Though not the biggest members of the tuna tribe, blackfin tuna are a big deal for South Florida anglers in the spring, as blackfins flood offshore waters from the Florida Keys up along the Atlantic coast to Palm Beach.
The hard-fighting, good-tasting fish can be caught on live bait, dead bait and lures while drifting, trolling, kite-fishing, or anchored up over a wreck or reef.
The biggest key to success is to chum, preferably with live bait like pilchards, although chunks of dead bait work just fine. Blackfin fanatics think nothing of heading offshore with 500 to 1,000 live pilchards for chumming and for bait…