Part I: Hunting Giants
10 tactics that top skippers use to catch giant tuna!
“I caught the world-record 420 kg giant Bluefin in 1940 — on a hickory rod. It took me more than three hours because my drag and line weren’t strong enough. And our fighting chair was a barber chair! I was afraid I’d lose some of my inexperienced anglers over the rail as some others had, so I roped ‘em into the boat. “One guy fishing from someone else’s boat popped up only after the line broke between him and the giant. They never found the other guy [from another boat] who went over the side.”
These are the words of Capt. Malcolm Hudson of Newburyport, Massachusetts, offering a veteran’s insight into the grand tradition of fishing for giant Bluefin tuna, and the exciting, dramatic and potentially dangerous nature of pursuing the world’s most powerful fish. Jim Chambers explains.
World’s Toughest Big Game Fish
Experts will tell you that the Bluefin tuna are in fact the toughest of all big game fish. According to Capt. Jack Cashman of New Jersey, “big Marlin are spectacular, but their jumps and acrobatics wear them out. Giant Bluefin have more power and stamina than any other species. And once you’ve caught one, it spoils you for other big game fish.”
However, today, Bluefin tuna are on the critically endangered list, and are often exploited by commercial fishermen on the high seas. So, Leisure Boating and Big Game Fishing are proud to say that we only support (and encourage) the catch, AND RELEASE of Bluefin tuna.
Another pro in the know: Capt. Al Ristori from New Jersey said he ranks Bluefin as the top game fish in the world. “They have everything going for them: speed, power and endurance. On comparable tackle, no billfish can compare pound-for-pound with a Bluefin, in terms of sheer fighting ability.”
