What would be an ideal size of lure for blackfin. Would you be able to use a mirro-popper, or would it just break? There is a whole bunch of YFT lures but I would thing most of them are too big? If I stuck to lures less then 4oz and under 8" would I be ok?

Blackfin tuna will hit anything. I've caught tiny little blackfin tuna on giant 125g poppers that were 8-10" long. Generally speaking, if they're there, they'll hit anything you'll throw at them. A 5lb blackfin will try to eat a popper as big as his face.

Agree. Throw whatever for BkFT. Two things to consider. I don't want to throw my high dollar baits when primarily getting BkFT because loosing one to small, numerous tuna seems to hurt more and the cheaper lures do just as well. However, you still want a sufficient heavy-duty bait because a YFT may always pick it up.

A Blackfin Tuna fights really hard for a small fish.. they will pull the hook hangers off a mirror popper. Get you som Bass Pro Shops / Off Shore Anlger Lazer Eye poppers. Change the hooks and upgrade the split rimgs with Owner 4X stinger trbles and #10 Rosco split rings. Go rigged for bear because you cant pick what size fish eats your bait 50# class rod and reel just in case a 100# YFt likes your bait.

http://www.basspro.com/Offshore-Angler-L...204594/-1658087

http://www.basspro.com/Offshore-Angler-L...t/30704/-901705

I would also whole heartly recomend the Maguroni sub surface baits because some times even the Black fin will not hit a topwater.

http://www.maguroni.com/

Have fun!

the big advantage for a maguroni seems to be the glow belly, I can add a better glow to a sinking yozuri, would they stand up to a beating.

The yo-zuri crystal minnow magnum will hold up to the task,
but you will still need to upgrade the hooks & rings.
for this lure I recommend Owner st-66 treble in 1/0, or
seargant decoy singles in 5/0. Owner 200# split rings size 8.
this will give you a great casting plug that will hold up to a YFT, but for the same $$, just get some rigged maguroni's!
I'm sure you've seen the reviews, but if not,
http://www.saltyheads.com/video/the-long-awaited-maguroni-tuna

tight lines!
-Brian

The sinking yozuri is much lighter than Maguroni. So it will not cast as far as Maguroni.

agreed, but most night time tuna bites you don't really need distance, you just need to get it to the edge of the lights
which is roughly 30 yds.
I have some Yo-zuri's that have done well out there, but
comparing price points, the Maguroni is a better deal & more versatile.

Charlie ....

When I first started getting interested in throwing topwaters a few years ago I bought several different Laser Eye topwaters in different patterns. I upgraded the hooks and rings. And over time never really took them out of the lure box. Well, on a trip last year I finally decided to toss some of them. Subsequently on two casts I would hook fight and lose two 100+ YFT after long battles when each of them got under the boat.

You never know.


Bobby

I really like the BPS poppers with upgraded hooks.

There are not many lures out there with acceptable stock hooks. If the owners are too expensive, an alternative are the VMC 4X trebles, which are around $12 for 25hooks. Not as good as the owners for sure, but far better than all the other less expensive hooks IMO>

Gamakatsu 16 trebble hooks. Pretty much the same hook as the Owner ST66, but half the price. Far superior to the VMC 4X hooks.

Great info for sure, but how many 100# YFT are caught off Falcon? Last trip there we where pretty heavy into 20#BFT but no YFT.

Yellow Fin are at the deep rigs any time any where and you never know when they will bite. I can just about promise you if you go under gunned it will happen, but it's your dice so you gotta roll'em as you see fit.

If you want to bring them up try chopping some of the Black fin into 1" chunks and chum them every 5 minutes. It will bring the YFT to the surface in most cases.

Happy Holidays Yall!

Any one ever use the big 3 1/2oz rat-l-traps?

I have heard of them being used, but I don't believe they are thru-wired.

The 1 1/2 oz super rat-l-trap i got the other day was thru-wired and 3 1/2 oz are made for big off-shore fish, so i would think that they are. I guess everyone keeps on missing that this is 24 hour trip for blackfin. To be honest I have never been spooled or had a lure broken in half and if it happens once i figure i at least got a little story out of it. I am new to saltwater fishing though and very much appreciate all the help from everyone.

No, those with experience know how heartbreaking it is for a newbie on a "BkFT trip" to hook up with a YFT and have the lure come apart or hooks bend. Most YFT lost are close to gaff, so looking at that thing and seeing the lure fail is about as sick a feeling as you can get. Especially after an hour battle. And it always happens. For some reason its usually the guy on his first trip that hooks into a YFT on a BkFT trip.

It doesn't cost that much more, all things considered, to get lures rigged appropriately to stand up to the occasional YFT that gets hooked up. That is why I recommended the VMC 4x trebles. They are very inexpensive (around $10 for box of 25) and give you a good shot at landing YFT. Same with Spro 150# split rings, at around same price (maybe little more) for 50 pack.

Also, I have seen nice size BkFT destroy lures. Don't forget the BkFT you get on the top of water column are often much larger than the deepwater ones.

If you are new to this, you will feel much better with the story of the big one in your pic than the big one that bent your hook.

If you get above and re-rig reasonably prices but thru wired baits, you significantly increase your odds without much in costs.

Our last YFT trip, I got most of my tuna, inlcuding some big BkFT, on a $3 lure with about $1 in upgraded hooks and rings. You don't have to spent much, but you do want to get the right bait.