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650+ lb Bluefin Tuna Adventure

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Finders Keepers
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Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers

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Had the amazing opportunity this past weekend to travel to Maine to target shark and bluefin tuna. I was invited by one of my educational charter clients to join him for a day, but then got upgraded to a larger boat with one of his friends who had an extra seat for an overnight trip. In the middle of the night while trying to jig up some squid, we hooked up on the main rod rigged with a live Pogie. For the first 10 minutes it stayed deep without doing much, and we thought we had hooked into a large shark. Then it streaked to the surface and made a massive run! We knew we had a large tuna on at that point and began what would be an almost 2-hr battle until we tail-roped it. Once in the boat it measured 101" and weighed an estimated 650-700 lbs! Back at the dock it became the talk of the town with people coming from all over to see it as we all waited for the market truck to arrive to process the fish and get an official dressed weight - 519 lbs! One of the largest caught this season in that area, a fish of a lifetime! An unbelievable experience!!

Tuna-1.jpg

Tuna-2.jpg

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Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers

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14 hours ago, anytime said:

Did you guy's get to keep it or was it turned over to the captain?

It was a free trip for me to go out with them, so it went to the capt. However, I was able to keep the cut they used to grade it and the tail section that we were able to slice around 10 more cuts off of and I will be able to make a tail mount with it. It was a trip of a lifetime and and PB that will be hard to beat! More importantly though I have made some amazing friends in that fishery to share more experiences with both here and up there in the future!

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2 minutes ago, bigted said:

WOW ! Awesome fish.

 

Curious what the fish was worth per pound ?

 

Wondering if prices match the "Wicked Tuna" show ?

It was interesting to talk with the locals there, as well as the guy who processes the fish (one of the guys from the show). The price per lb is actually figured out when the fish is sold in the market, not at the time it is taken (like on the show). Prices can be higher for smaller higher quality fish, but they tend to be exaggerated on the show. This one will likely price out around $8/lb according to the current market and what the capt. expected to receive. 

 

Finders Keepers

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58 minutes ago, scobar said:

2 hour battle, that's crazy, how many times were you on the rod?

Most of the time, although I did get tired a couple times and had to take a brief break (when I captured video and pics). I also had the capt. take over in the beginning to show me how much pressure to put on the rod/line as I have never used such heavy fishing gear before. It was such an adrenaline rush, especially the first time it came across the back of the boat so we could see it - amazing!! 

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greenhornet73

greenhornet73

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I watch the show quite a bit but nothing could compare to seeing a fish like that approach the side of the boat and then on the deck. Must have been surreal.  I wish I could handle a trip like that but even after all my years on the water my stomach can’t handle those rough seas.

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