Cold Snap Heralds Bluefin Blitz

The last few years have been great seasons for Bluefin Tuna off the Georgia/SC coast. Normally, the bluefin migrate down from the huge fishing area known as the Grand Banks off New England to the Outer Banks each winter. Only a few confused loners normally make it our way. The last few years, though, the entire pod of Bluefin overshot OBX and headed down into our area. A new South Carolina state record of 396 pounds was caught last year just five miles off Hilton Head on the Betsy Ross wreck. This year appears to be shaping up the same way. Early catch reports from North Carolina suddenly ran cold in late December, and reports of the blue monsters have been coming in from this area more frequently.

The new South Carolina Bluefin record of 396 pounds.

As recently as last weekend, large schools of bluefin were reported at some of the Georgia Naval Towers, specifically R6 and R7. If last year was any indication, the cooler the water gets, the closer in the tuna will come. The water is still relatively warm for this time of year (if you call 60 degree water warm...), so they'll probably still hang out at the towers for awhile.

When choosing tackle for these bruisers, keep in mind that they average over 100 pounds, even in this area. A metal framed 50-class reel or bigger is a must, spooled with 60-100 pound test monofilament. Anything less will simply not cut it. A big tuna can crack the frame on any cheaply made or graphite frame reel. If you want to fight it standing up, an 80-130 pound class rod is needed, the shorter the better. A 5'6" rod is normal. If using a fighting chair a longer (6'6"-7'), lighter rod is best, usually in the 50-80 pound class range.

Bluefin take both live and dead trolled baits. Big ballyhoo or bonita with colorful skirts covering the nose are great choices. When using artificials, big cedar tuna plugs are the best go-to bait, but artificial ballyhoo, bonita, or big trolling lures with chugger heads will do the trick.

When you do hook up with one, be prepared for a long battle with many runs and deep dives. Whatever you do, though, do not let the fish go too deep for too long. Bluefin often sound to the depths and die, leaving you with a couple hundred pounds of dead weight to haul straight up. It is much easier to bring a live, willing 300 pound tuna to the boat than a 100 pound dead tuna on the bottom. Also make sure to have several helping hands onboard when you bring the fish to the boat. A very heavy gaff is needed to haul a fish this size onto the boat, as well as 2-3 bodies to heave it over the gunwhales.

Bluefin fishing is not for beginners. you need an experienced captain and a good boat that can handle the rough seas this time of year. However, the effort is worth the reward, because bluefin really are the only huge pelagic species that the average Low Country day-tripper has a shot at. Marlin, sailfish, and wahoo confine themselves to the Gulfstream waters for the most part, but you can be tangling with a 300+ pound tuna only a few minutes offshore!