Species 03. Thunnus thynnus
Bluefin tuna fishing in the Canary Islands
The hardest-pulling fish in this ocean and the most regulated. The spring run through the archipelago is short, intense and different every year, which is exactly why we track it rather than wait for it.
Overview
Atlantic bluefin is a warm-blooded, high-speed predator that crosses oceans. It holds a body temperature above the surrounding water, which lets it hunt in cold depths and then return to the surface, and which is why it fights the way it does.
The fish that pass the Canaries in spring are on migration. They are not resident, they do not behave the same way two years running, and their route responds to water temperature and bait far more than to the calendar.
This is the species where our method earns its keep. A tuna run can be twenty miles from where it was last season.
Regulated species. We explain the current regime honestly before you book.
Where
Where the run passes
Bluefin move along temperature and bait, using deep channels between islands as corridors. The passages where deep water squeezes between land are the places worth watching when the run is on.
Because it is a migration and not a resident population, the productive water changes within the season: sometimes within the week. We would rather move island than fish yesterday’s spot.
Best islands for this species
How we fish it
How we fish it
Live bait, presented where the current concentrates food. Bluefin are selective in clear water and will refuse a bait that swims wrong or a leader they can see, so the rig gets lighter than most people expect for a fish this size.
When the fish are deep we work vertically; when they show on the surface the approach changes completely and the boat has to be handled so as not to push the school down.
The fight is long and it is physical. On a big fish, expect to work.
Fishing Intelligence
Why the migration is the whole problem
A bluefin concentration can behave completely differently the following year. Populations shift; the distribution of a species can change from one season to the next. That is not a detail: it is the central difficulty of fishing this species.
So we treat historical records as hypotheses, never as certainties, and we cross them with this week’s temperature, currents and productivity before deciding where to start.
Questions
About bluefin tuna
Can I keep a bluefin?
Bluefin is governed by ICCAT quota and the regime changes with the season and the authorisation in force. We will tell you exactly where things stand for your dates before you book. In many cases we work catch and release.
How hard is the fight, really?
Hard. A 150 kg bluefin on the right tackle is a serious physical effort and can take a long time. If anyone in the group has back or shoulder problems, tell us in advance and we will plan around it.
Why can you not promise the same spot as last year?
Because the fish do not. Migration routes shift with water conditions. Anyone quoting you a fixed bluefin spot is describing last season, not this one.
We don't wait for the fish. We follow them.
Book a bluefin day
Send us your dates and the species you are after. We will tell you honestly what the ocean is likely to be doing.