Species 04. Thunnus albacares
Yellowfin tuna fishing in the Canary Islands
The tuna that shows itself. Yellowfin hunt near the surface in schools, often under working birds, and they will take a lure at speed, which makes them the most visual tuna fishing available here.
Overview
In the Canaries this fish is called rabil, and the big ones have their own name: astrudos: specimens with enormous yellow fins and an extraordinary capacity to fight. Those are what sport anglers come for, and they show up mainly in the colder months.
Size changes a great deal through the year. Summer brings juveniles of 5 to 20 kg. Later in the season, fish of 30 to 60 kg. And in certain winter windows, astrudos of 100 kg or more.
Unlike the bluefin, it is not primarily a migration fish for us: it is present through the warm months and feeds actively near the surface, which changes how we look for it entirely.
Where
Where to look
Yellowfin follow bait, and bait shows on the surface. Birds are the single most useful indicator we have: terns and shearwaters working a patch of water usually mean small bait being pushed up from below.
Beyond that, they favour the same productive edges as the rest, but they move fast and a school can be gone in minutes.
Best islands for this species
How we fish it
How we fish it
Trolling covers water and finds the school. Once we are on fish, casting into the boil is far more productive, and far more fun.
Approach matters more than tackle: run the boat into a feeding school badly and it goes down, and it does not come back up in the same place.
Fishing Intelligence
Conditions we look for
Warm, productive water with visible bait. Where chlorophyll and temperature suggest a food chain is working, yellowfin are usually not far behind.
Questions
About yellowfin
Is it good to eat?
Yes, and unlike blue marlin this is a species we may keep within sensible limits. We agree that with you on the day.
How does it compare to bluefin?
Faster and more acrobatic, but far less brutal. A yellowfin fight is measured in minutes, not in a long grind.
We don't wait for the fish. We follow them.
Book a yellowfin day
Send us your dates and the species you are after. We will tell you honestly what the ocean is likely to be doing.