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Home / Best Bang for Your Buck Blue Fin Tuna Reel

Best Bang for Your Buck Blue Fin Tuna Reel

Communicable a 100kg+ Southern Bluefin Tuna in Australia's South-East in one of Australia's great game fishing accomplishments. There is no room for cut corners in this extreme style of fishing!

Introduction:

Southern Bluefin Tuna over or nigh 100kg are considered 'barrels' in southern Australia. Throughout the cooler seasons, these huge fish drift forth the southern declension of Commonwealth of australia and are caught at renown spots like Port MacDonnell in South Australia, Portland and Port Fairy in Victoria, and Eaglehawk Neck in Tasmania. These big Tuna are found in large seas open to the Southern Ocean, sometimes upward to 100km from shore, but more commonly between 20km – 60km. At times, they are even as close as 1km in certain locations like Eaglehawk Cervix.

Game fishing opportunities are more than limited in Due south-East Commonwealth of australia compared to the tropics. Thankfully, the southerners are fortunate to accept these monster Southern Bluefin Tuna in their area for part of the year. Although they may not jump similar a Marlin, the speed a butt tin can shred line from your reel is as quick as information technology gets. If you are an avid game angler, no affair where you are in Australia, or fifty-fifty the globe you must get down south to experience the power and sheer size of these incredible SBT'southward!

Gear overview:

Equally mentioned in the foreword, there are no cutting corners when choosing your tackle. Some of all-time gear coin can buy is required to handle these true monsters from hook-up to landing. If you have ever wondered why some fishing rods and reels tin can be more than $1,000, this is the type of fishing they are designed for.

Unfortunately, many anglers who have used sub-par rods, reels, line, and concluding tackle experienced the heartbreak of losing the fish of a lifetime. Barrel Tuna are the type of fish that volition notice and exploit whatever weakness in your tackle and have proven to do so time and time again. If yous are start your barrel line-fishing journeying, approach it with the mindset of a perfectionist. Everything you lot purchase for this fishing feat should be of the best quality you can afford.

Trolling

Trolling is the almost pop and effective way to grab a barrel. Typically, a spread of medium-to-large sized trolling skirted lures are towed behind the back of the boat effectually the edge of baitfish schools or in areas of recently known activity. The required tackle is exclusively used for trolling.

Rod & Reel

The rod and reel combo required is an overhead game reel with a minimum line capacity of 600m of 24kg monofilament or heavier paired with an overhead roller game rod to suit the class of mainline. (Example: 24kg monofilament mainline requires a 24kg game rod)

Ideally, stick with these two weight classes: 24kg & 37kg. A 24kg combo is suitable for ninety% of trolling lures. If you lot are not sure where to start, choose a 24kg philharmonic. A 37kg philharmonic has its advantages as well. If you are strong, or would like to reduce the fight time, or troll bigger lures and spreader bars, and so a 37kg combo is worth because.

Platonic combos:

24kg: Shimano Tiagra 50WLRSA + Shimano Tiagra T-Curve 24kg Stand-Up Straight Butt

37kg: Penn International VISW 80 + Shimano Tiagra Ultra 50-eighty Dual Butt

Line & Current of air-on Leader

Traditionally, monofilament was used exclusively as a mainline for game fishing. These days, braid is becoming more popular due to the bore to strength ratio. Complect allows anglers to achieve more line capacity without compromising on forcefulness. Game reels with braid are generally spooled halfway or ii-thirds full and the remaining infinite is filled with monofilament. This is known as a 'top-shot'. Due to complect'south sparse diameter, an angler may choose to subtract their reel size to reduce the weight of their set-upwards.

The disadvantage of braid is it tin can exist difficult to guide back onto the reel mid-fight without cut your hands to bits. Plus, it is expensive compared to monofilament and can suspension hands if run across with sharp debris like barnacle encrusted crayfish pot bouys. The choice is upwardly to yous, however, if you are new to butt trolling, we recommend starting with monofilament straight through because it is more forgiving and easier to manage.

Regardless of the type of mainline you cull, a current of air-on leader is highly recommended. A wind-on leader is attached to the end of your mainline by connecting a bimini twist to the pre-tied loop on a wind-on leader. The current of air-on leader is oftentimes 2-6 times heavier than your mainline and primarily does two things; 1) it protects your mainline from the fish (the tails and gills rakers can rub through thinner line) 2) gives the deckhand a stronger, thicker line to control your fish boat side.

Ideal lines:

Braid – YGK Galis Jig Man X8 600m PE eight

Mono – Buku IGFA Tournament Line 24kg or 37kg

Air current-on Leader – Instinct Pro Serial Wind-on Leader 200lb, 300lb, or 400lb

Skirts

Skirted trolling lures are the preferred lure pick for barrel Tuna. The shape of the head determines the action of the skirt and will dictate where it should be positioned in your spread.

Barrel skirts sit in the size range of nine" – 13". Skirts on the smaller end of the spectrum work well on barrels every bit they often match the profile of the bait they are feeding on; Redbait and Pilchards. The trouble with smaller skirts is they tend to grab a lot of school tuna besides (fish upwardly to 30kg). The more time you spend reeling in school tuna, the less time your lures are in the water for a barrel. School Tuna rarely hit skirts over 12", only barrels practise. Big skirts besides match the bait profile of Slimy Mackerel, Arrow Squid, and big Redbait. Big skirts are not out of place in barrel state.

For the almost role, colour is a personal pick, although in recent times pink & blue skirts accept outperformed nigh other colours. Other proven colours include lumo green, blue and silver, and black and yellow. Winged skirts add together extra flash.

Top 3 Skirts:

  • ane. Bonze Exocet Winged Paris
  • 2. Bonze D Shackle Karma
  • 3. Zacatack Thunderstruck Medium Super Redbait

Culling Lures

The virtually used culling lure type for barrel Tuna are hard body defined. They are a point of difference in a spread of skirts as they dive, swim, vibrate, and flash. Hard bodies are best run in a curt corner position under the prop launder.

Most barrel hard bodies are more than than 180mm long and dive from 10ft - 40ft. 180mm+ size is perfect equally it replicates baitfish profiles well without being pocket-sized plenty for nearly school Tuna. Color is a personal preference, however natural colours are favoured. Stick with patterns that imitate Slimy Mackerel, Pilchard, Redbait, and Squid.

Example lure: Samaki Pacemaker 180D

(The to a higher place prototype includes some of the best lures and their best spot in the spread)

Rigging

Rigging your lures is one the most crucial aspects of barrel fishing. Poor rigging volition about always end in gear failure. Good rigging oftentimes leads to success.

Rigging lures requires the following items:

  • Leader line
  • Game angling hooks (skirts only)
  • Aluminum single sleeve crimps
  • Suitable crimping pliers
  • Loop protectors / rigging tube
  • A cigarette lighter
  • Stainless steel ball begetting snap swivel

The forcefulness of the leader line is adamant past the skirt y'all are trolling. About manufactures volition provide a recommend line class for a particular skirt. It is best to stay within their recommendations. For alternative lures like hard body divers, leaders between 250lb – 350lb are suitable.

Game fishing hooks need to be precipitous and potent enough to withstand immense pressure for an hr or more without breaking. Hooks sizes are non equivalent betwixt brands, only to requite you an idea of physical hook size we recommend Owner Jobu Big Game hooks in sizes viii/0 – 12/0 for most skirts.

Aluminum unmarried sleeve crimps are essential. Copper sleeves are intended for wire only. Copper sleeves as well take a abrupt edge that tin can cut monofilament. The crimp's diameter needs to closely friction match the line's thickness. Example: if the line diameter is 2.00mm, the required crimp will be approximately 2.00mm – two.5mm.

Crimping pliers or crimping tools are needed to complete the crimping process. Yous will need to ensure the crimping tool you take or are purchasing volition cover the diameter range you crave. When crimping, ensure you crimp the middle of the sleeve and test the crimp earlier you go fishing.

Loop protectors and rigging tube are designed to avoid blank monofilament line rubbing out on the centre of the hook or loop to swivel during the fight. It is an insurance policy against gear failure.

A cigarette lighter is used to bud the terminate of cutting line. Although this action may seem unnecessary, the thickened tag finish of your line is an insurance policy to avoid line slippage if a crimp fails to hold.

The stainless-steel ball bearing swivel connects your wind-on leader to your lure rigged line. Stainless steel is used for best corrosion resistance. Ball bearing swivels swivel more than freely than crane swivels and are less probable to seize.

We recommend the following products for rigging:

  • Instinct XTS Tough Leader
  • Owner Jobu Big Game Hooks
  • Optia Aluminum Single Sleeve Crimps
  • Optia Mini Hand Crimper
  • Optia Loop Protector
  • Optia Stainless Steel Ball Bearing Snap Swivel

Teasers

A teaser is an attractant trolled behind the gunkhole with the objective of drawing fish to your lures from a wider area. They can take the class of a daisy concatenation, flasher, exciter bird, or spreader bar. Although non the most essential piece of tackle to take with you lot, it can raise your results.

A way to justify the buy of a teaser is to call up of a real-life scenario like this: You lot have travelled by auto and bounding main to detect these fish; you have invested in some of the best gear for the job. After trolling all day (without a teaser) you arrive dorsum at the ramp unsuccessful. As it turns out, you were so close to hooking-up. Y'all trolled 100m abroad from a school of hungry 100kg Bluefin. If you had a teaser, you would take defenseless their attention and they would have come in for a closer look. And so they spot your spread of lures pond away frantically. One of the barrels decides to eat your skirt, and you would've hooked-upwards! All because a flashing piece of metal or a bunch or rubber squids caught the attention of a nearby school.

The to a higher place scenario is how a hook-up happens sometimes. So, is it worth leaving the teaser behind? To increase your chances, it is worth bringing.

Casting

The method of casting lures at barrels is growing in popularity. Casting for barrels requires the coiffure to find visual schools of fish feeding on the surface, and then lures are casted at them and retrieved to entice a hook-up. The appeal of casting for barrels are the hectic surface strikes, catching 100kg fish on spin tackle, and feeling their unabridged powerful first run.

Rod & Reel:

Rod and reel combos for casting at barrel Tuna are over again specific. Although information technology is theoretically possible to troll with them, information technology is not recommended due to the length of the rod. Running 12kg of elevate for an hour or more through an 8ft pole is something you should avoid if possible. Your body will thank yous afterward.

The rod needed for this awarding is 7'9" – 8'iii", PE 8-10, cast weight sixty-200g. Although these specs are pre-requests, you will need a rod that is not also potent. GT Popping rods are too stiff. GT popper rods are made to piece of work big cup faced lures and rip fish abroad from structure every bit fast as possible. Barrel Tuna fishing is non a game of speed and force, it is a game of endurance. For this reason, you will need a rod with an activity that is soft enough to avoid pulling hooks, and still has the power to run upwardly to 12kg of drag to somewhat control these big fish.

The reel without a dubiousness needs to be i of the best 18000 or 20000 high-speed saltwater spinning reels money can purchase. Put but, the top of the range spinning reels such every bit the Shimano Stella SWC and Daiwa 20 Saltiga are made from solid metal bodies and gears, super rigid rotors and bails, polish line rollers and bearings, and carbon drag systems designed to avoid overheating. These are all essential features for fighting barrel Tuna for over an hour on spin tackle. Well-nigh other spinning reels are not upwards to the task. Out of all the gear require for casting at barrels, this is the one piece of equipment you 100% should non cut corners on.

Ideal casting combo:

Daiwa 20 Saltiga 20000-H + NS BOCA S S-80 Popping Rod (although popping is in the rod's title, the bare has the perfect taper: non besides stiff in the tip, plenty of ability down depression)

Line & Leader

Braid is the only choice for mainline due to its long casting abilities and strength. Stick with PE eight and PE 10 braided lines. PE 10 is desirable as the thicker line has a ameliorate chance of holding up against debris and the fish'south fins. The suggested spinning reel sizes have judge spool capacities of 300m of PE ten and 400m of PE 8. The extra line capacity is the advantage of PE eight. To avert getting spooled, the skipper plays a crucial role in keeping line on the reel. Braid colour is a personal option, although colours that blend in with the environs similar blue or white may give you an advantage on tough days.

An 8 carrier (8 strand) complect or higher will requite you amend casting capabilities compared to 4 carrier braids. However, 4 carrier lines offer better chafe resistance over 8-carrier lines. Consider your preferences earlier spooling your reel as neither line is better than the other due to the advantages and disadvantages.

Because you are unable to run a 15ft or longer wind-on leader when casting, the type of leader you cull is quite important. An ideal line volition have nifty stretch to prevent pulled hooks, also as depression lite refraction to avert spooking wary fish. Line class should be to a higher place 130lb with 170lb – 200lb ideal. The length of your leader should match the length of your rod. A rod length of leader is the happy medium between maximum stretch and maximum casting distance.

All-time Products:

Complect: YGK Ultra Castman 2 WX8 300M – PE viii – 113lb

Leader: Varivas Avani Maguro Stupor Leader – 170lb

Lures

The best casting lures for barrels are floating and sinking stick baits. The high-quality custom stick baits work all-time for the following reasons:

  • 1. They are built tough using thick through-wire construction and high touch on resin or wooden bodies
  • 2. The pattern and finish are equally realistic as it gets
  • iii. Their action mimics a real dying or panicked baitfish

For barrel Tuna, you need a lure that can stand up to their jaw power for the entire fight duration, and you need a lure that looks and swims real enough to become a bite. With this in mind, we recommend spending the extra cash on lures that will not let you downward and take the highest take a chance of getting a hook-up.

Floating stick baits work all-time in at-home atmospheric condition with minimal bird activity. Unfortunately, birds dive on floating stick baits; plus, floating stick baits tend to flail out of the water in choppy seas. Although floating stick baits have these disadvantages, they depict the best surface hits, and they are an easy target for a barrel.

Sinking stick baits on the other manus are better in rougher weather or when birds are nowadays. Floating stick baits tend to flail out of the water in choppy seas. A sinking stick allurement will sink below the inclement surface and the birds, assuasive the angler to present the lure with a natural swimming action consistently.

Single hooks are best for barrels as they concur meliorate than treble hooks, however, some lures have a improve activity with treble hooks. You should base of operations your hook configuration decisions on the manufacture'due south recommendations.

Split rings demand to be as potent equally possible to decrease the chances of gear failure. If y'all are using a smaller stick bait or a floating lure, a smaller sized split band may be required to keep the lure'due south action intact. An extra-heavy split ring and stainless-steel ball bearing swivel should be the connection between lure and leader. This combination facilitates the ability to tie a strong, reliable knot similar a uni or AG chain every bit opposed to a loop knot that tin can rub and break during long fights; and information technology makes changing lures easy with a pair of dissever ring pliers, avoiding the need to re-tie leader and lure knots as often.

Utilize the 'match the hatch' approach when choosing lure size and colour. A spread of lures that imitate Slimy Mackerel, Redbait, Pilchards, and Squid volition cover all bases. These are the best casting lures nosotros recommend for barrel Tuna:

  • Strategic Angler Proteus 130 – Redbait
  • Strategic Angler Walker – Bluish Mackerel
  • Strategic Angler Cruiser – Mediterranean Sardine
  • Strategic Angler Espada Southward – Mediterranean Sardine
  • Strategic Angler Naia 180 – Market Squid
  • Strategic Angler Mikros S – Blue Mackerel

Other important gear

An equalizer harness gives you a fighting advantage and it tin can prevent injury. An equalizer harness distributes the load evenly across your legs, back and pelvis, this allows y'all to fight for longer and utilize more force per unit area on the fish, reducing fight fourth dimension. Information technology too gives your dorsum much needed support. We highly recommend investing in an equalizer gear up for heavy game line-fishing.

Loftier-quality gaffs are also required to bring fish aboard, or to control the fish boat-side for take hold of and release.

Outriggers are benign for trolling as they widen your spread, roofing more ground and reducing tangles.

Determination

Gearing upwardly for 1 of the Antarctic ocean'southward best game fish is a task that should not be taken lightly. These monster Tuna are notoriously known for testing the best tackle and the best anglers. Our guide was designed to assist newcomers prepare properly the kickoff time, and to give tips and pointers to those who are struggling to bend a rod. The squad at Tackle Earth Adelaide wishes you all the best in your giant Southern Bluefin Tuna pursuits!

Thumbnail Image Credit: Jason Taylor
Instagram: @acejasee

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Source: https://tackleworldadelaide.com.au/gearing-up-for-barrel-southern-bluefin-tuna/