Day Fishing Method 41: Tuna Fishing
Patricio (May 20)
Need a good wind.
No whales.
Black birds.
White birds or Man of War.
Tuna like to eat: Flying fish, Pati, Ngita, Masowah, Tirihan
Before the Japanese came, the only way to catch tuna was by Hamar (Method #24) or Fatun munga (Method #27). A man from an island the Japanese call Ongasawara taught the men how to sail for tuna and how to make the hooks.
Early morning and late afternoon are the best.
Tuna like to swim against the current, so you should try to sail against it.
You will catch tuna in the smooth water.
Troll 20 or 30 fathoms—20 if no wind, 30 if good wind.
Use a 4-5 foot wire leader.
There are two kinds of lures all made from Hook #6, Hapi Sehe, each kind has 3 sizes, small, medium, and large. The hook shown (#6b) is a medium.
The two kinds are: (1) those with more black than white feathers and (2) those with more white than black feathers. Use about 20 chicken feathers for one bait.
If you see flying fish, try a big lure with less black than white; if you see squid, drop medium or small, more black than white. If you see Tirihan, drop small, more black than white; if you see Pati, drop medium or small, less black than white.