There is truly something special about fishing for tuna. These magnificent saltwater game fish are truly gifts from the Lord. Unfortunately, attracting and actually catching tuna is a lot harder than most people imagine. Before you spend hundreds of dollars trolling around the ocean catching nothing, here are three tuna fishing techniques to consider before you even leave the dock.

1. Control Your Speed - When fishing for tuna, troll at speeds of 5 to 8 miles per hour. Most professionals like to use a typical 'W Pattern' while trolling. This pattern consists of 2 long lines held out on each outrigger, 2 shorter lines held out flat and one deep line straight down the middle. Additionally, it is helpful to display a flashy presentation of multiple lures. The more they splash, sparkle and shine the better. What you want is to trick the tuna into thinking that it has stumbled across a panicked school of bait fish.

2. Pay Attention to Nature - Anytime that you see diving birds, pay special attention. Diving birds typically means that there are schools of bait fish nearby. Where there are bait fish, tuna tend to also be some place close. Additionally, large schools of tuna like to travel near pods of dolphins or sharks.

3. Pay Attention to the Season - During the warmer summer months, tuna love to hunt near the surface of the water. Feeding tuna are easy to spot on clear summer afternoons as the water looks like it is being destroyed from beneath. Additionally, tuna like to feed in low light conditions, such as the late afternoon. During the winter months, tuna tend to hunt in deeper waters and are much more difficult to find and catch.

These are but a few of my favorite tuna fishing techniques.