Anglers Land Would-Be Record 900-Pound Tuna In New River Inlet, NC

A group of anglers led by Captain John Cruise of Pelagic Hunter Sportfishing caught a would-be record 900-pound Bluefin Tuna fishing out of New River Inlet, North Carolina.

In order for a state record or fishing world record to be certified, the fish must be battled and reeled in by only one angler. The group of Capt. John Cruise, Zack Foster, and Aaron Barr each took turns battling the 900-pound tuna over the course of 5-and-a-half hours through unforeseen obstacles.

So even though this 900-pound tuna would have bested the existing North Carolina state fishing record for Bluefin Tuna by 23 pounds, it will not be certified as there were 3 anglers involved. That, however, does not diminish this once-in-a-lifetime catch that nearly escaped them.

Bob McNally of Sport Fishing magazine caught up with Capt. John Cruise to discuss the record-sized catch. Cruise says he “knew it was a giant of a fish and we were headed for an epic battle when the tuna made a…