BLACKFIN TUNA (Thunnus atlanticus) OTHER NAMES: Bermuda Tuna, Football RANGE: All Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean.

HABITAT: The open sea.

DESCRIPTION: Dark overall but with a bronze stripe down the side that can cause confusion with the more golden stripe of the Yellowfin Tuna. The finlets, however, are dark.

SIZE: Common from 2 to 20 pounds; exceeds 40 pounds. World record 45 pounds, 8 ounces; Florida record 38 pounds.

FOOD VALUE: Excellent.

GAME QUALITIES: Pound-for-pound, among the best.

TACKLE AND BAITS: Light classes of ocean tackle, plus spinning and baitcasting outfits. For trolling, choose small offshore lures, feathers, spoons, small rigged baits such as Ballyhoo and strips. Deep-diving plugs are also good. Blackfins also can be chummed with live Pilchards or similar small baitfish, and fished for with the same bait, or by casting. Best hard lures are white jigs, tied with bucktail or feathers to provide a larger profile. Flies should be similarly tied - to imitate size and color of the live chum. Tuna Combo Guide

FISHING SYSTEMS: Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.