Bite Compass

Longtail Tuna

Pelagic / Inshore
Thunnus tonggol

Northern WA's signature inshore tuna — fast, hard-running, and accessible from beach, boat, and kayak. Schools chase baitfish along Eighty Mile Beach, the Pilbara coast, and through the Kimberley, often busting up within casting range of the shore. Small head, thick shoulders, and a sustained run that turns light gear inside out.

Overview

Longtail tuna are the inshore tuna of northern WA — they don't venture into deep blue water like yellowfin, instead patrolling the coast from Shark Bay north and through the Kimberley, often within a few hundred metres of the beach. Eighty Mile Beach, the Pilbara coast, and the bays around Broome are classic longtail country. They feed on hardyheads, garfish, and small mackerel by herding them to the surface, and the resulting bust-ups are obvious from a long way off — boiling water, terns wheeling overhead, and bait spraying. Once hooked they go on long, hard, low runs that can dump a small reel in seconds.

How to Catch
Best baits

Live hardyheads, live garfish, whole pilchards (less reliable than a moving lure)

Lures

Chrome metal slugs (40–80g), stickbaits, slim minnows, small soft plastics on heavy jig heads

Rigs

Spin outfit with 20–40lb braid and a 30–50lb fluorocarbon leader. A single inline hook on metals — trebles tend to pull or get destroyed. From the beach, long casts matter, so a 9–10ft rod and a 5000–8000-size reel. No wire — longtails don't have shearing teeth and wire kills the strike rate.

Technique

Spot the bust-up first. Birds working tight over boiling water is the giveaway. Position yourself ahead of the school's drift, cast a metal slug well past the activity, and retrieve fast and steady — longtails almost always hit a fast-moving lure over a slow one. From the shore on Eighty Mile Beach, walk and watch; from a boat, hold off the school and cast in rather than driving through it. Once hooked, set the drag heavy and walk along the beach with the fish if you have to — they'll spool a stationary angler.

Best time

Peak action runs April through October when the southerly trades push baitfish along the coast. Early morning and late afternoon are best for surface bust-ups. Calm, glassy mornings are easier for spotting feeding schools.

Size

Up to 35kg, commonly 8–20kg

Peak season

Year-round (peak Apr–Oct)

Eating quality

Good — dark red flesh that's excellent as sashimi or seared rare, but dries out fast if overcooked. Bleed at the gills the moment they're landed and put straight onto ice slurry. Strong-flavoured smoked or in a curry.

Regulations (WA)

Bag limit: 2 (within WA's large pelagic mixed-species daily limit). No minimum size in WA. A Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL) is required when fishing from a powered boat. Always check current DPIRD rules — regulations may change.

Perth Tips

Eighty Mile Beach is the classic land-based longtail destination — drive the beach at low tide and watch the wash. From a boat around Broome and the Pilbara, work the headlands and reef edges where bait gets pinned. Don't bother with light gear unless you enjoy long fights — 30lb braid is a sensible minimum.

Where to Catch Longtail Tuna
Eighty Mile Beach Lighthouse Bay (Vlamingh Head Lighthouse / Surfers Beach / Limestone Platforms)
← All species