Albacore tuna or the ‘chicken of the sea’, are one of the best eating fish we can catch in New Zealand waters, and unlike their more desirable bigger cousins, the yellowfin and bluefin, albacore inhabit cooler waters and are able to be targeted just about anywhere in New Zealand.

Albacore Tuna Information:

Albacore Tuna are happy in around 18 degrees plus, and are usually a summer species being most readily caught from December right through to late summer.
Their main distinguishing feature is their broad wing-like pectoral fin which is often the first thing to identify you have an albacore on the line and not a skipjack.
Tuna prefer a lure moving at 6 to 10 knots, but love a fast moving, fluttering jig to latch onto.

Albacore Tuna growth rates:

Albacore are most commonly similar in stature, size-wise, to skipjack tuna.  Usually weighing in around 1 – 5 kgs, but they do get quite big and can even grow to 30kgs plus!