Auckland angler Donna Pascoe still holds the world record for largest tuna ever caught. Back in February 20, 2014, she reeled in a massive 907-pound, Pacific bluefin tuna after a four-hour battle. It is the largest fish ever caught by a female on rod and reel in New Zealand.
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Pascoe’s monstrous bluefin was 130 pounds heavier than the previous all-tackle world record, which is listed as a 777-pound, 1-ounce, Pacific bluefin caught off New Zealand by Kevin Baker the previous year.
She recalled the entire event during an interview with Saltwater Sportsman:
“I hooked up at 9:10 a.m. with the reel screaming. The fish never surfaced, so we had no idea what was on the other end. After three hours, the fish surfaced and the skipper yelled ‘tuna, world record!’ The line was peeling out like it was attached to a freight train. As usual, I was pretty nervous that I might get spooled. Thankfully, the fish stopped running and I was able to get a bit of line back in. Once we had the fish, I was so excited that my arms and legs could have fallen off and I wouldn’t have noticed. I think adrenalin is a great thing and it certainly kept me going.”
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While there has been larger bluefin that have been caught, Donna Pascoe holds the record for the largest bluefin ever caught by a woman, using a rod and reel. A catch like that is sure to be remembered!
The largest tuna on record was caught in October 1979. According to Sport Fishing, it was a 1,496-pound behemoth was hooked while trolling mackerel off Nova Scotia.
The record for a sale of a Pacific bluefin tuna was $3.1 million back in September of 2018. While this particular tuna was much smaller that the one that Pascoe reeled in, it goes to show how valuable these fish can be. Check it out in the video below.