Posted on 12/06/2010 8:05:43 PM PST by NormsRevenge
There was spirited celebration on the San Diego waterfront Monday morning after the vessel Vagabond returned from a long-range fishing trip into Mexican waters and offloaded the heaviest yellowfin tuna ever caught by an angler.
The behemoth, landed by Mike Livingston of Sunland, Calif., weighed 405.2 pounds; it's girth was 61 inches and it measured nearly 86 inches from nose to tail.
The catch, made on 100-pound-test line after nearly a three-hour fight, will be submitted to the International Game Fish Assn. for approval as an all-tackle world record. Capt. Mike Lackey said IGFA rules were followed so the catch likely will replace the current record, a 388-pound 12-ounce specimen, which has stood since 1977.
"When the scale hit that number it was like the Super Bowl here," said Livingston, 63, a retired school administrator, in reference to cheers from a crowd of nearly 200, gathered to witness the weigh-in.
The Vagabond, an 80-foot deluxe sportfisher, had been on a 10-day expedition in search of "super cows," or tuna weighing 300 pounds or more. Livingston's catch was made last Tuesday west of Magdalena Bay on the southern Baja California peninsula.
Lackey had estimated the tuna's weight at 390 pounds, using a tape-measure formula that is not always accurate. He then froze the fish to preserve it until the boat returned to its home port at Point Loma Sportfishing.
Livingston, whose previous large tuna weighed 100 pounds, said he developed a rash while "worrying about how big this fish was going to be."
(Excerpt) Read more at grindtv.com ...
chicken of the sea
Livingston’s fish was trucked to a taxidermist, where mounts will be made for him and the Vagabond Sportfishing office.
I would have sold it to the Japanese.Isn’t tuna a ridiculous price in Japan?
That’s HUGE! Did the man catch the fish, or did the fish catch the man?
I don’t think japan has especially high prices, it’s just that when a large expensive tuna comes in it typically shows up in tokyo and makes the news as they have the worlds largest tuna auction. It’s quite a sight to see if you get there by 5:30am.
And then cooked some sticky rice. I have nori in the pantry.
/johnny
Taxidermist? What an absolue waste not to harvest all that meat.
Sashimi time!! Get the wasabi.
What? Why not just make sushi out of it...?
A 600 Pound Albino Tuna
That’s a heck of a lot of Sushi.
I think they only eat blue fin though.
just a guess but that’s a $300K fish, imo... some go for big money..
Yellowfin is regarded as sushi grade and would fetch a fine price in Japan. He’s a fool for sending it to the taxidermist. Frame the picture and pocket the substantial profit.
Oh my! What I would give for a plate of suchi Yellowfin and stiky rice!
Oh my! What I would give for a plate of sushi Yellowfin and stiky rice!
scratch this one being worth 300K, bluefin bring the big money..
Giant bluefin tuna sells for £111,000 in Japan
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6976664.ece
They will end up eating it. Taxidermy isn’t exactly what you think it is on fish. They will take a ton of reference points and recreate it. They don’t stuff them like most people think. This thing will end up on someones plate.
http://www.taxidermy.net/information/fish1.html
Good deal.
Will be fishing for bass in Mexico with Capt Mike next week. Hope he brings his luck with him.
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