Offshore Yellowfin Tuna
Targeting hard-fighting yellowfin tuna, wahoo and mahi-mahi over offshore FADs, seamounts and temperature breaks in Australian waters. These fast pelagic species are found year-round in tropical and subtropical waters, offering exceptional sport on trolled lures and live baits.
Target Species
Fishing Locations
- • Byron Bay Offshore
- • Cape Moreton
- • Osprey Reef (Coral Sea)
- • Christmas Island Blue Water
- • Cocos Offshore Blue Water
- • Coffs Offshore FADs
- • Eden Offshore Canyon
- • Seaway / Gold Coast Canyon
- • Newcastle Offshore FADs
- • Sydney Offshore FADs & Canyon
Fishing Tips
- 1
Feathers and cedar plugs in pink/red/black work best when trolling blind; switch to bibbed lures or rigged skipbaits once you see birds or surface activity.
- 2
When tuna are balling bait underneath birds, stop the boat, cut the engine, and cast metal slices or poppers into the melee — a running engine will push the school down.
- 3
Chum with a block of frozen pilchards or cubed tuna; once fish are in the berley trail, free-spool a live yakka or pilchard back into the slick for a natural presentation.
- 4
Set drag at roughly 30% of breaking strain when trolling for YFT — they run hard and deep and you need enough line on the reel to survive the initial burst.
- 5
At depth, slow-pitch butterfly jigs in 150–300 g sizes fished on a parabolic rod will pick up fish that ignored surface presentations — wahoo and mahi-mahi often join in.
Gear Setup
Yellowfin Tuna
- Rod
- PE4–8, 6–7ft trolling or spinning (30–80lb class)
- Reel
- Trolling: 20–30 class overhead (Penn International 20T); Spinning: 8000–14000 heavy spinning (Shimano Stella SW)
- Main Line
- PE4–8 (40–80lb braid)
- Leader
- 60–100lb fluorocarbon
- Lures / Terminal
- Skirted lures 6–10 inch, metal jigs 80–250g, poppers 80–150g, bibbed minnows
- Drag Setting
- 8–15kg strike drag
Wahoo
- Rod
- PE3–6, 6ft trolling or heavy spinning
- Reel
- 30-class overhead (Penn Squall 30, Shimano Tyrnos 20) or 6000–8000 medium-heavy spinning
- Main Line
- PE3–6 (40–60lb braid)
- Leader
- 100–150lb fluorocarbon or single-strand wire
- Lures / Terminal
- High-speed konas, small skirted lures (6–9 inch), Rapala trolling minnows — bright/chrome
- Drag Setting
- 8–12kg at strike
Troll at 10–14 knots; wire leader essential to stop bite-offs