There could possibly be a new NC Blue Fin Tuna caught on rod and reel. I just got a call from my good friend Denard Harris at Portside Marina in Beaufort. Denard was the weighmaster for a possible record Blue Fin Tuna catch this week. The Charter Boat "
Sea Wolf" (Capt. Marston Jones) boated a BFT that weighed in at 875 lbs. was 110 inches in length and had a 88 inch girth. The Sea Wolf hooked up with the Blue Fin near the 240 Rock on December 17th at approximately 8AM. The fish was boated after a 4 hour and 23 minute fight on 130lb class tackle using a black and purple Islander lure. The angler that fought the fish the entire time was Dennis Meinhart of Berlin, Maryland. The fish dressed out at 716 lbs. Congratulations guys!
The current NC Record Blue Fin Tuna was caught in 1995 by Thomas Bailey off Oregon Inlet and weighed 744 lb. 0 oz.
(The attached photos were provided by Portside Marina and were taken by Susan Hinzman).