Originally Posted by
Trout-Tuna-For.Me
Bonzo,
Dude, like many others have said, it's time on the water that will eventually get you into fish.
The advise I give to newbie friends who want to get into tuna fishing is to first try an overnite trip for the experience of learning how to do it. Also plan the trip date during a very good fish count time where the average tuna take per person is 2 or more. This gives more assurance of catching something.
Then, if the person likes tuna fishing and wants more, go for a 1.5 or 2 day trip which will allow more time to have a line in the water and to fish from sun up to sundown. Last years big tuna bite was late in the afternoon so those trips did very well.
Best to Bookmark all the San Diego landings sites and see how the counts are before you book another trip. Most 2 day trips now are doing pretty good.
Another way I end up with tuna to take home is while waiting on the troll, I have my jig stick with a swimbait to toss right when the HOOKUP is yelled. The sooner you have a bait in the water after the troll hookup is crucial as the fish will either come up to eat or not. Many times there are more than just one troll lure hookup so there are maybe a few other fish wanting to eat, that's where having a bait in the water ASAP is crucial. Of course the captain says not to throw your line out with bait until the boat is almost stopped, but to push the limit some doesn't hurt and it's the total number of fish caught for the trip is what everyone is looking for, especially the capt.
I've been tuna fishing for over 30 years now and have learned a few secrets of how to get tuna on board ;)
Best of luck in your future tuna trips and some day you'll maybe run into a school of fish that will not quit biting and end up wanting to eat anything thrown overboard, even a bare shiny hook :D