One of the most popular tuna fishing methods is chumming for tuna.

If you have ever watched a tuna frenzy explode behind a boat, you know how wild chumming can get. Some anglers swear chumming is the single most important skill in offshore fishing. And honestly? They are not wrong. I have seen calm bluewater turn into absolute chaos within minutes…. all because the chum line was dialled in perfectly. In this guide, I’ll break down what chumming really is, how to do it properly, what bait to use, and how to turn a simple chum bucket into your new best mate offshore. SO if you are chasing yellowfin, southern bluefin, or skipjack, mastering the art of chumming the water can make all the difference.

What Is Chumming? (Chumming Definition)

Chumming is the practice of throwing small pieces of fish, bait, and oils into the ocean to attract predatory fish like tuna. The scent travels fast, and tuna have an incredible ability to detect it from long distances. It’s basically ringing the dinner bell!

At its core, the chumming definition is simple: create a scent trail that draws fish closer to your boat. But doing it well requires timing, consistency, and choosing the right ingredients. Too much chum and the tuna fill up before they reach your hook. Too little, and they lose interest. The balance is the magic.

Effective chumming keeps tuna engaged, curious, and aggressive but not overfed. That’s the secret to getting them fired up without ruining your bite.

---

Chum Fish Bait and What to Use for Tuna

When it comes to chum fish bait, tuna have a few favourites. The best chum mixes are oily, smelly, and break apart easily in the water. Here are the top options:

Pilchards (Sardines)
A classic choice. They’re oily and perfect for both chunking and mash.

Bonito or Skipjack Tuna
Super effective! These small tunas are packed with oil and hold together well when cut into cubes.

Mackerel
Another oily baitfish that leaves a strong scent trail.

Garfish (bonus tip!)
Garfish are actually underrated in the chumming world. They’re firm, oily, and when chopped into chunks they send out a strong tuna-attracting scent.

The goal is always the same: create a steady stream of small particles drifting behind the boat. Not a buffet, just a tease.

Chum for Fishing Different Types and When to Use Them

When selecting chum for fishing, consider your target species and how they feed. Tuna are aggressive, fast feeders that respond best to oily, floating chunks. That means your chum should be light enough to drift but heavy enough to sink a little.

Different chum types include:

Chunk Chum
Cut cubes of baitfish—perfect for tuna.

Mash Chum
Crushed or blended fish scraps mixed with seawater and tuna oil; great for continuous slicks.

Oil Chum
Used in combination with chunks to enhance the scent trail.

Freeze Blocks
Frozen blocks that release slowly—ideal for long drifts.

Choose the type based on conditions. Rough seas? Go heavier. No current? Use oil-rich mash. Fast drift? Larger chunks.

Tuna Fishing Chumming Recipe

Supplies & Ingredients:

• 1 box of heavy duty zip lock plastic freezer bags
• 1 five gallon bucket
• a garden hand rake or stirring implement
• Garden Hose
• 1 gallon pure pogy (menhaden) oil
• 1 – 3 pound can whole kernel corn
• Rice, oats, macaroni (optional)
• 12 cans Kozy Kitty cat food (sold at most stores 3/$1)
• 6 loaves of wheat or stone ground bread. Some bakery outlet stores sell old bread for 10 cents per loaf, you must ask for “critter food”.
• Food processor (Warning: You may burn it up and don’t even think about telling the wife what you need it for)
• Electric can opener

Recipe:

• Chop bread in processor
• Dump 12 cans of cat food into bucket, mixing in bread with small amounts of water. Consistency desired like thick soup
• Stir in 2 cups of Pogy oil, evenly distributed
• Take off gas mask and drink one cold beer a safe distance from bucket
• Fill freezer bags and double bag
• Lay bags flat in kitchen freezer (Warning: see Food Processor above)
• Transport chum in designated chum cooler with ice over and under
• Use ½ bag at a time ( fits perfectly into a standard nylon chum bag)

---

Chum Bucket for Tuna

A chum bucket makes chumming easy and consistent. It’s basically a bucket with holes drilled into it that slowly releases chum into the water as it sits off the back of the boat.

Fill it with mashed pilchards, fish scraps, tuna oil, or blended chum mix. Lower it into the water on a rope and let the current carry the scent. This is perfect for keeping tuna circling your boat, especially if you’re:

• Drifting
• Live-baiting
• Slow-trolling
• Cube fishing

Chum buckets are also brilliant for conserving bait. Instead of throwing your expensive chunks overboard nonstop, the bucket does the work for you. If you’re on a long day offshore, this method keeps you in the game much longer.

Chum Bags for Fishing

---

Chumming the Water How to Do It Properly

Chumming the water is an art, not a dump-and-run job. The most successful tuna anglers run a consistent “slow drip” of bait rather than handfuls thrown all at once.

Start with a small handful of cubes every 20-30 seconds. Watch the drift direction and wind so your bait flows naturally behind the boat. If you see tuna rising in the slick, keep the rhythm, never stop suddenly or the school may wander off.

If the fish disappear, it often means the slick has drifted too far or the current changed. Adjust the boat position and re-establish the trail.

The golden rule? If your chunks disappear into the blue but don’t come back into view, the tuna are eating them and that’s exactly what you want.

Chumming Bait Techniques

Chumming for tuna is a bloody effective way to bring the fish to you, but it is not as simple as chucking a bit of bait overboard and hoping for the best. There is a bit of strategy involved, so we will walk you through it step by step. Lets talk about where to drop your chum, where to place your bait, and a few things to watch out for such as sharks.

Chumming Fishing Where to Release

When you are chumming, it is all about setting up a trail that will drift through the water and lead the tuna straight to you or your lures/baits. You want to pick a spot with a bit of current because that will carry the chum further, spreading the scent and drawing the tuna in from a distance. Dont just toss the chum willy nilly, you got to keep a steady flow going. I like to release a little bit at a time, creating a consistent trail or “chum slick” behind your boat. Remember, your goal is to not to over feed the fish, just get them interested in your baits.

If you are working off a boat, try to position yourself so the wind and current work in your favour to carry the chum behind you. You want to imagine it like laying a breadcrumb trail for the tuna to follow.

When fishing for tuna find your potential fishing spot, hang your chum bag on a stern cleat and allow the current to create a “chum slick” behind your boat.

Chumming Bait Where to Put

Once the chum is in the water, you have to think about where to put your bait. The idea here is to make your bait look like it is part of the chum. You don’t want it standing out, it needs to blend in so the tuna don’t suspect a thing.

I usually drop my baits just on the edge of the chum slick. You want them sitting a bit deeper in the water , where the bigger tuna tend to hang out. Depending on the type of tuna you are after, you need to play around with the depth. A float rig can help keep the bait in the strike zone without sinking too far. Sometimes, I will let one bait sit right at the surface to see if any of the tuna are feeding higher up.

Many species like blue fin and mac tuna respond extremely well to this technique by coming up in the water column to eat your free-lined baits. Or, send your chum to the bottom on a hand line or use your downrigger ball. They can’t resist the pogy smell. Neither can nuisance sharks as we will mention below.

Chum Fish Bait Risks

Chumming is all well and good, but there are a few things you must be careful about. First off…. sharks. Those toothy buggers love a free feed and they will happily follow your chum trail just like the tuna. If you are not careful, you will end up with more sharks than you bargained for, and that can be a nightmare to deal with. Keep an eye on what’s coming up in the slick and be ready to move if the sharks take over.

Another thing to watch out for is overfeeding. If you throw too much chum in, the tuna might just gorge themselves and lose interest in your bait. They will be stuffed, and you will be left waiting. Like I said earlier, keep the chum steady but dont over feed the fish.

Lastly, check the local rules. Some places have restrictions on chumming, and the last thing you want is to cop a fine because you didn’t know the regulations.

---

Chumming can be a brilliant way to bring in the tuna, but it’s got to be done right. Set up a good slick, get your baits in the sweet spot, and keep an eye out for any risks.

Try chumming next time you go fishing for tuna. You will catch more fish. And everyone knows that a day spent on the water fishing is better than a day at work.

Tuna Bait Storage

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on How To Catch Tuna.

Keywords

• chumming tuna techniques
• best tuna chum bait
• tuna fishing slick
• how to chum for tuna
• tuna chunking method
• offshore chumming
• tuna oil slick
• chum line setup
• chumming for yellowfin
• tuna fishing tips
• chumming definition
• chum bucket
• chum salmon
• chum for fishing
• what is chumming
• chum fish bait
• chumming the water
• chumming tuna
• chum fish
• chumming
• chum bucket food
• chumming bait
• chum bag
• chumming tarkov
• chumming for sharks
• chum meaning
• chumming synonym
• chumming catfish
• shark chumming
• chumming bait
• chumming fishing
• chumming food
• chumming meaning