Bluefin Tuna Fishing in Sligo and Donegal Bay, Ireland
Giant Bluefin Tuna Fishing Ireland
We are delighted to be one of only 22 skippers in Ireland selected and trained to partake in the Bluefin Tuna Chart programme since it’s inception in 2019, which means we are one of only 22 skippers nationally who can legally target bluefin tuna on a catch and release basis! We are consistently in the top skippers in Ireland for catching them during the CHART programme and are licensed by Inland Fisheries Ireland/The Marine Institute/Sea Fisheries Protection Authority as an approved skipper. We have all the big game gear on board and have caught these to over 800 lbs in the past. Come experience the world class tuna fishery we have in Sligo and Donegal Bay, which is currently rated as one of the best, if not the best, in the world. Forget wicked tuna!
It is very important, that when fishing these species you choose a skipper with a proven track record and experience, Daryl brings knowledge from large pelagic angling experience from all over the world to the bluefin tuna table, and has an exemplary record, just check out some of our pictures! Prime season for these goliaths in Sligo/Donegal Bay is from mid August until the end of October.
In the 2022 season Daryl enjoyed the absolutely phenomenal achievement of catching bluefin tuna on every single trip he went on, this is the success rate only dreams are made of and rarely, if ever, seen by any skipper in a bluefin fishery worldwide!!
Terminal Tackle
All of our bluefin tuna gear is custom made for the boat trolling rods (Custom hand built to our skippers specifications by Alba Rods, UK), stand up rods (Custom built to our skippers specifications by Legacy Rods, UK and thrasher rods, USA) with full ball bearing rollers, 130lb momoi high catch and diamond braid/mono hollow core spliced combos (imported from the USA), black magic fighting belts and for reels we use two speed shimano tiagra A130 and 80W reels as well as Okuma Makiera 80Ws.
These are heavy duty set ups with plenty of line giving much better chances of tagging a giant. Our lures are combinations of custom built titanium trolling bars, various styled birds, custom daisy chains, various poppers and more, all to the colours and shapes suiting what works best in our particular areas.
Our skipper hand makes all of his own spreader bars to ensure they are of the highest standard and adds his own little tricks to ensure they are world class tuna catching machines! We also have downriggers but find fishing our own patterns from the outriggers yields the best results.