These fish are found in schools that can sometimes number in the thousands. Albacore tuna are often found on temperature breaks that can be hard to find. Anglers usually start off by trolling for these fish until they locate the schools. Fishing for schooling Albacore tuna can be very exciting. It is common to have tuna hit every single rod that is being trolled all at once. You will know when you find a school of Albacore tuna because the rods get bent over in a hurry. It is very possible to have a dozen fish on at once if you have that many rods in the water. If you don’t find the schools though, fishing will be tough.
Trolling is very important because you can cover lots of water looking for the schools of tuna. Once you find a school, chumming will keep them in the area. On the Pacific coast, chumming with live bait is key and anchovies are a preferred bait to chum with. The Atlantic coast fishermen chum with cut bait because the live bait is not as readily available. Herring, menhaden and butterfish are popular baits for chumming on the Atlantic coast. By chumming, anglers can keep the tuna close to the boat allowing them to catch fish by casting some bait out near the boat.
