Tuna are sight feeders with excellent vision. They chase fast-moving baitfish with flashing, reflective scales. That is why lures with natural abalone flash can be so effective on tuna. They look like real bait in the water.
When abalone lures shine for tuna
- Bright, clear water: abalone catches the sun and flashes like baitfish.
- Pressured fish: natural flash can trigger fish that ignore plain plastic.
- Feeding on flying fish or squid: iridescent flash matches the bait.
Sizes
- Blackfin tuna: small lures, 5 to 7 inches. See best lures for blackfin tuna.
- School yellowfin: medium lures, 7 to 9 inches.
- Larger yellowfin and bluefin: medium to large lures, 9 to 12 inches.
Colors
Blue abalone is a strong all-around tuna color. Green and pink abalone work well in green water or overcast conditions. Purple and darker abalone patterns are good at dawn and dusk. See choosing an abalone lure color.
Spread positions
Abalone lures work well on the riggers, where clean water lets the flash show. A straight-running abalone bullet is a great shotgun lure for wary tuna.
Speed
Troll tuna spreads around 6.5 to 8.5 knots so lures swim with consistent action. See the trolling lure speed chart.
Pair with a tuna spread
Abalone lures fit into any tuna spread. See our tuna trolling spread example for positions.
Shop abalone lures in our tuna lures collection.
