They don’t call Venice, Louisiana “Tuna Town” for nothing. Sign up for one of our offshore fishing charters, and you will experience it for yourself! Here’s a little info on our favorite and most common tuna found in the deep waters of Venice, Louisiana. The yellowfin tuna!
Description: The yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic water of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. It is amongst the larger tuna species, reaching weights of over 400 lbs. However, it is significantly smaller than the Atlantic and Pacific Bluefin tunas. These can reach over 990 lbs. Don’t’ get too excited! Most angler’s catches are about 100 lbs. or less. The second dorsal fin, the anal fin, and the finlets between those and the tail, are bright yellow. Hence its name, the yellowfin tuna. The main body is a very dark metallic blue with silver on the belly. The belly has about 20 vertical lines.
Record Holders: The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) record for this species stands at 388 lbs. for a fish caught in 1977 near San Benedicto Island in the Pacific waters of Mexico. In 2012, a fisherman in Baja, CA named Guy Yocom caught a 193-kg yellowfin. That’s 427 pounds! The catch was confirmed by the IGFA, and the Guy Yocom received a prize of $1 million. He received a symbolic check for the money, but the prize is paid gradually over 50 years.
Habitat: Yellowfin tuna are epipelagic fish that inhabit the mixed surface layer of the ocean above the thermocline. Most often, yellowfin tuna are found in the top 330 ft. of the water, and penetrate the thermocline relatively infrequently., although they are capable of diving to considerable depths.
Behavior: Yellowfin tuna often travel in schools with similarly sized companions such as other yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, various species of dolphins, and sometimes even whales and whale sharks.
Diet & Bait: The yellowfin tuna diet largely depends on what is available, but typically includes small fish such as the flying fish, squid, and crustaceans. Chumming and chunking while trolling for yellowfin tuna is the primary method used by anglers. Trolling for yellowfin involves creating a flashy presentation of multiple lures trolled in the boat wake while moving along at 7 or 8 knots. Single hook lures with plastic skirts are common bait. Chains or spreader bars of lures are also an option as they help increase visual attraction. Green is the most popular color to attract yellowfin.
Tackle: During the summer when we’re tuna fishing we like to use the Talica spooled with 80lb braid and 80lb Top Shot tied uni to uni with 60lb to 80lb with 5/0 -8/0 Mustad hook offset circle hook on Pinnacle Marine Rods. This will give you a very light rod that is able to stand up to the punishment of a tuna. During the fall and winter we prefer to use 50w spooled with 130lb braid and 130lb Top Shot with 100lb to 180lb fluorocarbon on Pinnacle rods with 9/0 to 15/0 Mustad Demon Hooks.
If you’d like to experience an offshore fishing trip in Venice, Louisiana please contact us and ask about our fishing charter rates. We also offer lodging with all-inclusive and non-inclusive rates.
