Chunking & Live Baiting for Yellowfin Tuna
When yellowfin tuna are keyed in on a specific area like a lump, hill, or wreck and the troll bite slows down and keeps them out of reach, chunking with live and dead baits can produce impressive catches on lighter tackle. Chunking for inshore yellowfin can be deadly during the warm summer months, while the nighttime canyon bite tends to be most effective during the end of summer into fall.
An ideal rod and reel setup starts with a reel similar to a Talica 20II or 25II from Shimano, matched with a standup rod with all open guides in the 6’ range with a slick butt and aluminum gimbal. 60lb hollow core braid backing with a mono topshot is ideal in order to maximize line capacity and stealth. Having 4-6 rods ready at all times is usually best in order to maximize the effectiveness of the chunks you are throwing over the side to draw a school of yellowfin to your boat to put together a productive day.
On the inshore lumps during the daytime, chunking is often predicated on being as stealthy as possible when dropping down to 40, 30, or 25lb fluorocarbon leader is often the difference between getting bit at all and your crew limiting out. Usually best to start off with long 40lb leaders to help keep the barrel swivel attaching to your mainline as far out of sight as possible, and continuing to drop down in lb test until you get bit if you are consistently marking fish beneath you or seeing the fleet around you on the meat. Out in the canyons at night, you are often able to get away with heavier leader like 60 or 80lb, however it is also best to drop down in small increments if you are not having any luck.
Usually best to use small Owner or Quick Rig ringed circle or j hooks on the light leader in order to give you a little leeway and protection from breaking off. Baits ranging from live peanut bunker, mullet, and spot, to chunked butterfish, spearing, and sardines are the most popular baits on both the inshore and offshore grounds. Live baits should be hooked through the nose in order to preserve their lifespan out in your slick, while hooks in dead baits should be completely concealed inside the bait to help entice even the most wary yellowbirds.
When deploying your chunking spread, it is best to stagger a few baits deep with weights and balloons so they fall directly into the chunks that are falling in the water column. These reels can sit in free spool with the clicker, while you should also have a few feeder setups going as well, where you are free lining them back into the spread without weight. Simply pull line off the rod tip and make sure your line is not resulting in a tangled mess or stuck on your boats engines or bracket in the water beneath you.
Once you hook up, make sure to keep light and even pressure on the fish if you are down to 40lb or lower leader to help prevent breaking off, and wasting time. Yellowfin will tend to stick towards the surface if you do not put too much heat on them, making it easier to make a quick fight and ensuring you will have a nice piece of sushi ready at the end of the day.