Species › Global · Open Ocean & Worldwide › Skipjack Tuna

Saltwater

Skipjack Tuna

Katsuwonus pelamis · skippy, oceanic bonito, aku

Water temp
68–82°F
Peak season
Jun–Sep
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
46 lb 5 oz (21.0 kg)
Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis Cyprus.jpg)

Photo: Jo Langeneck · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Skipjack are compact, torpedo-shaped tunas with a dark purple-blue back, a silver belly marked by four to six dark horizontal stripes and no scales except on the corselet behind the gills. They are the most abundant tuna on earth, found in tropical and warm-temperate oceans worldwide, and the species behind most canned light tuna. Most rod-caught fish weigh 4–12 lb; 20 lb-plus skipjack are genuinely large, and the all-tackle record passed 46 lb off the Canary Islands.

Skipjack travel in dense surface schools, often mixed with small yellowfin, blackfin and dolphin, and feed in frenzies on anchovies, sardines, squid and krill, leaving boiling water and diving birds that offshore anglers steer toward. They prefer 65–85°F (18–29°C) water and show up around weed lines, current edges and floating structure from Hawaii and Southern California to the Gulf of Mexico and the Northeast canyons. Pound for pound they pull as hard as any tuna, and anglers value them both as a light-tackle target and as bait: a live or butterflied skipjack is a top offering for marlin, big yellowfin and wahoo.

Typical size4–12 lb (2–5.5 kg); 18–26 in
Trophy20 lb+; 30 lb+ is exceptional
Table fareGood — dark, rich meat; superb fresh as sashimi or poke, best bled and iced immediately

Where & when

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In US waters skipjack follow warm water north, peaking June–September off Southern California, the Gulf, Florida and the Northeast canyons; Hawaii's aku fishery runs year-round with a summer peak.

Catalina Channel / Cortes Bank, CASummer skippies mixed with yellowfin on kelp paddiesHudson Canyon, NJLate-summer schools on the temperature breaksVenice offshore rigs, LAGulf floaters hold skipjack and yellowfin togetherKona, HIYear-round aku on the ledges; prime marlin bait

How to catch

Trolling small feathers and cedar plugsPull 4–6 in feathers, cedar plugs or small skirted lures at 6–9 knots in a spread of four to six lines close to the boat, aiming the spread at bird piles and breaking fish. Expect multiple hookups; a daisy chain of small squids on the shotgun line adds strikes.
Casting to breaking schoolsRun up-wind of a surface frenzy, shut down and cast 1–2 oz metal jigs, poppers or stickbaits into the melee, retrieving fast. Light spinning gear makes a 10 lb skipjack a serious fight.
Chunking and live bait on the driftDrift a chunk line of sardine or butterfish and free-line small chunks or live anchovies on 2/0 circle hooks with 30 lb fluorocarbon. Skipjack are leader-shy in clear water, so go as light as the mixed company allows.
Vertical jigging under schoolsWhen fish sound beneath the boat, drop 3–5 oz metal jigs 50–150 ft and rip them back fast. Works well around rigs and paddies when the surface bite dies at midday.

Gear

Rod7' medium or medium-heavy spinning; 6'6" 20–30 lb conventional for trolling
Reel4000–6000 spinning; 20–30 size lever-drag for trolling
Line20–30 lb braid with 30–40 lb fluorocarbon leader

Lures

Trolling feathersCedar plugsSmall metal casting jigsPoppers and stickbaitsSmall skirted lures

Baits

Live anchovies or sardinesChunked sardine or butterfishSquid strips

Regulations

Skipjack are federally managed as a highly migratory species in US waters; Atlantic anglers need an HMS angling permit for tunas, and Pacific anglers face state bag limits (often a combined tuna limit) and a saltwater license. Few size limits apply, but check current federal and state rules.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 46 lb 5 oz (21.0 kg) — La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain, November 15, 2020 (Joeri Van Laken). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

Are skipjack tuna good to eat?

They are good if handled right: bleed the fish at once, ice it hard and eat it fresh as sashimi, poke, or seared. The meat is dark red and strong-flavored, so it does not keep as well as yellowfin, and it is the main species in canned light tuna.

How do you tell skipjack from bonito and small yellowfin?

Skipjack have dark horizontal stripes below the lateral line on a silver belly and no scales on most of the body. Atlantic and Pacific bonito have stripes on the back above the lateral line, and small yellowfin have no stripes at all with yellow finlets and a yellow stripe along the side.

Bite forecast — Skipjack Tuna

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Skipjack Tuna.

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