iStockphoto / Whitepointer
An angler from Virginia Beach just fished his way into the record books after landing a massive 832.6-pound Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. The record bluefin tuna was caught during the 2026 Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament and was certified as a new state fishing record shortly thereafter.
Angler Mike Rogerson of Virginia Beach was fishing aboard the High Hopes guided by veteran captain David Wright off of Virginia’s Eastern Shore when he hooked up with the fish of a lifetime.
832.6-Pound Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Is New Virginia Fishing Record
This is the largest fish ever caught and weighed in Virginia by a mile. The previous existing Virginia state fishing record for Atlantic bluefin tuna was a 708-pound fish caught on February 16, 2020 by angler Jake Hiles of Virginia Beach.
That record beat a 2015 record of 606-pounds which was caught by angler Chase Robinson, also from Virginia Beach. Noticing a pattern yet?
The largest fish ever caught in Virginia are bluefin tuna and it’s not even close. The only fish species in the vicinity of Atlantic bluefin tuna in Virginia, in terms of weight, might be the swordfish. And the Virginia state fishing record for swordfish is a 597-pound swordfish caught on September 25, 2020 by angler Nicholas Kontodiakos out of Norfolk.
Big Fish Makes The Evening News
After the new record-setting 832.6-pound Atlantic Bluefin Tuna was caught on January 10th, the angling world was buzzing with news of the massive catch. The story quickly got picked up by WAVY TV 10 local news which ran a story on the spectacular fish.
Captain David Wright of the High Hopes told WAVY News “it was just a matter of getting lucky,” which might be the understatement of the year. Not only did they need a lot of luck they needed to be perfectly prepared to haul this fish in.
Prior to catching the new Virginia record bluefin tuna, Capt. Wright says they got skunked on several trips in a row. Adding “it’s much easier to go out there and come in with nothing than it is to go out there and get something really cool.” Amen to that. It’s why they call it ‘fishing’ and not ‘catching.’
‘We Had An Explosion’
For this trip, he went further offshore than recent trips. The captain said “lo and behold, we had an explosion that looked like an atom bomb going off in the back of the boat.”
Anyone who has ever been fishing for giant tuna knows EXACTLY what he is talking about. These fish are pure muscle and power.
Once hooked up, it took roughly an hour and a half to get the new record bluefin tuna to the boat. Then came the battle of getting the 800+ pound fish into the boat which is no simple task.
Capt. Wright said “the real adrenaline was when we got to the dock and our weigh master brought the fish up and said the weight. That’s where the fun began.”