Kite fishing looks like a stunt and fishes like a secret weapon. By flying a specialized fishing kite off the boat and hanging a bait from it, you present a baitfish splashing right on the surface, well away from the hull, with no leader or line in the water at all. To a tuna it looks like a helpless, fluttering baitfish trapped on top, and the strike is often an explosive, fully committed surface eat.
Why it works
Two advantages set the kite apart:
- Nothing in the water but the bait. The line runs from the kite down to the bait, so line-shy tuna see only a struggling baitfish, no leader, no hardware.
- The bait stays on the surface, struggling. The kite holds the bait skipping and splashing on top, an irresistible distress signal, and keeps it away from the boat where fish are more comfortable eating.
Tip Watch the wind and the bait, not just the rod. You are managing the kite to keep the bait dancing on the surface, when a fish shows or eats, be ready to drop back and let it take before you come tight.
How it is fished
A kite outfit flies the kite from one rod while the bait line hangs from the kite via a release clip; the bait, live or dead, splashes on the surface below. When a tuna eats, the line pops from the clip, you drop back to let the fish commit, and then come tight and fight it on the bait outfit. It takes practice and the right conditions (steady wind), but few methods produce surface eats like it.
Gear
Kite fishing uses dedicated kites and kite rods plus a stout stand-up outfit for the bait, with a smooth, strong Daiwa drag for the fight. For other ways to work bait for tuna, see tuna on live bait.