Potential New World-Record Yellowfin Tuna Caught Off Mexico
A first-time long-range angler aboard the Excel out of San Diego, California, has landed what some on the 124-foot boat believe will be the next International Game Fish Association (IGFA) all-tackle world-record yellowfin tuna, according to petethomasoutdoors.com.
John Petruescu used a live skipjack tuna to entice a yellowfin that taped out aboard the vessel at what its Facebook page is listing as 400 pounds, according the web report. “I’ve been told by someone closely associated with the boat, however, that this is a very conservative round number, and that the actual weight of the behemoth probably is much heavier,” wrote Pete Thomas, noted Southern California outdoor reporter. Petruescu and the Excel are still at sea.
The fish was among many giant tuna caught at Hurricane Bank (also called the Shimada Seamount) off Mexico’s Pacific coast. All of the big tuna will be weighed on a certified scale after the luxury sportfisher returns to port Saturday night or Sunday morning, the website states. The current IGFA all-tackle world record is a 405-pound yellowfin caught in 2010 by Mike Livingston aboard the Vagabond West off Baja California, near Magdalena Bay. In September, Guy Yocom of Dana Point caught a yellowfin weighing 427.5 pounds while fishing out of Cabo San Lucas off Baja California’s tip. That catch has yet to be approved by the IGFA as an all-tackle record.
“Taping out” is a measurement formula used by crew members on boats while they’re still at sea, and the technique is generally pretty reliable. But the “400 pounds” figure appears to have been thrown out merely as a round number, said Thomas in his report. Petruescu’s tuna required five gaffs just to steer it to the tuna gate, and it barely fit through the gate.
