How to catch Skipjack tuna
Katsuwonus pelamis (Linnaeus, 1758)
About Skipjack tuna fishing
The skipjack tuna is a streamlined pelagic fish belonging to the mackerel and tuna family Scombridae, representing the sole member of its genus. It features a robust fusiform body with dark purplish blue upper sides, silvery lower flanks marked by distinctive dark longitudinal stripes, and lacks scales except for a corselet and lateral line. Known to reach maximum lengths of one hundred and ten centimetres and weights up to thirty four kilograms, this oceanic sprinter inhabits warm epipelagic waters down to two hundred and sixty metres. Highly migratory and strictly schooling, it feeds ravenously on small fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods while serving as an essential prey base for larger marine predators. Its tremendous muscle mass percentage dedicated to swimming fuels continuous high-speed movement across open seas, making it a globally significant commercial and game species.
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Difficulty
Medium
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Average size
80 cm FL
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Market value
High
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Habitat
Saltwater
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Season
Spring, Summer, Autumn
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Also known as
Aku, Arctic bonito, Atlantic bonito, Atu, Banjo, Barriolet
Forked Caudal Fin
Deeply forked tail fin designed for powerful continuous swimming.
Horizontal Stripes
Prominent dark longitudinal bands along the lower belly identify the skipjack tuna.
Skipjack tuna fishing facts
Characteristics
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Typical size
80 cm FL (max 110 cm FL ) -
Typical weight
5 kg (max 34.5 kg ) -
Preferred temperature
13.3–29 °C -
Depth
0–260 m -
Longevity
12 years -
Body shape
Fusiform / Normal -
Commercial?
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Vulnerability score
38.1
Best hours
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Peak
Dawn
First light
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Peak
Morning
After sunrise
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Low
Midday
High sun
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Active
Afternoon
Late day
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Active
Dusk
Last light
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Low
Night
After dark
When to fish for Skipjack tuna
How to catch Skipjack tuna
Tips for catching Skipjack tuna
Locate fast-moving surface shoals near offshore current breaks, floating debris, or seabird activity during early morning or late afternoon hours when feeding intensity peaks. Deploy medium-heavy spinning or trolling outfits equipped with small feathered jigs, spoons, or bibless minnows pulled at brisk speeds well behind the boat wake. When fish are holding deeper or actively busting surface waters, casting small metal jigs or presenting live baitfish near the school edge triggers immediate strikes from these aggressive visual hunters.
Other names for Skipjack tuna
Local and alternate names anglers use for Skipjack tuna.
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Oceanic bonito
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Ocean bonito
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Skipjack
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Bonito
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Barriolet
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Banjo
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Atu
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Atlantic bonito
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Oceanic skipjack
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Mushmouth
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Club mackerel
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Lesser tunny
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Skipjack tuna
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Striped tuna
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Striped bonito
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Striped bellied tunny
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Skiy jack
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Striped tunny
Best equipment to catch Skipjack tuna
Compare fishing methods for Skipjack tuna — sized kit for each technique.
Note: Typical fish is 5 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.
Trolling
Drawing lures or baits behind a moving boat.
95% Effectiveness
Rod
Trolling rod
A trolling rod is built to sit in a holder and pull a lure or bait at speed. Moderate action so the rod, not the reel, plays the fish.
Sized for a typical fish
medium-heavy · 2.13 m
- Reel seat
- Casting
- Form factor
- One-piece
- Action
- Moderate
- Grip
- EVA
Reel
Trolling reel
A trolling reel is the dedicated lever-drag fishing reel for pulling lures behind a boat, often in a holder all day.
Sized for a typical fish
20 · 15 kg drag
- Spool
- Revolving
- Mount
- Over
- Drag
- Lever
- Retrieve
- Manual
Line
Braided line
Braided fishing line is the thin, no-stretch main for long casts, jigging, and feeling every tick on the retrieve.
Sized for a typical fish
12 kg · 0.18 mm
- Visibility
- High
- Abrasion
- Low
- Stretch
- None
- Sink rate
- Floats
Leader
Fluorocarbon leader
A fluorocarbon leader is the clear, fast-sinking join between a visible main line and the lure or hook.
Sized for a typical fish
12 kg · 0.4 mm · 120 cm
- Visibility
- Very low
- Abrasion
- High
- Stretch
- Low
- Sink rate
- Fast
Spinning
Casting and retrieving lures with a spinning rod and reel.
85% Effectiveness
Rod
Spinning rod
A spinning rod is a fishing rod built to carry a spinning reel under the blank. You cast lures and light baits with it from shore or a boat.
Sized for a typical fish
medium-heavy · 3 m
- Reel seat
- Spinning
- Form factor
- Multi-piece
- Action
- Fast
- Grip
- EVA
Reel
Spinning reel
A spinning reel hangs under the fishing rod and is the default reel for casting lures and light baits. Line peels off an open spool with a bail.
Sized for a typical fish
2500 · 5 kg drag · 220 g
- Spool
- Fixed
- Mount
- Under
- Drag
- Front
- Retrieve
- Manual
Line
Braided line
Braided fishing line is the thin, no-stretch main for long casts, jigging, and feeling every tick on the retrieve.
Sized for a typical fish
12 kg · 0.18 mm
- Visibility
- High
- Abrasion
- Low
- Stretch
- None
- Sink rate
- Floats
Leader
Fluorocarbon leader
A fluorocarbon leader is the clear, fast-sinking join between a visible main line and the lure or hook.
Sized for a typical fish
12 kg · 0.4 mm · 120 cm
- Visibility
- Very low
- Abrasion
- High
- Stretch
- Low
- Sink rate
- Fast
Live Baiting
Fishing a live baitfish or live invertebrate as the primary presentation.
75% Effectiveness
Rod
Spinning rod
A spinning rod is a fishing rod built to carry a spinning reel under the blank. You cast lures and light baits with it from shore or a boat.
Sized for a typical fish
heavy · 2.13 m
- Reel seat
- Spinning
- Form factor
- Multi-piece
- Action
- Fast
- Grip
- EVA
Reel
Spinning reel
A spinning reel hangs under the fishing rod and is the default reel for casting lures and light baits. Line peels off an open spool with a bail.
Sized for a typical fish
4000 · 8 kg drag · 275 g
- Spool
- Fixed
- Mount
- Under
- Drag
- Front
- Retrieve
- Manual
Line
Monofilament line
Monofilament fishing line is the everyday main line: easy to knot, cheap to replace, and stretchy enough to forgive a hard strike.
Sized for a typical fish
19 kg · 0.505 mm
- Visibility
- Medium
- Abrasion
- Medium
- Stretch
- High
- Sink rate
- Slow
Leader
Fluorocarbon leader
A fluorocarbon leader is the clear, fast-sinking join between a visible main line and the lure or hook.
Sized for a typical fish
36.3 kg · 0.847 mm · 150 cm
- Visibility
- Very low
- Abrasion
- High
- Stretch
- Low
- Sink rate
- Fast
Hook
Circle hook
A circle hook turns in the mouth and usually finds the corner of the jaw. You do not strike hard — you come tight. It includes freshwater.
Sized for a typical fish
3/0
- Points
- 1
- Offset
- No
- Barbed
- Yes
- Gap
- Standard
Best lures and baits for Skipjack tuna
Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.
01
Spoon
- Trolling
- Spinning
A metal flutter bait for spinning, trolling, and ice.
02
Sardine
- Trolling
Elongated silvery baitfish body releases strong scent trails.
03
Metal jig
- Spinning
A long metal lure for speed-jigging the deep column.
04
Live baitfish
- Live Baiting
Elongated segmented worm body provides natural movement to attract fish.
How Skipjack tuna migrates — Oceanodromous
Migrates within the sea between spawning, nursery and feeding grounds, and never enters fresh water. Follow its seasonal shifts along the coast and offshore.
1 Eggs
Spawning grounds
Laid on the spawning grounds.
2 Larvae
→ Nursery grounds
Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds.
3 Juveniles
Nursery grounds
Grow up in sheltered nursery waters.
4 Adults
Feeding grounds
Range widely over the feeding grounds.
5 Spawners
→ Spawning grounds
Return to the spawning grounds each season.
It stays in the sea and never runs up into fresh water.
Hover or tap a number to read each stage.
Diet and behavior of Skipjack tuna
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Diet
Top predator -
Feeds by
Hunts animals -
Hunts
Dawn · Morning -
Social
Shoaling -
Main prey
Baitfish
Prey and predators of Skipjack tuna
Prey is what Skipjack tuna eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.
That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.
Prey
What it eats
Predators
What hunts it
Where Skipjack tuna lives
Pelagic in the open ocean beyond the shelf break.
0–260 m
Where this species lives
Skipjack tuna photos for identification
Compare these photos with the catalog plate to identify the species.
Where to fish for Skipjack tuna
Mapped fishing spots where Skipjack tuna is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.
