iStockphoto / Whitepointer
A behemoth of a bluefin tuna was caught in Nantucket this week. The crew from Topspin Fishing charters boated a 1,000+ pound bluefin tuna on Monday.
Early Summer through the Fall is peak tuna fishing season in the Northeast, from New Jersey’s canyons all the way north up to Nova Scotia. These massive pelagic fish, a delicacy all around the globe, chase abundant baitfish.
Cape Cod, Nantucket, New Jersey, Maine…These all offer some of the best tuna fishing opportunities not just on the East Coast but anywhere in the world during the Summer.
1,000+ Pound Bluefin Tuna Caught In Nantucket
News of the latest ‘grander’ caught in Nantucket made its way around the Massachusetts island and then started to circulate around the fishing world.
The fish was caught during a charter and later sold to a wholesaler at the Hyannis Marina for an undisclosed amount.
The ‘Grander’ Tuna Was An Absolute Unit
According to an update from the Nantucket Current on Instagram, Topspin Fishing charter Captain Carl Bois could only sum it up as “an epic day.”
He says the charter that day initially wanted to go white marlin fishing but the forecast wasn’t great. So he talked them into a day of bluefin tuna fishing and that proved to be the perfect choice. Saying “After looking at the forecast, I talked them into going tuna fishing. Little did they know we’d be catching this sea monster – 1,000 pounds. They did a great job, including the patience needed to get it done.”
According to the captain, the bluefin tuna once dressed (chopped up) and sold weighed 800 pounds. Accounting for the trimmings, the parts that aren’t sold off for meat, they believe this fish easily weighed well over 1,000 pounds though a final weight of the intact bluefin tuna was never taken.
The IGFA Fishing World Record for bluefin tuna is a 1496 lb 0 oz fish. That was caught by angler Ken Fraser way back on October 26, 1979 in Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia up in Canada.
In the state of Massachusetts, where the Nantucket island fishing records are attached to, the state’s fishing record for bluefin tuna is 1,228 pounds. That fish was caught in Cape Cod Bay on September 23, 1984 by Marlene Goldstein.
The only other larger state fishing record in Massachusetts than that is a 1,324 lb shortfin mako shark caught in 1999.
Fishing in Nantucket
The Topspin Fishing charters in Nantucket that caught this grander bluefin tuna can be booked!
If you want to get out on the water and chase these giant pelagic tuna, the full day offshore trips run $3,200 with the customary 20% gratuity added for the mate. They also offer 7 1/2 hour inshore fishing trips and 5hr inshore fishing trips.
Hit up the Topspin Fishing website to learn more and book a charter yourself!