Yellowfin tuna stay close to Bay of Islands, skipjack feeding offshore

Yellowfin are still close enough to the Bay of Islands that a fish landed last Friday left the Hole in the Rock in the background of the photo, and that is the kind of signal Northland crews pay attention to before burning fuel. The read is simple: tuna are still in local striking distance, and the offshore fish are not pushed far out into the blue yet.

The key marker came from the 80-meter line off the Ninepin, where water sat at 19.8 degrees Celsius and a school of skipjack tuna was feeding in the area. That combination matters. Skipjack working offshore usually tells you the bait is up, the water is alive, and there is still a realistic chance of finding yellowfin holding in the same broader zone rather than having to run hard for them.

The crew said they would have taken the game gear out trolling if fuel costs were lower, but they stayed practical and switched to slow-jigging. That decision paid off in a very Bay of Islands way: small fish first, then proper snapper at the 80-meter mark, followed by gurnard and porae once a sliver of bait was added to the assist hooks. It was not a one-species story; it was a useful offshore session that showed the water is carrying both tuna and mixed bottom life.

The report also pointed to good fishing around Waikare Inlet and the oyster farms, with nice snapper off the rocks adding to the picture for crews not making the full offshore run. But for anyone weighing a tuna mission, the headline is still the same. Yellowfin were landed within sight of the coast, skipjack were feeding offshore, and the 80-meter edge off the Ninepin looked alive enough to reward a careful look before committing to a long troll.

That timing lines up with the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club’s International Yellowtail, scheduled for June 7 through June 12 and already fully subscribed. The club lists it as the McDonald’s Northland 56th International Yellowtail Tournament, notes its links as a founding member of the New Zealand Sportfishing Council and an affiliated club of the International Game Fish Association, and has kept the tournament on the calendar through the season. For crews watching the Bay right now, the message is clear: the tuna signal is still there, and it is close enough to make the next fuel decision count.