For the angler looking to catch the largest fish possible on a rod and reel, the bluefin tuna provides a battle like none other. You need some seriously heavy-duty gear to deal with the raw power and muscle these fish possess. More than that, you need a good boat crew that knows what they're doing to keep these giant fish from snapping your line or even pulling you overboard.
It's not uncommon for an angler to spend literally hours fighting an especially large tuna on a rod and reel. Such is the case with today's video from one of our favorite anglers on YouTube, Josh Jorgensen, aka: BlacktipH.
Today, Josh is fishing off the coast of North Carolina. The day starts out frustrating as the group hooks and loses two fish. Finally, Josh hooks into another big one and the fight is on between man and sea beast.
What follows is a grueling, three-hour battle that pushes Josh to his absolute limits. It ends with him jumping in the water with a 700-pound bluefin as sharks circle the boat!
We've seen Josh catch some big goliath groupers before, but we've never seen him pushed to his absolute limits like this. Anyone would be tired after a three-hour battle with a fish, especially one this big. It's jaw-dropping watching the line come flying off that reel, and the sounds of the line groaning under the weight of that tuna are hard to believe.
The wild thing is this fish was nowhere near as large as bluefins can grow. The IGFA all-tackle world record for a bluefin tuna is a staggering 1,496 pounds. It was caught by Ken Fraser in Nova Scotia back in 1979 and has withstood all challengers ever since. Although there have been rumors of much larger specimens getting away.
In any case, this tuna may have been Josh's most impressive catch yet. It has made us add bluefin tuna fishing to our bucket lists!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
