Yellowfin Tuna
What Charter Fishes For Them:
When is best:
Yellowfin, like their smaller cousin the Blackfin, can be caught at any time off the Florida Keys but
are most abundant in fall and winter.
About these fish:
The Yellowfin Tuna is very sought after by sport fishermen because of their size, strength, and
well, their tastiness.
Weighing from 40 to over 200 pounds, these battlers test angler and tackle alike. Pound for
pound, this may be the hardest fighting fish in the ocean. These are exciting and rewarding
sportfish.
Physical Description:
Yellowfin tuna have a muscular, streamlined body like a swimming torpedo and like all tuna they
can swim fast as lightning. A tuna's color is dark blue to black on the back and tail fin, yellow and
silver on the side and belly. The second dorsal and anal fins are yellow and very long in older
fish. Finlets run down the back and belly from these two fins to the tail fin and are a bright, canary
yellow with black edges.
Range:
Yellowfin tuna are found worldwide in tropical and some subtropical waters. These bodies of
water include all three warm oceans Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and all warm seas
except the Mediterranean.
Feeding Habits:
Various baitfish, crustaceans and squids make up the bulk of their diet. They will hit chunks of
cut up fish, (called chunking). Drift near a school, cut up your bait fish into halves and use for
chumming while you place a fish head or half a fish on your hook. Toss out your line, no lead,
and work it back into the chum pieces you throw over the side. A tune may hit the bait right near
the surface. The feed most often at or near the surface and are often active at night.
Sporting Qualities:
Yellowfin tuna are considered an excellent food and sport fish and are highly sought after by
anglers and commercial fishermen alike. After hitting a lure or bait, they often go deep and will
fight with great power and tenacity.
Trolling is the most popular method for catching yellowfin tuna. Trolling is so effective because
these fish hang out in huge schools. You have to cover lots of water to find these schools. Once
you hook a fish, it gets very exciting. Anglers usually stop trolling and get out the chum lines. On
the Atlantic coast, chunks of butterfish and menhaden are used for chum. On the Pacific coast,
live anchovies and sardines are the preferred bait for chumming. As the trolled fish are brought
aboard, anglers typically use anchovies, butterfish and squid to start catching yellowfin tuna.
The action is very fast once you have located the school of tuna. Some anglers continue to troll
instead of using chum lines. When you troll through a school, it’s possible to have a fish on
every trolled rod at once. It’s so exciting that some fishermen don’t even bother to stop and
chum. They will troll through the school until the fish stop feeding. Both methods work. It just
depends on your personal preference. Yellowfin tuna taste excellent and the meat holds its
flavor well while frozen.
What Charter Fishes For Them:
- Deep Sea Fishing
When is best:
Yellowfin, like their smaller cousin the Blackfin, can be caught at any time off the Florida Keys but
are most abundant in fall and winter.
About these fish:
The Yellowfin Tuna is very sought after by sport fishermen because of their size, strength, and
well, their tastiness.
Weighing from 40 to over 200 pounds, these battlers test angler and tackle alike. Pound for
pound, this may be the hardest fighting fish in the ocean. These are exciting and rewarding
sportfish.
Physical Description:
Yellowfin tuna have a muscular, streamlined body like a swimming torpedo and like all tuna they
can swim fast as lightning. A tuna's color is dark blue to black on the back and tail fin, yellow and
silver on the side and belly. The second dorsal and anal fins are yellow and very long in older
fish. Finlets run down the back and belly from these two fins to the tail fin and are a bright, canary
yellow with black edges.
Range:
Yellowfin tuna are found worldwide in tropical and some subtropical waters. These bodies of
water include all three warm oceans Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and all warm seas
except the Mediterranean.
Feeding Habits:
Various baitfish, crustaceans and squids make up the bulk of their diet. They will hit chunks of
cut up fish, (called chunking). Drift near a school, cut up your bait fish into halves and use for
chumming while you place a fish head or half a fish on your hook. Toss out your line, no lead,
and work it back into the chum pieces you throw over the side. A tune may hit the bait right near
the surface. The feed most often at or near the surface and are often active at night.
Sporting Qualities:
Yellowfin tuna are considered an excellent food and sport fish and are highly sought after by
anglers and commercial fishermen alike. After hitting a lure or bait, they often go deep and will
fight with great power and tenacity.
Trolling is the most popular method for catching yellowfin tuna. Trolling is so effective because
these fish hang out in huge schools. You have to cover lots of water to find these schools. Once
you hook a fish, it gets very exciting. Anglers usually stop trolling and get out the chum lines. On
the Atlantic coast, chunks of butterfish and menhaden are used for chum. On the Pacific coast,
live anchovies and sardines are the preferred bait for chumming. As the trolled fish are brought
aboard, anglers typically use anchovies, butterfish and squid to start catching yellowfin tuna.
The action is very fast once you have located the school of tuna. Some anglers continue to troll
instead of using chum lines. When you troll through a school, it’s possible to have a fish on
every trolled rod at once. It’s so exciting that some fishermen don’t even bother to stop and
chum. They will troll through the school until the fish stop feeding. Both methods work. It just
depends on your personal preference. Yellowfin tuna taste excellent and the meat holds its
flavor well while frozen.
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Florida Keys Fish |
All About Florida Keys Fishing & Key West Fishing
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Florida Keys Fish
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Yellowfin Regs In order to land yellowfin tuna in Florida, U.S. federal and even international waters, your vessel must possess a Highly Migratory Species angling permit, available from the National Marine Fisheries Service. Cost is $28 for the annual vessel permit; www.nmfspermits.com or call (888) 872-8862. This permit is also required for landing skipjack tuna, bluefin tuna, big-eye tuna, albacore, swordfish, marlins, sailfish and certain pelagic sharks. Daily bag limit for yellowfin tuna is 3 per person; minimum size is 27 inches curved fork length. A flexible measuring tape is stretched from the tip of the snout, over the pectoral fin insertion point and tight along the curved flank to the fork of the tail. There is no phone reporting requirement for landings of yellowfin tuna, as there is for bluefin, swordfish and billfish. In addition to the HMS permit, U.S. anglers fishing Bahamas waters need to possess a Bahamas vessel cruising and fishing permit, available at Port of Entry. Valid for two entries within a 90-day period, the permit is $150 for vessels up to 35 feet; $350 for those larger (cost goes up if more than 4 persons are aboard). Yellowfin tuna limit there is 6 per vessel (this figure includes the aggregate count of all pelagic species, including wahoo, dolphin and kingfish). |
On this site, you'll learn about Florida Keys Fishing,
Florida Keys Fish, Florida Keys Fishing Charters,
Dolphin Fishing, Swordfishing, Florida Keys Fishing
Guides, Florida Keys Offshore Fishing, Florida Keys
Deep Sea Fishing, Florida Keys Flats Fishing,
Florida Keys Back Country Fishing, Tarpon Fishing,
Bonefishing, Fly Fishing, Reef Fishing, Wreck
Fishing, Bridge Fishing, Deep Drop Fishing,
Lobstering, Stone Crabbing, Shrimping,
Spearfishing, Fishing Regulations and much more!
Florida Keys Fish, Florida Keys Fishing Charters,
Dolphin Fishing, Swordfishing, Florida Keys Fishing
Guides, Florida Keys Offshore Fishing, Florida Keys
Deep Sea Fishing, Florida Keys Flats Fishing,
Florida Keys Back Country Fishing, Tarpon Fishing,
Bonefishing, Fly Fishing, Reef Fishing, Wreck
Fishing, Bridge Fishing, Deep Drop Fishing,
Lobstering, Stone Crabbing, Shrimping,
Spearfishing, Fishing Regulations and much more!