Despite the solid marlin bite, both of today’s groups elected to target yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and also to spend some time jigging for pargo, African pompano, and some of the many other hard fighting species found on the hard bottom around the islands and out at the banks.
Yellowfin Tuna
Paul Michele – Brian Stensland – Shaun Ruge
I had the privilege of spending the day with Paul Michele, Brain Stensland, and Shaun Ruge. We got off to as great start and scored a couple of big yellowfin tuna on poppers.
We tried to “run and gun” but it wasn’t working well enough. The fish were too scattered and they were not on top long enough to get a cast into them. Finally we stopped and just let the boat drift under a pile of high flying frigate birds and got our first two of them to the boat. Because the bite was inconsistent, we elected to jig. That was not productive and we switched over to trolling for Wahoo. The amazing thing about all of this is that it all happens in the same area. We had two Wahoo hits, but did not hook any. We switched back to yellowfin tuna and finally got into a nearly hour long blitz and everyone boated fish. The largest were in the 70lb class. On our way back we stopped for some additional jigging and added nice AJ, an African Pompano, and another yellowfin tuna to our tally. Click here for our recommended tuna tackle for tuna plugging.
Wahoo
The other group with Jon Ginsburg, Tom Palmisano, and Mike Pelligra were led by Pete Santini and they had the same early struggles we did. However, the scored a nice Wahoo on the troll that was estimated over 50lbs. Wahoo trolling is all about speed. The most effective presentations require speeds in excess of 8 knots. Deep diving Yo-Zuri bonitos are a great choice as well as any deep diving swimmer that still tracks well at high speeds. Eventually this group also got into the yellowfin tuna. At one point Jon Ginsburg had a big snapper stolen away by a sea lion (it happens).
We expect another big day tomorrow…
Learn more about travel and fishing in the Galapagos at Sportfish Galapagos
Triple Header – Yellowfin Tuna (Video)
All three anglers are hooked up in the video below. All the splashes in the distance are busting fish. Paul is using my Penn Torque TRQs7 and throwing a Yo-Zuri popper. Brian and Sean caught their fish on Guides Choice M-80 poppers.
Frequently Asked Questions
The fishing trips targeted yellowfin tuna, wahoo, pargo, African pompano, and several other hard-fighting species found on the hard bottom around the islands and banks. These species offer a diverse and exciting fishing experience.
Yellowfin tuna were initially targeted using poppers while running and gunning, but because the fish were scattered, the group switched to drifting under birds and jigging. Jigging was not very productive, so they eventually returned to trolling and had an hour-long successful blitz, catching specimens up to 70 pounds.
Wahoo trolling requires speeds exceeding 8 knots to be effective. Deep diving Yo-Zuri bonitos and other deep diving swimmers that track well at high speeds are recommended lures. Maintaining high trolling speeds is crucial to hook Wahoo successfully, as demonstrated by the group that landed a Wahoo estimated over 50 pounds.
Anglers faced inconsistent bites and scattered schools of yellowfin tuna making casts difficult. Jigging was also largely unproductive initially. For Wahoo, hooking was difficult despite multiple hits, highlighting the challenge of landing fast and aggressive species. Additionally, there was an instance of a sea lion stealing a big snapper during the session.
During additional jigging, anglers caught nice African pompano, a big jack (AJ), and another yellowfin tuna. This added variety to their catch beyond the primary targets of tuna and Wahoo.
For yellowfin tuna, using poppers such as the Yo-Zuri popper and Guides Choice M-80 poppers were effective. The Penn Torque TRQs7 rod was used successfully by anglers during popper fishing, showcasing recommended tackle for tuna plugging.
Frigate birds often indicate where baitfish and predatory fish like yellowfin tuna are feeding. The anglers capitalized on this by drifting under piles of high-flying frigate birds to find tuna, which helped improve their catch despite earlier difficulties.
