Episode 9: Moreton Bay Longtail Tuna With Nabeel Issa

Nabeel’s Tips For Moreton Bay Longtail Tuna

• Fishing a hard or soft stickbait slowly through a school of tuna will often get strikes when high speed lures fail to get any attention.
• Use the birds and surface commotion to find surface feeding longtail tuna schools in Moreton Bay, then approach very slowly to avoid scaring the fish. If the fish stop busting up on the surface it can pay to keep fishing – often they are still in the area, just not right on the surface.
• Sometimes you might spend many hours searching without seeing much sign of fish, then they can turn on in an instant.

Nabeel’s Tackle For Longtail Tuna Fishing

• Nabeel is sponsored by Daiwa Australia and uses 3500 size spinning reels such as the Catalina.
• Nabeel recommends custom rod designed specifically for longtail tuna fishing. A moderately fast taper with plenty of strength in the butt but lightness in the tip will give the balance of long casting and fish-stopping ability required to subdue a longtail tuna.
• A 60lb fluorocarbon leader gives protection from the leader getting work and allows the angler to put more pressure on the fish.

Nabeel’s Longtail Tuna Lures

• Nabeel’s #1 pick is a hand made stickbait that he designed for longtail tuna fishing. It’s 30g, 110mm in length and sinks very slowly
• YoZuri Adajio Duel in flashy, light reflecting finishes.
• 5″ Zman Streaks in bubblegum colour.

Tides And Time Of Year For Longtail Fishing

• Getting the right weather is important as Moreton Bay is a wide expanse of water and gets pretty rough. If it’s really windy you can’t see the bust ups and the birds won’t be around to help find fish either.
• If possible, pick periods with plenty of tidal movement (ie around the full moon. The runout tide is best in Moreton Bay because the currents are fastest on the run out.
• Daylight hours are best and calm, sunny days are perfect.