So much of it varies by time of year, weather and technique. It can take a minimal amount of gear to catch a few almost any day- four Mexican Flag, Pink and White or Black and Purple Zukers and a cedar plug.

To be prepared to catch numbers of fish day in, day out, regardless of changing variables, it is a lot of gear.

A variety of clones, swim baits, diving plugs, iron/jigs, cedar plugs, etc.

I would suggest finding one of these guys liquidating his gear and buy as much as you can in one used, discounted batch as possible.

 

Don't overthink it. Anything with green on it. Some of my favorite cedar plugs are mostly chewed wood with a tiny bit of the remaining dorado colors, yellow, blue, green.

The first lures I bought for this fishery were from Fisherman marine when it was still on Columbia Blvd. Four seven strand clones in green/yellow, four inches (100 millimeter), seven foot of 200# mono, with a mustad double barbless stainless tuna hook. One of those rigs still swims in my spread today.

The other rig that works all the time is the leadhead (swimbait) with a scampi tail on it. Some of us only fish that and the guy I'm thinking of boated 56 fish about 10 days ago. I dont have to ask him what he fished with it never changes.

 

I agree, don' t overthink it. Other than swimbaits, you seldom lose a lure, and the same ones can last a long, long time, as Han Solo said.

I have a free couple-page handout on recommended tuna trolling lures. Go to my website contact page ( theoceancoach.com/stuff ), check the box and I'll send it right out!

 

Done, thank you so much!

 

If there was just one lure I could use trolling for tuna, it would be the cedar plug, hands down. It consistently out catches everything else, days in and days out, bright days or overcast days, early season or late season. Everybody has their favorite colors, and has different approaches to the spread, but I don't think anyone would be caught without a few cedar plugs.

 

Plain cedar and I really like purple/black. Especially behind an Archer of the same colors.

 

Cedar plugs on Amazon. I believe there is 3 sizes. I do best with the middle one

 

Late summer swim bait fishing for jumpers.

 

One really doesn't need a ton of Gucci gear, or a giant arsenal, to catch albacore.

A selection of clones (Mexican flag and/or zucchini for sunny days, purple/black for cloudy days and low light conditions).

A selection of swim bait heads (1-2 oz for casting, 3 oz for trolling) and swim bait bodies of your choice (baja chovy color is a good one, or the blue commercial scampi that Englunds carries). If you need to get down deeper, some 12 oz torpedo weights rigged w/ swivels can help the swimbaits get down further.

A handful of cedar plugs in natural, purple/black, and blue/silver).

And that's it... you can catch plenty of fish with just those things.

I love working iron, but it gets expensive fast (jigs that go for $15-20 a pop, specialized rods and reels). I have an $$$$ arsenal of Rapala X-raps that look sexy but will knit a sweater if you look at them funny. Divers, birdies, Archer bars, etc.. They all work and have their place, but if one want a simple and inexpensive albacore lure kit you could fully rig a boat for under $200 and catch plenty of fish without them.

 

For trolling I’d make sure you don’t think like salmon with tons of variety and colors.

I reworked my trolling gear over the winter and have had more consistent fishing than the past few years even on a day when everyone wasn’t loading up their boats with ease.

6-10 each- Zucchini , Mexican flag and black/purple in size 6-7” and 4”. If I had to pick one it would be zucchini.

Add some anchovy colored swimbaits and you can cast and troll.

 

An honest reply would entail 4 colors. In 2 different sizes.
6" and 4.5".
#1. Mexican flag. 90% of the time we're starting on overcast mornings.
sun comes out, I'm going zucchini.
Purple/black if it's tough. Overcast.
pink/white on sunny days if zucchini's don't work.
that's it. No more. I land more than enough.
I'm so in love with Zucchini it's stupid
I literally have zero other colors in clones. Granted, my colors vary with swim baits and lipped rapalas. It takes a slow day for me to vary those colors.

 

An honest reply would entail 4 colors. In 2 different sizes.
6" and 4.5".
#1. Mexican flag. 90% of the time we're starting on overcast mornings.
sun comes out, I'm going zucchini.
Purple/black if it's tough. Overcast.
pink/white on sunny days if zucchini's don't work.
that's it. No more. I land more than enough.
I'm so in love with Zucchini it's stupid
I literally have zero other colors in clones. Granted, my colors vary with swim baits and lipped rapalas. It takes a slow day for me to vary those colors.

All I run is mexican and zucchini and cedar

 

I'm still fishing 4" zuchinni clone feathers made by Sevenstrand. They don't make them anymore. Some are old enough to have vinyl that turned grey and have only a shred of orange feather left. They still fish. I would buy more if I could find them.

Go small on clones until the part of the year when you see jumpers and lots of surface bait and you will slay.

 

Stop. Back up. Step away from the tuna gear. Do not pass go. Nothing good will come of transitioning to the dark side. Nobody pays attention to these warnings. Just start smoking crack. It’s cheaper and easier.

 

purple and black cedar plug behind a bird 25' straight behind the engine catches a lot of our fish.

bird on amazon

green or blue commercial scampis on 2 oz jig heads catch a lot too - as do the pink and mexi clones on the side splashers.

side splashers

have fun. hard not to.

 

We've caught 90% of our fish so far this year on 6" white/silver Zuker clones and 4" white/silver Williamson clones. Does white count as a color. Of course, when white started getting the most bites we switched to mostly white. That might explain some of it.

 

This year has been 45% zucchini clone, 45% purple/black cedar plug, 10% everything else.

 

These “how to catch tuna” threads always go the same way. The truth lies in reading between the lines. The many very different preferences mean that the fish are abundant and easy to catch. Everything works. Don’t overthink it

 

Only one comment: If you don't have some plain wood cedar plugs, you're missing the most productive overall pelagic lure. I often put 4-6 of them in my first "set" of six lines.
J.

 

Has anyone noticed less bites with feather clones?

 

Speed jigging a flat side under IQF....

 

In my experience the busier you are whacking and stacking the less scientific you become. If you are not catching many then you start to analyze and over analyze. Tails slapping on the radio is known to greatly increase the scientific discussion on the boats that are not stacking.

Find the fish is the key. They are stupid easy to catch once you do find them. I worry a lot about where to fish. Not so much about what I am dragging. It always works. The millions of dollars in orbiting hardware is your friend. Use the satellites and land right on em most of the time. Listen to your mates out there and they will bring you in when the fish are found. They know you will do the same.

 

Zuker zucchini and clear cedar plugs for sunny days, zuker black/purple with black/purple cedar plugs for overcast days. More jigging gear than your wife will allow, that is the part that will drain your bank account. Personal favorite is the pink/silver 140g flat fall butterfly jig from shimano.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

 

Little 1 oz Pt Wilson Darts used to be a lot of fun when the fish weren't deep. One of their chovy patterns looks like the real thing.

 

6 Mexican flags, 6 black n prurple, 6 zucchini, 3 blue n white, 3 pink or your fav color, 6 swim bait, 6 metal jigs, lots of ice and a big fuel card.