Scientific Name:
Euthynnus affinis
Fish Group:
Tuna
Salt/Fresh:
Salt
Also Known As:
Mackerel Tuna; Mac Tuna; Kawakawa; Bonito (incorrect); Little Tuna; TUNA, MACKEREL
Rating:
Countries:
Description:
Small member of the tuna family, very rarely eaten but make great bait and great fun to catch on light gear
How To Identify:
Mac Tunas are quite a stocky fish with a dark blue back and a silvery-white belly. On the top half of its side it has distinct wavy lines running down the length of its body. Powerful swimmer for its size and puts up a great fight on light gear. Normally around the 1-5 kgs range however have been know to grow as large as 14 kgs
How To Catch:
Best way to catch is by casting small slugs into feeding bait schools. However they can be quite flighty and sometime you need to 'sneak' up on them. Unlike other Tunas they do not necessarily travel in any one direction and can be quite hard to try and anticipate where they will next pop up when the sound under. Always try and 'match the hatch' and choose metal slugs the same size as that they are feeding on - quite often it is quite small baitfish. Clean fighters so you can use say a 7kg braid and a seven foot rod so you can cast quite a distance when you sneak up on them. They will also take other trolled lures such as minnows and feathers etc meant for other pelagic. When they are school around baitfish you will see them come right out of the water chasing the bait - this is often how you distinguish Mac Tuna school from say a Longtail (northern blue fin) tuna school
Where Found:
Found in coastal water and offshore islands around Australia, usually found around bait schools from about Victoria around the north of Australia to lower WA.