New Zealand Tuna Fishing

Tuna
In the Bay of Islands the most common tuna found is the Yellow-fin Tuna, although Blue-fin Tuna are caught occasionally. The Yellow-fin tuna can grow to 70kg and reach a length of 2 metres although the average fish caught in the Bay of Islands is around 20kg.
Many New Zealand fishermen regard Tuna as the most challenging and exciting fish to catch. The tuna is an extremely fast and strong swimmer When a yellow-fin tuna is hooked, the strike is always hard and fast with the tuna swimming quite a distance away from the boat at a great speed. They are extremely strong fighters which challenge both the fisherman and his gear.

Unlike most fish, the tuna has a higher body temperature than that of the water it swims in, it also has an extremely small stomach for its size. The tuna is locked in a cycle where it has to eat a massive amount of food to use as energy, to allow it to swim fast to catch that food, this means that tuna will eat nearly any bait fish it comes across such as pilchards, squid or mackerel.
Although tuna can be caught with either bait or lures, in the Bay of Islands and indeed throughout New Zealand Tuna is mainly caught with by trolling with bait-fish.

If you are planning a New Zealand fishing holiday in the Bay of Islands and need our advice on the best times to come, where to stay or any other local information please don't hesitate to contact us. If you want to talk fishing, we can do that all day.