Bass Pros Love Tuna Fishing
Never forget that when bass pros are on the water competing it is work.
They’re out there trying to make a buck, and while it may be a lot of fun, it is also a day at the office.
That’s why so many of them like to chase other species in their spare time. For some, it’s crappie. For a surprising number of others it’s tuna.
I’m sure that’s why Skeet Reese readily accepted when we invited him to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge in May of 2026 – and why he’s heading back in 2027.
Indeed, we already knew that Skeet loved chasing, battling and eating tuna.
As far back as 2009, before winning that year’s Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster.com asked him: “When you're not bass fishing, how do you like to spend your time?”
“I'm either in Northern California steelhead fishing, in Mexico tuna fishing or at home playing daddy to my girls,” he replied.
In a BASS Reporter’s notebook that same year, they reported that Skeet joined John and Amy Murray on their honeymoon in Mexico (it did not mention if Skeet’s wife Kim was there, too).
“It was a combination honeymoon-fishing trip, how about that?” Murray said, explaining that he and fellow Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., met up in Mexico to go tuna fishing as they do every year. “It was one of the best fishing trips I’ve had. We caught about 25 100-pound tuna.”
Four years later, Skeet challenged Bassmaster readers to be versatile. “Do you ever get tired of fishing (mentally I mean)?” one reader asked in the live chat.
“No. At the end of the season, I go fish for salmon, steelhead and tuna just for fun,” Skeet replied.
We found the Reeses not only to be fun to have on the island, but also enthusiastic and talented anglers on the water. Here are some of the articles that resulted from our time together:
But he’s not the only one who loves to chase tuna.
In May of 2024 current Elite pro David Gaston caught an 831 pound 6 ounce bluefin on his family’s sportfisher off the coast of Alabama. It was subsequently certified as a state record. That’s not exactly the kind of ‘day off’ fishing most of us have in mind.
Former Elite and BPT pro Jeff Kriet of Oklahoma had a 34 foot Contender in Port O’Connor, Texas.
“Don’t get me wrong, I still love bass fishing,” Kriet told Game & Fish in 2013. “But you kind of know what you are going to get when you go bass fishing. When I set out offshore, there’s no telling what the day will bring; the possibilities are endless. It’s a thrill a minute because there is always something spectacular happening out there. One day we might have a 500-pound Tiger Shark come up and cruise around the boat. The next day we might see whales. To see tuna feeding on top is freakish; it looks like boulders are being dropped into the ocean.”
He even won the “Tuna Division” of the Poco Bueno Fishing Tournament out of Port O’Connor.
I recalled Kelly Jordon telling me that he was one of Kriet’s frequent companions. That would make sense, because the veteran Texas big fish guru was once asked by Bassmaster how he spent his time when not bass fishing.
“I love being outdoors,” he replied. “I like to hunt and fish offshore for grouper and tuna.”
An earlier B.A.S.S. News release told a story of Kriet, Jordon, Bud Pruitt and Kevin Wirth running 90 miles from Galveston in search of blackfin tuna, but instead they ended up with a leaping sailfish at the end of the line. Hardly a consolation prize – after catching dozens of them in Guatemala I’m still every bit as addicted as I am to Panama’s tuna.
Brent Ehrler leaned into the eating part as well as the catching part when he told MLF that during the offseason he likes to “go tuna fishing and have friends over and eat lots of fresh tuna.”
And finally, Ehrler’s fellow Californian Ish Monroe has been unabashed in stating that when he fishes for fun, it’s in the salt. We’ve had trouble scheduling him for a trip to Panama specifically because he’s always on long range trips out of Southern California.
In 2019, he wrote a piece for MLF entitled “Big Saltwater Bites Make Me Want Bigger Bass.”
“My favorite thing to catch when I’m out there is tuna,” he wrote. “Every time I go out there in search of those massive fish, it’s just an experience that I can’t describe. We catch these huge tuna using flying fish bait that acts kind of as a topwater. Out of nowhere, you see the fish take the bait and it’s the biggest and best topwater bite that you’ve ever seen in your life. I can consistently catch massive tuna out in the ocean, which satisfies my want and desire to keep catching big fish.”
Bass pros spend their working lives trying to catch big bass. When they finally get away from work, a surprising number of them don't stop chasing big fish.
They simply go looking for bigger ones.
I’m sure there are others. If you’re a bass pro and you live to catch tuna – or have a particularly memorable story of catching fish in the salt – shoot us an email. We’d love to tell your story.
And if you’re a hardcore recreational bass angler who has been sitting on the fence about a tuna trip, maybe these guys are worth listening to.
Some of the most competent bass anglers in the world – men who get paid to fish tournaments and would be completely justified in spending their time away from the sport doing absolutely nothing – specifically choose to spend their time, money and energy chasing these very special fish.
If that’s reason enough for you to consider a trip to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, reach out and we’ll get you the details.
We might even help you develop a tuna addiction of your own.
Why do so many elite bass pros love tuna fishing? See why Skeet Reese and other top anglers chase big tuna—and why Panama should be on your list.