a time and were easy to find (as there were usually masses of birds and seals in the area) but other times it was difficult and you would only see a single tern and other times just fish busting with no other visible signs. The best bites were on thick bait balls when the fish got really worked up. This is probably when they were most vulnerable as dozens of fish were hitting the surface at once whilst birds were also hitting the water with gusto. These were the days that literally left you drooling, but there were plenty of sessions where I find myself casting at fish honing on small schools of bait that were only metres in diameter. Each trip was different: sometimes you’d only get one chance to cast at them and other days you would get to chase the fish for hours.
This is the reason why it is so important that you are ready for the fish when they come up or find the fish up on the bait as sometimes you only have a matter of seconds to position the boat for a cast. The thrill of this style of fishing is definitely in the chase as you run to take advantage of the fish when they show themselves.
The best technique this season was to troll quickly with a couple of deep diving X-Rap minnows until we found the fish or the bait balls. Once in the right area it was just a matter of waiting for the fish to come up and smash the bait. We were very lucky this season as there were huge bait balls of small slimey mackerel, cowanyung and sauries. Even if we didn’t see the tuna on the surface we marked the bait for later on and it was often only a matter of timing.
Bite times were often variable and although the period around a tide change produced fish on a few occasions as a general rule you’d get a morning bite around 9 to 11 am and then again in the afternoon from 2 to 4 pm. In saying that though sometimes these bites would last until half an hour before dark.

Surface bust up – the perfect scenario for casting surface lures.

Making your cast
Driving up to busting schools of fish is great fun and is completely necessary if the fish are on the move and are up and down. While this is my preferred technique, a large school can often be tempted with a trail of pilchard cubes thrown in. This technique can help to keep the fish around while you remain stationary.
The weather plays a huge part in the equation. Rough conditions don’t lend themselves to standing up on the front casting deck and reduces visibility when trying to locate fish. We are just lucky that autumn in the south-west provides the best weather you are likely to see all year and the high pressure systems slowly start getting pushed north by the deep lows in the Great Australian Bight.

A typical chunky school bluefin caught during a late afternoon bite. Small stickbaits like this Rapala X-Rap Walk are like jellybeans for these surface feeders.

Lures
Despite being in the middle of a hot bite there was plenty of times when it was difficult to get a strike, while wondering how your offering could not get eaten. For this reason you need to be ready with a range of lures. I keep four rods in the rod rack rigged with different lures so that if I make a couple of casts with one lure for no response I can quickly switch over and throw another one in. Often you won’t have time to re-rig and change a lure over as the fish do move quickly.

Chasing a school of fast moving tuna. Note the rods rigged with a range of surface lures ready for casting.

Stickbaits
Stickbaits would have to be my preferred method. I find it’s basically like throwing jellybeans at the fish when they are on and the strikes are spectacular. It was never long before a well presented stickbait was smashed. I mainly fished with six inch models this season and they were bite size for the school fish and easy to cast. The fish were nearly always hooked with the front set of hooks in the corner of the mouth or they’d been completely swallowed! These lures worked best when twitched or ‘walked’ on the surface amongst the bait. They worked well when cast to the head of the school when the fish were moving and the lures even caught their attention when the cast was just off the mark. You could even cast them out in the path of the fish and just let them float until the fish headed in the direction of the lure before imparting some action to get their attention. When the fish were really on the go there wasn’t much need to even twitch them, you just had to get them in the zone. One downside to these lures is that the larger seabirds also find them attractive, which often saw your offering plucked from the strikezone at the wrong time!
Metals
Metals are ideal when the fish are feeding on really small bait. I usually have a three inch model set up with a single hook ready to cast. Due to their weight they are easy to cast a long distance which has its advantages, particularly on days when even if you cut your motor some distance away they still spook. This usually occurs when there are other boats around trolling. Also when the fish are down deeper you can just allow the metal to sink down the water column and strikes will often be drawn as the lure is sinking or once you have started retrieving it.
Poppers
While poppers provide a great way to get the fishes attention they seem to be a bit hit-and- miss with the tuna unless they are really on. If you’re getting boils, but not strikes, I suggest you either downsize your popper to a smaller profile model like a Skitterpop or change to a stickbait. Poppers are ideal when the fish are eating larger baits like mackerel and cowanyung. There is no need to work your popper too erratically; simply blooping and pausing will give the fish plenty of time to find it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you should retrieve it as fast as possible, the last thing you want is to have the fish come up, but shy away at the boat.
Suspenders and sub-surface
While I prefer the excitement of a surface strike, sub-surface lures will also work well. Suspending minnows can be cast at bait balls before being twitched and paused when the fish are a bit shy. They also ensure your lure remains in the strikezone for longer. Sub-surface walk type lures also work well in this sort of situation.

Hooked up on light spin gear – the best way to make the most of these hard fighting fish.

Tackle
A light 7 ft spin rod matched to a 3000 or 4000 sized reel loaded with around 250 to 300 m of 10 to 15 kg braid provides plenty of power to hold on to the fish and really makes the most of them. The fish will rarely go on long runs from the boat and you usually end up fighting the fish straight up and down from the front of the boat. While you can definitely fish lighter braid it will extend the fight time considerably therefore not ideal if you are planning to release the fish you catch.
Rigging up
There’s no need to employ a heavy leader for these fish as the majority of them are under 20 kilograms. I used 60 lb shock leader of around 2 m in length all season and didn’t lose any fish to bite offs, in fact you could easily fish 40 lb leader attached to a bite leader of heavier monofilament or flourocarbon without worrying about losing your lure. There are two ways of connecting your leader to the lure either with a swivel to the split ring connection or simply with a loop knot. Replace your lures with single hooks if you plan to release the fish as these will be easier to remove and reduce damage to the fishes mouth.
Setting up for casting
When I purchased my latest boat I opted for something open with a rear side console so there was plenty of deck space as well as a massive casting deck to facilitate casting situations like casting at tuna. Being on a casting deck in the sea is usually a little different to being on a lake or river so it’s important that you have something for those up on the front deck to hold onto. Often you find yourself speeding up to a bust up then cutting the motor or knocking it out of gear and without anything to hold onto its easy to send your mate overboard. I had a few t-bars made up out of aluminium for support. These fit directly into the seat spigots and swivel around to provide support whilst travelling and also something to lean on when searching for fish, casting or climbing up onto the casting deck. They are also easily removable and can be used at five different locations around the boat. They are also a great space saver as you can leave the seats at home when you have a few mates on board. Each T-bar is 1200 mm long and features a T-bar at the top which is 300 mm wide. They are sealed and cost about $80; a great investment for surface fishing enthusiasts!