St. Paddy’s Day Bluefin Catch Breaks State Record
The bluefin was reeled in by a retired Army general visiting from Townsend, Delaware, and was caught on trolling dead bait on 130-pound line test on a 130 Shimano road and reel. The angler, Scott Chambers, was aboard the local charter boat A-Salt Weapon with Capt. Dennis Endee out of Pirate’s Cove Marina. The bluefin required a 2.5 hour fight and a subsequent 90 minute struggle to haul the fish onto the boat.
The record-breaking bluefin weighed in at 877 pounds, which is roughly 72 pounds heavier than the former state record holder – an 805 pound bluefin that was also reeled in off of Oregon Inlet in 2011.
The world record for Bluefin tuna was set in 1979, with a massive 1,496-pound fish that was reeled in off of Nova Scotia, and while a 1,000+ pound bleufin was landed in Carteret County earlier this year, it was not eligible for the recreational title as it was commercially sold.
Per the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the giant tuna measured 113 inches curved fork length and had a girth of 79 inches.
