Recently we had the pleasure of experiencing one of our clients land a Dogtooth Tuna of 101kg \u2013 arguably the Holy Grail when it comes to dogtooth fishing. A 100kg+ dogtooth tuna is sort after around the world and is pretty much hard to come by. But what is a Dogtooth Tuna? Why do anglers target them? In this post, we are going to detail everything we at Ocean Blue have learnt about this goliath of the deep. Here\u2019s how to catch a dogtooth tuna.<\/p>\n
Dogtooth tuna (which are sometimes called white tuna or doggies) is perhaps one of the most interesting species of pelagic marine fish \u2013 if not the most. However, they neither have anything to do with dogs or tuna. Dogtooth tuna belong to the bonito family and they earned their name because their teeth resembling that of a canine.<\/p>\n
Doggies are predatory, with fish and squid as their choice of food. They can grow as large as 248cm (more than 8 feet) and can weigh a whopping 130kg. Its scientific name is Gymnosarda unicolor.<\/em><\/p>\n We admit, it\u2019s not really the most attractive fish in the ocean. But because of the level of difficulty to catch one, dogtooth tuna are gaining more popularity among anglers all over the world. Here are some reasons why:<\/p>\n Unlike the other \u201ctrue\u201d tunas such as the yellowfin and Bluefin, dogtooth tuna have a large swim bladder which allows them to adapt to different habitats. They can also frequent certain high current areas, although they can be mostly found in reef edges.<\/p>\n But to catch a dogtooth tuna, you have to look for them in the most specific of places: along the Indian and Western Pacific Ocean, Polynesia, Vanuatu, Japan and north of Australia. But of all these locations, Vanuatu is one of the few places in the world where you can target dogtooth tuna on topwater.<\/p>\n Catching a doggie is like trying to pass College Honors Abstract Algebra \u2013 it is a struggle. And because it is difficult to land, most couldn\u2019t resist having dogtooth on top of their fishing bucket list.<\/p>\n Unlike other species that are very eager to get caught, doggies have refined their bust off technique. Once they snatch your bait or lure they dive down looking for the first bommie to bust you off. Dogtooth tuna are awfully strong so be prepared to hold on tight and hope for the best.”When fishing for dogtooth be prepared to lose a lot more fish than you’ll get to the boat. When you do manage to see a big fish surface the pain is all worthwhile”<\/p>\n – Anthony Pisano<\/p>\nWhy Dogtooth Tuna is such a Sort After Sport fish?<\/h2>\n
You Can\u2019t Find Them Anywhere<\/h3>\n
Not an Easy Catch<\/h3>\n