How to Slow Pitch Jig for Bluefin Tuna off Cape Cod

Slow pitch vertical jigging for tuna is a highly effective tuna fishing technique off Cape Cod, especially when tuna are feeding down below in deep water. Jigging for tuna is also something you can do while drifting live bait or casting other lures.

A lot of times all you need to do is drop your jig down to where the fish are feeding, and just let the motion of the boat impart action to the lure. There is often not much "jigging" done at all. 

In this post we'll discuss the slow pitch vertical jigging technique, by re-living my first experience using this technique to catch bluefin tuna. This was a memorable trip and I hope you find the following information entertaining and helpful!

Back in August of 2017, I received a call from captain Cullen Lundholm of Cape Star Charters. Cullen asked if I would be interested in joining a tuna fishing charter he had scheduled for the next morning. 

I jumped at the opportunity and was excited to hear that My Fishing Cape Cod members Aaron Perlmutter and Paul Dunn would also be onboard. During the trip we saw an amazing amount of marine life, and caught two beautiful tunas in the 60-72 inch range by slow pitch jigging.

The tunas were feeding on big sand eels in the midwater column. Whales were all around, and on the sonar we could see the tunas as they hunted directly beneath the boat. This was an ideal situation for fishing with vertical jigs.

We had an awesome trip and I can't thank these guys enough for inviting me along. It was an incredible fishing experience that I will never forget, and I was able to learn the slow pitch vertical jigging technique firsthand.

In the following 25 minute video, members of My Fishing Cape Cod can get a firsthand look at how exciting it can be to slow pitch jig for bluefin tuna off Cape Cod & the Islands.

Also included below is more general information about where we were fishing off Cape Cod during this memorable trip. Also included is advice about the best vertical jigging tackle and equipment.

Slow pitch vertical jigging for bluefin tuna works extremely well and is a ton of fun. If you get yourself setup with the tackle and equipment mentioned above in this post, then you'll be in great shape for hooking up.

We are definitely blessed to often have tuna arrive on Cape in June and sometimes stick around as late as Christmas. Best of luck if you give vertical jigging for tuna a try this summer or fall.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and please keep us updated with how things are going by posting in our tuna fishing forum. The forum is also a great place to get weekly tuna fishing reports and updates shared by our members.

Tight lines!