Big Yellowfin Tuna
We have a lot of big Yellowfin Tuna and it’s getting better each year. Two years ago purse seining was outlawed within 200 miles of Panama. Last year long-lining was outlawed. The tuna are arriving here in apparent greater numbers and staying much longer than before.
Big Yellowfin can be found with spotted dolphin in several locations around Coiba near the 100 fathom line, from mid January through April. During December 250 - 300 pound fish are often caught over the high spots on the Hannibal Bank. After the spotted dolphin schools have moved off, we still find them on the Hannibal Bank, Jicaron and Montousa over deep sea structure. May through August. So they are here December through August at least.
I prefer to live bait using frigate mackerel, bonito, small yellowfin, green jacks and triggerfish. I like a smaller circle hook, 200lb fluorocarbon leader and 100 pound line. When the spotted dolphin are here, we move in slow and calmly to asses the situation, watching the dolphin behavior The baits are presented depending on how things look. Last thing I want to do is go running through the school. Instead I’ll determine the direction the school is moving and run way outside to slide in front of the movement. We will drop a bait over and let it run down. Move forward a bit and drop the next bait down, put them up in the riggers, then put out the downrigger baits. When I find a bait ball on the sounder, I mark it and focus on that spot.
When the dolphin are moving in small groups and a group turns then dives, that is a good spot, even if the birds are sitting on the water. When the dolphin are running, out in front of them is a very good spot to set up and let the movement pass by us. Where the birds are diving is a great spot. We always try to run outside of the schools so as not to disturb. Then ease into the action.
Sometimes when the action is moving too fast, it’s best to troll cedar plugs till we hook a fish, then slip live baits in. Smaller fish will take the cedar plug, bigger ones want the live one. Bigger fish will follow up a hooked fish.
Casting poppers is effective and great fun, however the local mosquito fleet has taken to making this their standard operating procedure. They zoom in casting and breaking up the feeding fish, then they zoom over the next pile of fish and bust that up! They even zoom in front of us and start casting. Something must be done about these throttle jockeys, but for now I just try to fish somewhere they are not.
You can use our 22’ Mako to cast for tuna if that’s your game. This boat is set up for casting. The 31’ Bertram prefers to live bait.
Trolling swimming plugs works too in certain situations and so does jigging. Top water plugging can be very effective, but for the really big ones you want to use live bait and fish in a manner that does not break up the school.