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Old 28-10-2016, 07:39   #1
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Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Trolling for tuna not internet humans.

My wife and I are now hooked on trolling for tuna behind our sailboat in the Adriatic. We had some luck catching our first tuna off Italy using the Proh2o lure pictured trolling at 4-5 knots behind our boat while under sail. Since then.... nothing.

I'm kicking myself for not purchasing what looked to be a very high quality diving plug in Croatia priced at €30, because since then I've been unable to find something of similar quality made using stainless instead of plastic. I want lures that will work and last.

I'm looking for some suggestions, please provide a picture along with the model and manufacturer of lures that have worked best for you

Cheers

Ken
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Old 28-10-2016, 07:53   #2
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Hello Ken, I join you in the quest for good tuna & other lures for trolling in the med. I only know tuna cannot be found close to the coast, other then that I have no experience and would like to add some tuna to my catchlist.


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Old 28-10-2016, 07:53   #3
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

I'm curious about this as well. Thanks for starting this thread Ken. And BTW, could you DIY an approximation of the lure that you're kicking yourself for passing on? Say by starting with a piece of stainless, & shaping it with hand tools & a Dremel? Followed by adding the flashy colored bits which seduce the fish into biting.
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Old 28-10-2016, 08:03   #4
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Not sure about the Med but off the Florida Keys pink and purple feathers get the most love. Depending on boat speed most folks use some type of sinker to control depth.
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Old 28-10-2016, 08:28   #5
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

I had good luck catching small tuna like Bonita, Albacore etc with a silver shiny spoon. Not sure it's the best but it seemed to work well. It worked well for Sierra Mackeral also. I used a rubber squid like you pictured for most everything behind the mothership though.
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Old 28-10-2016, 08:38   #6
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

I have been fishing most of my life, until I got this boat, all the other boats that have been in the family have always been fishing boats of different sizes and or types.
In all honesty, there is no one good lure, best thing is to get a bunch of likely lures and drag them behind the boat, you get a strike, maybe today that lure is a good one for today, tomorrow it may not work at all, and often for no discernible reason, nothing works, and then sometimes anything works. I have found bright and dark colors of the same lure to be good. Conventional wisdom is usually that bright colors on a grey overcast day, and dark ones on a bright sunny day.
There are no constants though, it is like asking what a Woman wants, you will be trying to answer that until you die and the answer always changes, same with lures. Its why serious fishermen have such big tackle boxes.
A real good thing to do is find a very good tackle store in your area and ask the locals what they use, what works well in one area for some strange reason may not on the same fish species just a little ways away.
Spoons, cedar plugs work well, and my favorite is rigged Ballyhoo, I seem to have great luck with that, sometimes put a skirt on one, often not.
Rigged Ballyhoo is of course frozen bait, not a lure, but if you can get them over there, give it a try.
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Old 28-10-2016, 08:50   #7
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

I grabbed one of these from worst marine as a lark, I was having no luck at all. Now the bonitos and Spanish mackerels are lining up to take it. This is on the west coast of California. Would it translate to big tuna in the med? Dunno.
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/bomber...60?recordNum=2
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Old 28-10-2016, 09:08   #8
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Trolling off Miami and Fl keys we use dark colors, purple & black feathers. We have our lines pretty far behind boat for tuna, but then we are not sailing.
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Old 28-10-2016, 09:10   #9
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

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but then we are not sailing.
I have never trolled behind a sailboat before, but darned if I don't think its better than a Sportfish for that. I assume maybe noise or prop wash?
I can't think of a worse boat for fighting and landing a fish though
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Old 28-10-2016, 09:11   #10
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Cedar plugs and Pet spoon are good no hassle lures, very productive. Pink skirts if rigging ballyhoo, on sunny days has worked for us on the East Coast.

Fishing off a sailboat is tough stuff, I've lost so many fish at the boat.
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Old 28-10-2016, 09:14   #11
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Agree with A64Pilot. What worked best for us on several trips FL to New England was a simple shiny Walmart bought ss jig covered with plastic squid skirt and thawed out piece of frozen squid on the hook. On one trip we had to stop trolling as we ran out of space in the freezer and got tired of eating tuna and king mackerel 3-4 days in a row.

While on the subject of king mackerel allow me to drift a bit to give an excellent salted mackerel recipe. Gut and wash the mackerel. No need to debone it but if the size is too big you may just use the fillets for salting. Make a salt brine (more salt then water) out of rock or very coarse kosher salt (don't use the usual crap iodine smelling salt) and whatever spices you like. Brine the fish overnight and in the morning wash the salt off and hang the fish up where it'll get the most airflow (we usually hang it under the boom or over windward stanchions. If you're far enough offshore the flies will not be an issue but close to shore we just drape cheesecloth over. By the end of the day the fish will be ready to enjoy. With cold beer - aahhh, paradise.

On two of these trips we lucked out with the wind and did not tack once until I think the NY area. That's when we made it - FtLaud to Cape Cod canal - in 5 days non stop, no engine whatsoever. Would've been a very boring delivery were it not for a bunch of caught fish.
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Old 28-10-2016, 09:25   #12
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

I would not spend a bunch of folding on lures.
Once lost.... is lost.

Try different types, spoons spinners and colours... one day one will work but not the next...
Ive seem me go through a box and then as the weather changed or darkness came the little terrors started biting on the first one again...

Tis the way it is..
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Old 28-10-2016, 09:29   #13
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

It may depend on the specie of bait fish running at any given time? I doubt there is a magic lure for all occasions. Try asking a local commercial fisherman if one will spill the beans. You have one thing going for you trolling under sail.
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Old 28-10-2016, 09:31   #14
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenomac View Post
Trolling for tuna not internet humans.

My wife and I are now hooked on trolling for tuna behind our sailboat in the Adriatic. We had some luck catching our first tuna off Italy using the Proh2o lure pictured trolling at 4-5 knots behind our boat while under sail. Since then.... nothing.

I'm kicking myself for not purchasing what looked to be a very high quality diving plug in Croatia priced at €30, because since then I've been unable to find something of similar quality made using stainless instead of plastic. I want lures that will work and last.

I'm looking for some suggestions, please provide a picture along with the model and manufacturer of lures that have worked best for you

Cheers

Ken
Best luck I had trolling your type of lure tied to a water surface plastic flying fish about 3 inches long. It seems they are attracted to turbulence. Caught tunas (blue fin) and even a blue marlin sailing down from Guadeloupe to Grenada. Best luck between islands in the open Atlantic.
Ernie on the Mary Jane
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Old 28-10-2016, 10:06   #15
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Re: Best Tuna Trolling Lures

Just caught this one off of rosemary beach, FL in about 55' of water. This lure has produced a lot of fish.
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