North Carolina angler Earl Gill IV was among a group of 26 fishermen enjoying a 10-day, long-range fishing trip aboard the “Excel” boat in mid-November. The 124-foot boat run by veteran Captain Justin Fleck is renowned for catching oversize tuna, among other species, But when Gill hooked an especially big, and deep-running tuna while “chunk” fishing, the whole crew took notice.
Gill was fishing in 150 feet of water on Nov. 11 when he hooked the fish. He fought the tuna from the boat’s stern using a rail-style rod with an Okuma Makaira 20 lever drag 2-speed reel, spooled with 100-pound-test line. After a dogged and tiring battle that almost took all line from his Okuma reel, Gill worked the tuna to the surface, and it was finally hauled aboard the Excel.
The boat’s scale said the fish weighed 448 pounds, which would shatter the IGFA all-tackle record of 417 pounds. However, the Excel was only midway through its scheduled 10-day trip. So, the tuna had to be refrigerated, which surely caused it to lose some pounds before it could be officially weighed ashore on certified scales.
Capt. Fleck posted about the catch on the Excel Facebook page as the boat headed back to San Diego.
“There have only been four other yellowfin tuna weighing 400-plus pounds caught on rod and reel,” he wrote. “It is an amazing achievement. Every now and then, we’re astonished by the sheer size of a catch, and we’re thrilled for Earl to reel in the fish of a lifetime and can’t wait to see if it sets a new IGFA record.”
Jason Gross is manager for the Excel fishing boat and witnessed the fish weighing on shore.
“On certified land-based scales, Earl’s yellowfin weighed 443-pounds,” Gross tells Outdoor Life. “It was a special fish for sure, measuring 84-inches long, with a 66-inch girth.”
Gross says after weighing and measuring, the tuna was taken to a food processor, as yellowfins are prized table fare. He says Gill is working through standard IGFA paperwork to submit his catch as a record to the Florida-based organization.
If certified by the IGFA, it would crush the current all-tackle record for yellowfin tuna. That fish weighed 427 pounds and was caught off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in 2012 by angler Guy Yocom. Some questions have been raised about Gill’s catch because of the duration of the long-range trip and the tackle used. Gross, however, says that Gill owns the tackle he used. Also, his father (who also was on the boat), is a long-time veteran and experienced “Excel” angler.
Captain Jeremiah Sapp, who was a crew member aboard the Excel when Gill caught his tuna, reports that the angler only used a shoulder harness to battle the yellowfin and not the boat “rail” for leverage. That’s an important detail in order for the catch to be IGFA eligible. Using a boat rail for support would disqualify the catch for IGFA inclusion. A shoulder harness is IGFA approved.
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It seems likely that Gill’s catch will be approved by IGFA after the paperwork is scrutinized by the organization, which should happen soon. Gill was stunned by catching such a massive yellowfin tuna, while not having to warm up on smaller ones.
“I think a lot of things lined up to help me land this fish,” he said.
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