History Of Giant Tuna Fishing

How I managed to catch a 500 pound tuna with my crippled foot.

In this blog we interviewed Katriel to tell us about the giant tuna he caught. It was a unique experience, so much so that it made the news in a newspaper. And to add to the adventure, it was Katriel's rod that caught the fish while Katriel had a sprained ankle. So the story was quite a feat. Join us in reading this blog to find out how it happened.

Was it an ordinary fishing day? 

Two years ago, in March 2021, a friend invited me and a group of his friends to go fishing for a weekend. We went to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, about 6 hours away from where we live. 

The interesting thing about this anecdote is that the weekend before we went skating with Devyn. It was a wooden rink and we had the fastest skates around and at one point I fell and sprained my ankle. So I went fishing crippled, with a bandage and a boot. It was like life rewarded me for being injured.

Did you bring your own fishing gear?

No, the captain of the boat has all the licenses, infrastructure and equipment to go fishing. We wanted it to be a full-fledged trip, so we expected nothing less than what happened.

We arrived in the evening, and we had dinner and went to bed, knowing there was an early morning ahead of us. At 3 a.m. we all woke up because the captain was waiting at the dock for us to leave at 4 a.m.

Why did you leave so early?

We left early because we had a 3-hour trip into the Atlantic Ocean. It was a difficult experience because we were on an empty stomach and the boat was moving all over the place. It was a diesel engine boat, so it was burning diesel and it was very noisy. So I put on headphones and a jacket and slept for about half an hour. Meanwhile, they started setting up the equipment. We prepared the poles with everything they needed, and the captain started giving us instructions on how to make our expedition effective. The most important part of his explanation is that when the fish the hook, it wants to escape, so he starts throwing the line at 100 meters, and when it slows down because it can't stretch any further, we have to bring it in with all the force possible.

We lost a tuna because the line was cut and the fish got away. But at one point we came to the side of the current where all the fish tend to gather because of the same water pressure. We threw the bait there and a lot of tuna showed up, it was impressive. They are so large it is hard to imagine - these are fish the size of cows jumping out of the water. And like magic we caught two, but we quickly analyzed which one was bigger because we all had to get it out of the water. And my rod had the biggest one, I caught it, and between ten people we pulled it into the boat. It sounds like it was easy, but we spent 3 hours fighting that thing.

How did you feel when you caught it?

It was the most exciting moment because we were tired from the effort. The first thing we did was pull the tail out of the water, which is always done so they lose proportion and can't escape. We grabbed it with some hooks and between ten people we pulled it into the boat. To give you an idea, the fish was two and a half meters, or about eight feet long. Then we asked if we could catch another one, but the captain told us that they give you a license for one blue fin tuna per boat, per year. 

That made it even more exciting because I had beginner's luck. I caught it and we shared it between 8 people. 

The tunas are so big and of such good quality that they can be sold to restaurants for $100,000. They serve them and take out as much of the waste as they can. They make sauce, jelly, and a lot of things with the scraps. The meat is so good it melts in your hand because of the fat it has.

So why didn't you sell it?

There was no chance. We didn't sell it because it was my first experience fishing for blue fin tuna. Imagine, we were in the local newspaper because we caught the biggest tuna on the pier. I wanted to keep it. As a chef, it is exciting to see a quality fish of that magnitude. I still have a little piece in the freezer and to eat it is like the greatest luxury. As I told you, the meat melts in your hand, imagine it in your mouth. That same night we ate it with the fishing group and we didn't even think about selling it.

Couldn't you catch other fish?

No, because there is no way to keep the fish cold. So we had a 3-hour trip back to the harbor. 

When we caught it, we took out the insides and put ice on it to preserve it. Then we put a big fish blanket with a zipper, like a sleeping bag, to keep the temperature down. But because the fish was so big, the blanket couldn’t close. Because it was so heavy, when we arrived at the dock, we had to lift it with a small crane. They weighed it and it came out to be 457 pounds. 

So to answer your question, it was impossible to catch anything while maintaining the quality of our first fish. Also, the boat is only permitted to catch one blue fin tuna per year, and that was the only type of fish biting that day.

And once you get to the dock, what happens to the fish?

At the dock they take it to the small room to cut it and take out the 4 fillets that the fish has. They always throw away the head and the tail, so I asked if they would throw it away. They said yes and I was sorry because I wanted to keep it. I don't like to throw anything away, if I'm going to hunt or fish an animal, I think you have to use it in its entirety. To make it worth the effort, I could still use the tail. With the gelatin, I made a fish soup, which is delicious because it has a lot of collagen, which gives it a spectacular fishy taste. 

Didn't you repeat this experience?

We could not organize it again, but we were told that last year and this year the expedition was a failure. Because the weather was not good and there were no fish biting at all. So the time we went, we were lucky. 

Do you consider yourself lucky?

The truth is that I don't consider myself a lucky person. You could say I was lucky for the first time. It was beginner's luck. Because there was nothing I could do to increase the odds of success in this fishery, and yet my rod caught the tuna.

The moral of the story was not to lose the ability to be surprised. Life always rewards us for having good intentions; sooner or later. And now we are talking about catching a fish, but I know that there are many fruits to be seen in many aspects of my life. And I would say the same to whoever is reading this, things can always get better, even when the outlook is the worst; you can always have some luck.