Tuna on the fly tackle? That is the question that I am usually asked every July as my flyfishing charters abruptly shift gears from inshore weakfish to offshore bluefin tuna. The looks that follow are usually that of puzzlement or amazement, and in most cases, pure stupidity. Oh yeah… the great pelagics of New Jersey's offshore lumps and canyons. Nothing fights harder or runs faster than tunas. Many anglers with years of offshore experience are brought to their knees every season during these strenuous battles using conventional tackle. So why would one even think about confronting these monsters on flyfishing tackle? Saltwater flyfishing is one of the fastest growing mainstream sports today. To most people in the fishing community, the concept of flyfishing permeates with the essence of purism. Beautiful trout streams roofed with snow capped mountains; crystal clear flats filled with tailing bonefish, an evening spinner hatch, and so on and so on, and so on. Not in my world. Growing up on the Jersey Shore the sport of flyfishing has always been more of a "hardcore" scene for me. Cold pounding surf at four in the morning, stiff northeast winds and rain, all nighters in the back bays, and arctic November and December striper trips on the center console. For many anglers, flyfishing for bluefin and yellowfin tuna is about as alluring as visiting a dentist. In fact, some may not think of it as fly-fishing at all. For those of us who worship the "dark side" of flyfishing however, it is our Mt.Everest. The World Series or Stanley Cup. It is the game of all games. It's graduate school. Welcome to Fly-Tuna U.
Before one even thinks about going flyfishing offshore there are a few "rules of the road" that need to be addressed. To start with safety is always the first concern, and your rig should be outfitted with the proper equipment. Second is your tackle. It had better be top notch in order to tackle these monsters of the sea. And third is preparation. Preparation leads to success in the offshore world. Let's go flyfishing.

The word "offshore" means many things to different people. For some it is two miles outside of the bay, and for others it is the Canyons of the northeast. For our discussion in this article however it means where the tuna's are. Depending on the time of year it can be anywhere from the Mudhole to the Canyons. Most of my flyfishing for Atlantic tunas is done on a Parker Center Console around the midshore holes and lumps that stretch from 18 to 40 miles off the New Jersey coast. The action usually starts to take place sometime around mid July and can last well into November. The focus within the midshore fishery is the bluefin tuna. Unlike the yellowfin tuna, bluefin can tolerate colder water temperatures and show up inshore of the canyons to feed during the summer months. Over the last few seasons inshore bluefin range anywhere between twenty and sixty pounds which are ideal targets for flyrodders. In addition to bluefin tuna these midshore waters are home to a significant amount of smaller tuna's such as skipjacks, bonito, and false albacore. The canyons however are a different story, and the action usually begins sometime in late July and can last well into December. The offshore canyons rest around 68 miles off our coast. Expect to catch mainly yellowfin and longfin tuna's in the canyons with the occasional bluefin later in the season. These water are know throughout the saltwater fishing community as some of the finest tuna grounds in the world, and New Jersey boasts some of the best offshore captains and crews anywhere in the world. It is for that reason that when I choose to flyfish for tuna's in the canyons I hire one of the boats out of the Manasquan / Brielle, New Jersey area. Before you book with a traditional canyon captain make sure you tell him that you intend to fly fish. As many boats are now welcoming flyfisherman, some still would rather take a crew of conventional anglers.

If you plan on venturing offshore on your own to tackle tuna on the fly always consider the safety of your crew and your vessel very seriously. Your boat should be in tiptop shape and equipped with U.S.C.G. approved offshore survival equipment and quality electronics. Start checking the marine weather three to four days before your trip and continue monitoring it until you leave the dock. Don't stop once you've left port either. Storms are known to come up very quickly offshore and you will need to be on top of your game the entire trip. It is wise to always leave word with a close friend or family member regarding the vicinity you plan to fish and the estimated time you plan to return. If something should go wrong out there you know that someone on land will notify the authorities. Being prepared for your trip is the first thing that needs to be attended to. Make sure you have enough fuel, bait, ice, rods, reels, lines, tackle and flies. Most traditional offshore charter services do not offer fly tackle so you will need to bring your own. Fly rods need to be powerful in order to tackle tuna, therefore nothing under a twelve-weight outfit will suffice. For the bluefin and yellowfin tuna's in the 20 to 40 lb. range, twelve and thirteen weight fly rods will work fine. Any tuna's over fifty pounds however will require fourteen to sixteen weight outfits. Always bring along a ten or eleven weight rig as well for skipjacks, bonito, and dolphin. Your fly rods will need to have very strong butt sections in order to lift and pressure big fish. Powell's line of offshore fly rods have been tested as some of the best in the business, and employ an exclusive three point offshore grip that allows anglers to comfortably position their rod hand anywhere along the extended cork handle.
The fly reel is the most important tool when fighting tuna. Reels need to be equipped with the best drag systems the industry has to offer, and have the capabilities to hold at least 450 yards of 30 lb. backing. Billy Pate's Bluefin and the Tibor Pacifica are two of the reels that I can say truly cut the mustard. The more backing your reel holds the better. One way to increase your backing capacity is to spool your reel with 65 lb. PowerPro instead of micron or dacron backing. This will give you almost forty percent more capacity than that of the traditional micron or dacron. The fly lines that are used generally consist of a thin diameter running line that has a loop to loop connection to a shooting head. Many anglers simply use 150 feet of thirty-pound monofilament for the running line portion. By using a shooting head system you with have the capability to change the grain weight of the line quickly and easily in order to reach the appropriate depth that the fish are holding. Because you will be anchored most of the time, currents with play a major role in deciphering which head to use. In minimal currents I prefer a slower sinking line like a 400 or 500 grain. In strong currents however you will need and extremely fast sinking head in the 700 to 1000 grain class. Make sure all of your connections are secure. Starting at the backing, use a doubled over bimini twist so that a loop to loop connection can be made to the running line. Make sure the loops that connect your running line to your shooting head are very secure. Leaders are blind spliced on to the shooting head and covered with a two foot piece of 80 lb. dacron, then whip finished at both ends. Start with a four to six foot piece if 50-lb. fluorocarbon and put a double surgeons knot at the end. Your class tippet will be next and should consist of a two-foot piece of 20-lb. mono with doubled over bimini twists at both ends. Loop to loop the class tippet to the 50-lb. fluorocarbon butt section. The final step will consist of a 12-inch piece of sixty or eighty pound fluorocarbon as your bite tippet. The connection from your class tippet to your bite tippet should be an albright knot directly onto the doubled over bimini loop. Attach you fly with the appropriate size aluminum crimp.

The best way to catch tuna on the fly is to anchor up and "chunk", just as you would on a normal overnight canyon trip. There is one catch however, you will be using a fly while the others are using the real thing. Start your slick with a continuous light scent of bunker chum. For a full eight hours of chumming you will need anywhere from two to four 5-gallon buckets of chum. I prefer to hang the chum over the side by using a chum bag. Butterfish will be the main "chunking" bait to use, however mackerel, spearing and mullet can all be used in conjunction with the "butters" or on their own. Be prepared with five to seven flats of butterfish for a full day's trip. Through out a handful of small chunks every minute or so and make sure to spread them out in a 180 degree radius. Your flies should match the bait you are chunking. If you are throwing chunks of butterfish I prefer to use wider profiled flies like the deceiver or the Baby Angel. Large white flies that embody a lot of silver flash seem to produce the best results when imitating butterfish. Your hooks will need to be strong and sharp. Trey Combs Big Game hooks by Gamakatsu in size 7/0 through 10/0 are the hooks that I prefer to use. If you will be using smaller flies like Jiggies or Surf Candies, which match spearing, Varivas's 990 fly hook in 3/0 or 4/0 are as strong as they get. The technique that is the most widely used is to slowly drift your fly back into the slick until you run out of fly line and hit the backing, then strip the fly in and repeat the process. Most of the time your fly will be taken on the dead drift. However, you will need to be ready on the retrieve should the fish take your offering on the way back to the boat. One technique that has proven to be very successful in enticing tunas to take a fly is live bait chumming. Slow the chunking down and start throwing live baits like peanut bunker or mullet back in the slick. In order for this tactic to be effective you will need to have the fish close to the boat. We do this in order to get them focused in on moving bait. This creates a feeding frenzy behind the boat that will result in a frantic chasing game. When this happens the fly is cast into the commotion and rapidly stripped back to the boat. If done correctly you should receive a take 9 out of 10 times. Once your are hooked up the real challenge begins. Immediately drive the hook home by performing a series of strip strikes. At this point the tuna will begin to run like a freight train, and you will want to sit back and enjoy the ride. Once the run has slowed it is time to gain line back. Reel hard and do not let the fish rest. If the fish sounds you will want to use the "short sticking" technique. This is done by keeping your rod positioned below your waist, reeling down three to four cranks, then pull up six to eight inches. Short Sticking allows you to gain line quickly by using fast, short cranks and pulls. Once the fish sees the boat, chances are it will surge again one final time. This is where most fights are lost because anglers get tired and careless. Stay on top if your game. If the tuna surges let it go. If he takes you up the rail, follow him. Once the mate or crewmember grabs the leader let off some slack to allow him to comfortably maneuver around the cockpit.

Fly-fishing for tuna is a mind-blowing experience. No other fishes in our great seas possess such strength and speed and these gamefish. Instead of staying inshore for the little guys, grab your 14-weight and head to the tuna enriched bluewaters of New Jersey. You won't be disappointed.