DESCRIPTION OF FISH AND BEST TIMES TO CATCH
YELLOWFIN TUNA
Also known as Allison Tuna and Ahi (Hawaii) The caudal fin of the yellowfin tuna is distinctly notched in an "M" chape at the centre of its fork. Behind the seconddorsal fin and the anal fin, the body profile of the yellowfin tuna is somewhat flat. The ventral surface of the liver is smooth and the right lobe is longer than the central lobe.
Yellowfin tuna adults are distinguished by having a moderately long pectoral fin that is one third to one quarter the body fork length. In juveniles there are about 20 broken pale lines crossing the lower sides. In large fish, the second dorsal and anal fins may be exceedingly elongated and bright yellow. Yellowfin tuna less than 75cm fork length (10kg whole weight) may be difficult to distinguish from small bigeye tuna. A beautiful and colourful tuna. Blue to steel black above, silver to silvery gold on the flanks, silvery white below. In fresh fish a band of bright gold or iridescent blue (sometimes both) runs along the upper flank, separating the dark back from the lighter belly area. The stomach area sometimes carries oval, colourless patches and vague broken vertical bars of white. These are more obvious in juveniles. The yellowfins fins are bright yellow. The finlets, in particular are canary yellow with black margins. Yellowfin tunas are one of the most abundant fish found in the Northern Canyons that we call home off of New Jersey which include Block, The Dip, Hudson, Toms, Carteret, Lindencole, Spencer, Wilmington, Baltimore, Poormans, and Washington Canyons. These fish travel in large schools and are often caught in great numbers. When trolling, multiple hook ups from 3 to 10 fish are the rule rather than the exception. Peak periods for yellowfin tuna are May through November. Yellowfin tunas range in size from 15 to 225 lbs off of the New Jersey Coast and we usually encounter the first yellowfin of the season on the troll in May. These fish primarily range from 25-60 pounds. By the middle of August, the yellow settle in and we begin chunking at night and usually find the majority of our quarry ranging from 40-80 pounds. The largest Yellowfin to date on the Canyon Runner weighed in at 237 pounds. The most Yellowfin caught (with many released) in one trip - 72 Chunking and 52 Trolling. |
BIG-EYE TUNA
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BLUEFIN TUNA
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ALBACORE
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BLUE MARLIN
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WHITE MARLIN
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SWORDFISH
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