Tuna Trolling Setup
The boat setup for Southern Bluefin Tuna — skirted lures or deep-diving hardbodies trolled in a spread behind the boat at walking pace, worked through baitfish schools and temperature lines.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Set up a 100–150 lb mono leader with a crimped heavy swivel on your trolling outfit.
Rig 5–9 inch skirted lures (or strong hardbodies) and sharpen or check every hook.
Deploy lures in a spread — typically 2–4 lures staggered 20–50 m behind the boat, one short and one long on each side.
Troll at 4–8 knots, adjusting speed until the lures run with a clean smoke trail and no blowback.
Work baitfish schools, temperature edges and the areas the birds are on — once a reel screams, slow the boat and clear the other lines.
Troll the spread along baitfish schools and temperature lines, keeping the boat steady and the lures in clean water. A tuna hit is violent — let the drag do the work, follow the fish with the boat, and keep maximum pressure through the long first run. Clear the other lines early.
Boat fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna through the SA season — trolling is the most consistent way to find and hook tuna from your own boat, and it also picks up kingfish along the way.
Slow-troll live baits on a circle hook when fish are finicky; cast stickbaits into busting schools once located; deep-diving hardbodies for kingfish over structure; change lure sizes by the size of the bait being eaten.
Trolling too fast for the lures, hooks not sharpened, not following the first run with the boat, and leader lengths too short that the lures tangle.
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