The author with a school sized SBT casting a stickbait.
TARGET — Surface Blueys Scott Gray goes on the hunt or surface feeding SBT
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outhern bluefin tuna have seen a very long season and it is in full swing as the fish migrate along the coastline of southern Australia. While trolling is traditionally a very effective method of catching tuna, a lot of enjoyment can be had casting lures at fish feeding on the surface. When the fish are up on the top feeding there is no more exciting way of targeting these fish than sight casting with a lure on light threadline spin tackle. The strikes are very visual, explosive and it’s a great way of getting consistent results on days when the fish are proving challenging. Most of the fish often encountered by fishers are in the 10-20kg ‘school’ size range and provide some of the best light tackle fishing going around!
There are plenty of benefits to casting lures at feeding fish than simply trolling over them and some of these benefits include the option of fishing lighter tackle, less chance of spooking the fish and being highly mobile. Casting is second to none when the fish are visually feeding on the surface. If the fish are up and down a lot or moving around quickly or you see some action off in the distance you can capitalise on this and motor up to the school quickly and cast. You will always beat other boats that are trolling to the action and get first chance at the fish. Some days it’s just a matter of just getting there when the fish are up. The opportunity being mobile creates can really make a big difference in this situation.
Positioning your boat correctly is very important. While the fish will move in many directions generally you will find fish will feed into the wind so the best place to position your boat is upwind of the feeding fish. This way there is less likelihood of spooking the fish and you will get a longer cast into the school. You can also choose to cut your motor for a silent approach if required. Let the fish come to you. With light threadline tackle and wind assistance it’s quite easy to make a 50-60 metre cast into a school, even with small sinking stickbaits. When motoring up on feeding fish from behind be aware of the wake coming from your boat and often it’s a good idea to take a wider berth from the school if you are behind them because even the boat wake
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Fishing News - Page 33
