Bwana's Guide to Chumming For Tuna (South Coast Style)

[Bwana]

I know that story all too well, Protea is like that most of the time - it gets expensive if you are trolling plastic or throwing poppers! I must say when I fished off Aliwal in July I also got punished heavily near Landers by the johnnies...

[Styx]

I've been waiting for a tut like this since I joined UA. Many thanks and have some 

[Werries]

3) Pull the hook through the  flesh and twist to face 180 degrees then position the hook gape under the  bottom of the chunk. Your leader will still be running up along the backbone  and out the thin end (top) of the chunk
 
4) Lastly twist the  hook point around and tuck into the skin on the other side of the chunk. Now  the hook is properly concealed and the shank is along the mid line of the chunk  so it acts as a keel while the chunk drifts.

Bwana, just a quick question ... isn't the circle hook's gape  supposed to be totally out of the bait for it to work as it is intended? I can understand this method with a J-hook because you strike the fish and the hook will find its way into some part of its mouth... but with circles they have to exit the mouth with the gape exposed (without striking) to find the corner of the mouth?
What is your experience around this 

[Bwana]

@Werries - That is a good question and very valid. Initially when experimenting with circle hooks I used to leave the circle hook point exposed halfway down the chunk - it looked ugly and also didn't get as many pulls as the hidden J-hook baits did (my mates still swore by the J-hooks in those days). I started inserting the point into the chunk as with the J-hooks and noticed that when the tuna grabs the chunk the force of the bite and swallowing action totally strips the chunk off the circle and you can hook up as normal by easing the drag up. I haven't noticed any change in hookups compared to J-hooks, except for the fact that you get a far more secure hookup.

[Werries]

  it makes sense !

Will try this a Vidal over Dec 

[Bwana]

I am sure it will work, especially around structure. Good luck and give some feedback!

[jaenswart]

What a great article..somehow I missed this one.
 

[Shaun17]

What a great article..somehow I missed th is one.
 

And it works...

[Adrian]

Awesome write up Mark! Thanks!

[Bwana]

Good to see you one here Adrian 

[isivuba]

Hell Yeh it works.

[Adrian]

  smaaking this forum!

[burgerzd]

  great info

[John F]

With the current YFT run here in Maps I came back to this thread and went through it very carefully.

Will surely give it a try on my next outing.

Thanks again Mark!

[Shaun17]

With the current YFT run here in Maps I came back to this thread and went through it very carefully.

Will surely give it a try on my next outing.

Thanks again Mark!

Hold tight... it works!! 

[Big Van]

Marcos I can vouch this makes tuna mad. There is nothing like having then feed right up to the boat. We had on one occasion three times five fish on at once. Luckily all fisherman was experienced and we got all 5 every time out. Those were good days. Now the sharks take most of them.