A fisherman from Amherstburg headed south of the border to cast a line and came back with a rather impressive catch.
Steve Gibson headed to Gloucester, Massachusetts, on the western shore of Cape Cod Bay, a couple of weeks ago on a fishing trip and ended up catching one of the biggest fish he has ever pulled out of the water. After it was cleaned, the tuna Gibson caught – with help from others on the boat - weighed 580 pounds. The length was measured at 110-inches.
Gibson said they first hooked the large tuna at approximately 6:44 a.m. After battling it for several hours, he said they were able to pull it onto the boat around 1 p.m. Among those helping him land the tuna were fisherman from the area, including those that appear on the television show “Wicked Tuna.”
“We had no idea for a few hours,” Gibson said of the size of the fish. “It just kept going out, coming in, going out, coming in.”
Around 12:47 p.m. Aug. 16 is when they realized roughly how big the fish was. While pleased with the size of the catch, the reaction was on the quiet side.
“It was rather subdued. We were all tired,” the Boblo resident said. “The power was incredible. It was like fighting a bull.”
Gibson hired a charter to help him out, something he didn’t do two years ago when he went to the same area. He also uses his boat to fish in Florida, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario.
The bait used was caught earlier in the day, namely in the wee hours of the morning. Gibson said the bait fish were the size of small walleyes.
Gibson was not allowed to bring the huge tuna home due to laws and regulations. He said the charter captain keeps the fish so it can be properly processed. Not only did the tuna not come home with Gibson to Amherstburg, it didn’t even stay in North America.
“That fish is destined for Japan,” said Gibson.
Local fisherman gets big catch while in Massachusetts
By Ron Giofu
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