World Record Tuna
The long-standing world record for the largest tuna ever caught has been shattered by a California man who caught a massive 405.2-pound yellowfin tuna.
Mike Livingston caught the huge fish last Tuesday off the Baja coast while on-board the Point Loma-based boat Vagabond during a Mexican trip.
His crew pulled into San Diego bay yesterday to a crowd of curious onlookers eager to see the monster catch.
Whopper: Mike Livingston (right) single-handedly reeled in the world's biggest yellowfin tuna fish which weighed in at 405.2 pounds
The previous record was set in 1977 when Curt Wiesenhutter caught a 388-pound, 12-ounce yellowfin tuna.
The world record is pending approval by the International Game Fish Association but even if it isn't approved, Mr Livingston's catch is the largest ever landed on road and reel.
Mr Livingston, 63, from Sunland is a long-time angler who retired recently as a school superintendent - he said his catch was 'a fish of a lifetime'.
'It was my moment, my time. I'm certainly not the best angler, but I had enough skill to reel this one in. It was just my day'.
Sushi-bound? The huge tuna was caught off the Baja coast last week and brought to the San Diego bay yesterday
Captain of the ship Mr Lackey said: 'This is a fish of a lifetime for Mike, for our crew, for me and the entire fleet really'.
'It's just an honour to be part of catching such an incredible specimen. I'm still in awe of this fish. It just sets the bar that much higher', he added.
The crew arrived back on dry land yesterday and were eager to tell their fisherman's tales of the tuna that took nearly three hours to reel in.
'Mike was one of the fortunate ones to get bit, and the fight was on', Mr Lackey said. 'He fought it for 2 hours and 40 minutes and we were fortunate to get a gaff in it.
The tuna weighed 405 pounds which broke the previous record set 33 years ago when a 388-pounder was caught
Mr Livingston's previous big catch was a 100-pound yellow-fin, and although he hoped to catch a fish over 200-pounds, he never thought in his wildest dreams he would make a catch so huge.
'I listened to the crew and took instructions. Someone asked me if it felt like two and a half hours, and I said it really didn't it felt like 45 minutes really.
'I just leaned back in that harness and took what the fish gave me. I didn't even break out into a sweat. I didn't have to put the reel into second gear until the last 45 minutes of the fight'.
Fishy tale: The crew of the Point Loma-based boat Vagabond celebrated their historic catch
Mr Livingston's tuna is not only the biggest ever landed by an angler, but it also is the largest ever caught without any back-up reels or assistance from the crew.
It has been a season of big fish for the San Diego sport fleet. Early last month, Oregon's Greg Koonce caught a 379.8pound yellowfin tuna. It was the third yellowfin over 300 pounds caught in the season. Dan Nagy from Utah landed a 345.2-pounder
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336497/Man-catches-405-pound-tuna-shattering-33-year-old-world-record.html#ixzz17VCZu0Pu
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Top fish! Still a few big
Top fish! Still a few big ones out there!
mtbandfising
Posts: 26
Date Joined: 11/02/10
jeaze want a big enough tuna
jeaze want a big enough tuna or what! all the fish i catch are small as probs wouldnt even be able to take a sambo on.
DieHard
Posts: 1823
Date Joined: 06/10/08
thats a huge fish! but i
thats a huge fish!
but i swear i have seen pictures of fish twice the size
DieHard – The Official “Ray & Shark” Chaser!
Paul_86
Posts: 1449
Date Joined: 27/03/09
seen bigger too
Seen bigger tuna too but they must not of been yellow fin and not caught on rod and reel like this 1 was.
Awsome capture!
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
prob a bluefin they get a
prob a bluefin
they get a lot bigger
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
Alan James
Posts: 2223
Date Joined: 30/06/09
Bluefin get much bigger
I think the largest IGFA Bluefin record is a mere 1496lbs.
Auslobster
Posts: 1901
Date Joined: 03/05/08
Different sort of fishing...
...those giant atlantic bluefin are caught from gameboats, where the boat is used to help wear down the fish. The long range boats out of San Diego are typically 80-120 feet long and serving 10-20 anglers at a time.
These boats anchor up on the tuna grounds, generally groups of islands/seamounts hundreds of nautical miles offshore, and multiple anglers may be hooked up at any one time...what it means is guys like this Livingston bloke are essentially fighting the fish, stand-up style (as opposed to a chair) for hours at a time. Should the reel be emptied, it's simply a case of clipping on another $2000 outfit (Tiagra/Inter) and dropping the first one over the side.
Not sure if the IGFA will recognise a world record if the fish was caught on braid (and probably was since they get so much more line capacity with it) but seeing as how it would be an all-tackle record (as opposed to line class) it may qualify anyway.
Alan James
Posts: 2223
Date Joined: 30/06/09
I've seen a number of DVDs of the long range
boats working out of San Diego. From the footage I have seen I would think it unlikely such a capture would comply with all the IGFA rules. Rods a reels are unclipped and passed around by the deckies to avoid tangles, rods rested on rails and very long gaffs that certainly look longer than 8 foot were used.
This fish was apparently caught on a 30W Penn Inter loaded with 100lb spectra line and 100lb mono leader. The reel looks bigger than that in the pics to me?
There is no IGFA rule that precludes the use of braid.
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18027
Date Joined: 11/03/08
monster fish for sure. they
monster fish for sure. they will be feasting on sushi for a while i think.you would think the bloke would have at least half a smile on his face
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
snappermiles
Posts: 2100
Date Joined: 05/11/10
i would be trying to get
that big bugger wall mounted above my bar!!!!
ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS EXCEPT YOU AND ME! AND IM NOT SO SURE ABOUT YOU!
Spinnerak
Posts: 521
Date Joined: 03/04/10
That fish is soooo thick!
That fish is soooo thick!
Subway cookie is the best burley
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
oh now thats an awsome
oh now thats an awsome catch, nice to see there still some real big YFT out there.
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
soupster51
Posts: 2724
Date Joined: 29/11/06
Massive
Massive YFT. Bloody massive.
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crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Just enough for my lunchtime tuna sandwich.
Neels
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk