Bigeye tuna facts:
The latin name for Bigeye tuna is Thunnus obesus
Bigeye tuna size: can grow up to 200 Kilograms or 400 pounds
Bigeye tuna length: can grow up to 250 cm or 8 feet
Bigeye tuna description: Bigeye tuna are large deep-bodied streamlined fish with large heads and eyes. The pectoral fins are very long, reaching back as far as the second dorsal fin. There are 13 or 14 dorsal spines.
Body colour is dark metallic blue on the back with a grey-white belly and an iridescent blue band running along each flank. The dorsal and anal fins are yellow.
Bigeye tuna fishing areas: found in the open waters of all tropical and temperate oceans,
Bigeye mature at a later age than other commercially important tuna species such as skipjack and yellowfin tuna, and the removal of large numbers of juvenile bigeye before they reach breeding age is a major concern to fisheries managers, scientists and sport fishermen.
Catching Bigeye tuna: There are a number of ways to catch Bigeye
- Chum the fish to the boat and hope to get one to eat a piece of chum drifted back with a hook in it
- Troll natural and artificial baits behind a boat.
- Drop diamond jigs down deep and jigging them up and down with long sweeps of the rod can often produce when the fish are deep and only surface briefly before retreating to the cooler deeper waters
- The most exciting method of catching tuna is casting surface popper baits
- The most efficient method is slow trolling live hardtails behind the boat