Giant bluefin tuna are back in english waters and there has never been a better time to try and catch one!
We have teamed up with some of the very best skippers in the United Kingdom to bring you the ultimate, once in a lifetime charter boat experiences.
A giant bluefin tuna can weigh as much as 400kg, swim at speeds of 70/kmph, and live as long as 40 years, so it comes as no surprise that they are one of the most sought-after big game species in the world.
For six decades, their population was so desperately low in the UK that they were considered endangered. Today, giant bluefin tuna are booming in what has been called one of the greatest natural success stories in marine fisheries.
Just witnessing the hunt is a great pleasure in itself. When the tuna are feeding in their many thousands, and the dolphins give chase, and the seabirds dive from the sky, and the sharks lurk in the deep, it is a mammoth feeding frenzy. A scene that belongs in a National Geographic magazine.
Our skippers are the best around, with hundreds of years combined experience; specialist tackle, equipment, charter boats, an intimate knowledge of their quarry, and the techniques required to tame them. When you book with us, you can rest assured that you have the very best possible team at your disposal for the adventure of a lifetime.
Book today, and pit your wits against one of the largest and fastest saltwater fish in the world.
Welcome to the ultimate bluefin tuna fishing experience in southwest England!
Dan Stevens and his skipper, Andy, offer some of the finest giant bluefin tuna fishing experiences anywhere in the UK. Their boat, Charlie Boy, is a 10.5m Lochin 333, fully equipped for comfortable and exciting day at sea, with all the specialist tackle and equipment required to target these magnificent fish.
We can facilitate the full range of tuna fishing techniques including; gunwale fishing, surface popping and lure fishing, live and deadbait fishing, and of course stand up or seated play, plus you will be using a full suite of top of the line specialist tuna fishing tackle from Penn, Shimano, and Alutecnos, to help you land your fish of a lifetime!
You will be welcomed with tea, coffee, and bacon rolls on arrival, plus light refreshments throughout the day, and if you would like to stay locally, we have the perfect place for an overnight retreat right beside the water. If the tide is right, your skipper can even collect you from the jetty at the end of the garden.
August – November
1 to 4
August – November
1 to 4
Exeter – 1hr
Plymouth – 20mins
25mins
Finding the bluefin tuna can be a significant challenge. They are a migratory species capable of travelling vast distances at very high speeds, so a bluefin tuna can burn through a lot of energy every day. The best skippers will look for the seabirds, which dive into the water during the feeding frenzy and take some baitfish for themselves. The seabirds are your eye in the sky, and will often give the game away even over long distances, so a good pair of binoculars are essential. If the conditions allow, standing high up on the roof of the wheel house can give you a better view.
A giant bluefin tuna can eat as much as 5% of its own bodyweight everyday, a diet which will include bait fish species such as anchovies, whiting, mackerel or bass. That means an 800 pound bluefin tuna could eat as much as 20 kilograms of fish one day to the next.
Catching a bluefin tuna requires an intimate knowledge and understanding of their seasonal patterns, feeding behaviour and the behaviours of their many different food sources. Sometimes, the bluefin tuna become preoccupied on large quantities of small bait fish like anchovies, so it can be really difficult to entice a bite on a lure. We often use spreader bars and teasers to imitate a school of fish and attract the attention of the tuna, plus the stinger which swims behind the pack.
On Charlie Boy, we are equipped with all the best fish finding technology and specialist tuna fishing equipment to we give you the very best chance of a close encounter with a great bluefin. If you are fortunate to hook a bluefin tuna, you ought to strap in for the fight of a lifetime. Even a small bluefin tuna of 70 – 100lbs can put up a tremendous account for itself. A giant bluefin tuna might weigh as much as 500-800lbs, so you should prepare for a fight that may last as long as 30 – 40 minutes. It is exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure.
Once you finally bring your quarry alongside the boat, all fish are safely and expertly unhooked, recovered, and released, so there is plenty of time to admire your catch and take photographs if you wish.
Its not all about the fishing! Tuna fishing often takes you to places you wouldn’t otherwise go, in breath taking locations, from the open ocean to beautiful coastal waters, offering stunning views and a true sense of adventure. The wildlife at sea is spectacular, and it is not uncommon to see vast pods of dolphins, porpoises, basking sharks, and whales on our tuna trips. Keep an eye out for the rarely sighted Orca too.
Tuna fishing trips are often shared experiences, so there is a great sense of camaraderie onboard, and ff you choose to charter alone, our skippers will quickly become involved with your experience. These are memories that will last a lifetime!
Ensuring the catch and release of tuna is done responsibly to minimize harm is crucial. Our skippers are very knowledgeable about the best practices for handling and releasing these fish to ensure their safe return and survival.
Bluefin tuna are the largest tuna species and can live up to 40 years. They migrate across all oceans and can dive deeper than 3,000 feet. Bluefin tuna are built for speed, shaped like torpedoes with retractable fins, and their eyes are set flush to their body. They are tremendously effective predators, honing their hunting skills from the moment they hatch from the egg.
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are migratory, travelling remarkable distances from their spawning grounds in the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico to the cooler waters of the North Atlantic and coastal regions like the English Channel. During the summer months, they move closer to the coast in search of food, particularly smaller fish, like mackerel, herring, and sardines, which attract them to the coastal waters of Devon and Cornwall, where stocks are plentiful.
The return of bluefin tuna to Devon and Cornwall waters is an exciting development for recreational anglers and conservationists. After being almost entirely absent for over six decades due to overfishing, these magnificent fish have finally made a dramatic recovery in recent years, thanks to reduced pressures from commercial fisheries, and the warming sea temperatures in response to global climate change.
As part of conservation efforts for Atlantic Bluefin tuna, all tuna caught in UK waters must be released back into the sea after capture. Anglers are required to follow proper catch-and-release practices, which include handling the fish carefully to ensure it survives after being released. On Charlie Boy, our skippers are experienced in safe catch and release techniques as is good and moral practise. Our boat is equipped with the proper equipment to ensure that every bluefin tuna brought alongside the boat is safely unhooked, recovered, and released quickly to minimize stress on the fish.
We will send you a full booking confirmation by email, along with any maps, directions, travel arrangements, and arrival instructions required, plus the contact information for your Skipper.
Our skipper will come equipped with all the specialist tuna fishing tackle and equipment required at no extra cost. You are welcome to bring your own if you wish.
Sadly, we cannot cancel or postpone your booking under any circumstance. For the period you have booked, you have effectively prevented us from selling the day to another customer so to ensure that we are fair to everyone, we have to take a hard stance on this. If you cannot attend the day we will without obligation endeavor to resell your booking and, if successful, you will be eligible to a credit note for the full value of your booking, or a refund minus a 25% admin fee.
