Species
Southern Bluefin Tuna
Thunnus maccoyii
Tier 2Eating10/10heavy tackleEndangeredNSWVICSAWATAS
20 waypoints~80–180 cm typical
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Range & spots
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Overview: about southern bluefin tuna
Heavyweight pelagic prized off SA, VIC, southern NSW and TAS, mainly through autumn and winter. Targeted trolling skirts and divers in current lines and on the shelf — when they boil on bait schools, casting stickbaits is electric. Subject to strict bag and tag rules in some states.
Biology: Southern Bluefin Tuna size, diet & habitat
- Habitat
- Offshore, Pelagic
- Typical size
- 80–180 cm (max 245 cm)
- Weight
- 15–100 kg (max 200 kg)
- Depth range
- 0–500 m
- Diet
- pilchards, krill, squid, redbait
- Most active
- diurnal
- Global range
- Southern Hemisphere temperate oceans (southern bluefin Thunnus maccoyii)
How to target: Southern Bluefin Tuna angling strategies
Generally fished with heavy tackle — match gear to the conditions and the size of fish you expect.
- trolling Christmas-tree daisy chains and small skirts on the shelf at 6-8 knots
- cubing pilchards on a slow drift over current breaks off Portland and Eden
- casting stick baits and 80g metals into surface boil-ups
- deep jigging on shelf bait schools
Best season: when to catch southern bluefin tuna in Australia
- NSW
- May-Sep (Eden)
- VIC
- Apr-Aug (Portland/Apollo Bay)
- SA
- Jan-Jul (Port MacDonnell)
- TAS
- Apr-Jul (east coast)
Seasons shift with water temperature and local conditions, so check recent reports before a trip.
Where to catch: southern bluefin tuna fishing spots in Australia
20 mapped fishing spots, marks and waypoints for southern bluefin tuna across Australia, covering land-based fishing, rock fishing, estuary fishing and offshore and bluewater fishing. Each location below links through to access notes and coordinates.