Longfin Tuna
Illustration: gardenroutefishing.co.za
Albacore — the workhorse of the Cape tuna fleet. Schools work the offshore grounds where warm and cold water meet, often within reach of Mossel Bay and Gqeberha ski-boats.
Where & how: troll feathers, cedar plugs and small konas wide of the shelf at 6-8 knots; when a school settles behind the boat, switch to chunking sardine with light fluorocarbon traces. Double and triple hook-ups are normal when it fires.
Tackle: 15-24 kg stand-up or heavy spinning outfits.
Table: the 'chicken of the sea' — excellent fresh, seared or canned. No size limit; 10 per day.
Field guide
Bores hard for the reef the moment it's hooked — turn its head early or you'll be cut off.
How to catch Longfin Tuna
15-24 kg stand-up outfit
Conventional boat reel (4/0–6/0) for deeper marks, or a 6000–10000 spinning reel for lighter inshore reef.
0.40 mm mono or 30–50 lb braid.
3/0–6/0 octopus/beak hooks on a two-hook bottom trace.
0.60–0.80 mm fluorocarbon or mono trace.
Trolled feathers, cedar plugs; chunked sardine
When to catch Longfin Tuna
Offshore, Nov–May, early starts
Slack tide over the reef makes bait presentation easiest; the fish often feed best on the tide change.
Feeds across a range; roughly 15–20 °C inshore, holding deeper as water warms.
🥅 Landing
Boat: use a gaff or net for the pot, lift smaller fish by the trace. Watch spines and teeth.
♻️ Release
Use a descending device to recompress fish brought up from depth (barotrauma) and give them the best chance of survival.
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