Bigeye tuna are occasionally caught in deep water canyons that lie off the Mid Atlantic Coast. Due to their size, incredible strength, and schooling habits, specialized techniques are required in order to consistently catch bigeye.
Although they are occasionally reported inshore of the deepwater canyons, most anglers fish for them exclusively in deep water, well beyond the canyon edges.
Bigeye tuna often feed in schools, taking every lure in the spread. In the early years of the sport, anglers fishing for bigeye tuna developed many of the rigs and techniques that shaped present-day tuna fishing.
Many bigeye tuna fanatics consider The Best and Worst of Tred Barta to be essential reading. In the book, the author chronicles decades of offshore fishing, including commercial and recreational fishing for bigeye tuna.