World Record

Ken Fraser caught the world record bluefin tuna on Oct. 26, 1979. Fraser was fishing with Capt. Eric Samson aboard the Lady and Misty out of Port Hood, Novia Scotia. Fraser hooked up with his incredible bluefin while trolling a mackerel behind his boat. The fight lasted 45 minutes before the crew could get a gaff in the fish.  After lying on the boat for 10 hours, the bluefin still had an unbelievable weight of 1,496 pounds back at shore. The record has stood for just over 50 years!

Connecticut

Lester Debetta holds the Connecticut state record bluefin. Debetta was fishing by Block Island Sound in 1990 when he caught his record fish. The bluefin weighed in at 770 pounds flat.

Maine

Jerry Jamison caught the Bluefin state record in August 1977. Jamison was fishing out of Bath when he hooked up with his massive tuna that weighed in at 819 pounds.

Massachusetts

Marlene Goldstein reeled in a tuna weighing 1,228 pounds, making it the Massachusetts record, and the second-largest tuna in the Northeast. She was fishing in Cape Cod Bay in September of 1984 when she landed her record catch on her husband’s boat, Rookie. They were fishing a brand new rig at the time, a foot-long plastic squid on a spread. The crew of four were able to finish off the fish off with a harpoon.

The New Hampshire bluefin tuna record was landed by Captains Rick Green, Garth Morin, and Bruce DelleChiaie in 2013. The crew was fishing onboard the Salt Shaker, out of New Castle, N.H. when they hooked into the monster 962-pound tuna in the Gulf of Maine. The tuna fought for more than 3.5 hours and measured 119 inches.

Captain Morin gave his account of the day to On The Water back in 2013:

“The fish was first spotted in the chum slick as it fed directly under the boat for 15 minutes before we tricked it with a hook bait. The fish stayed on the surface for most of the fight and sprinted towards the bottom in 380 feet of water, and died. We winched him one foot at a time before he surfaced headfirst with a mouth full of floating Herring. A large blue shark was circling the boat, chasing seagulls and eyeing our precious catch. Fortunately, he decided not to try the sushi. The 150-pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader held tough as it was chafed quite severely in the mouth of the giant. We used a Shimano 130 Tiagra Reel and a Chatham Special rod.”

New Jersey

Royal Parsons caught the New Jersey bluefin tuna record of 1,030 pounds off the coast of Point Pleasant in 1981. Parsons landed the tuna during a downpour. He claimed to have landed over 800 tuna throughout the entirety of his fishing career. Sadly, he passed away from a heart attack in 1988. His wife, Joyce, called him the “gentle giant” and told app.com, “He was at peace on the water. He loved it.” Bob Pisano of the “Ol’ Salty” was the captain of the legendary crew that included Parsons. Between the two years of 1979 and 1981, his crew broke the state record four times.

New York

The New York bluefin tuna record was caught in mid-august of 1977. Larry Thompson hooked up with the giant tuna that had an official weight of 1,071 pounds.

Rhode Island

J. Dempsey caught the Rhode Island state record bluefin tuna in Sept. of 1981. Dempsey was fishing off Block Island when the massive bluefin slammed his line. The tuna weighed in at 1,142 pounds and 12 ounces.