Photo: Getty Images
A group of Texas fisherman made the catch of a lifetime when they hooked a massive 678-pound bluefin tuna. But landing the fish was no easy task, as it took a grueling two-hour battle that left one of their fishing rods in pieces.
It all went down aboard a Dolphin Docks Deep Sea Fishing charter in Port Aransas last month. In addition to the five-person crew on board, there were 16 anglers who tried their luck against the massive tuna, FOX Weather reports. The fierce fight to land the fish took about two hours — and anglers tired out after 2 to 3 minutes, Captain Tim Oestreich said. "When one angler was done, I would call for 'fresh meat on the reel,'" he said.
Here's how the intense battle with the bluefin tuna went down, Oestreich recalled: The bait was in the water for only 10 minutes before the fish bit. Then, the big guy dove down and took 800 yards of fishing line with it, which is "almost half a mile straight down in about a minute," the captain said. It took about 45 minutes for the anglers to reel the fish back up and near the boat, but it took off again. In an effort to tire the fish out, the captain kept it moving by following it in the boat for two-and-a-half miles. Another 45 minutes went by and the fish was back near the boat. That's when the tuna took off again, this time, breaking the fishing rod in two pieces. Grabbing what was left of the rod, Oestreich pulled the fish in by hand for 40 feet with the help of eight other men. They were finally able to bring the big guy onto the boat.
On the 56-hour fishing trip, dubbed the "Texas Safari," the group of fisherman hauled in the limit of yellowfin tuna and 11 wahoo in addition to the photo-worthy tuna. See the photos below: