BY MIKE STEVENS
POINT LOMA— Images of an absolute depth charge of a yellowfin tuna caught by Earl Gill IV beamed home from the Excel with half of the 10-day trip still ahead of her ensured the hype train would be all-ahead-full when the legendary long-range vessel returned to San Diego early Saturday morning. When weighed on the boat, the tuna tipped the scale at 448 pounds which is significantly more than the IGFA all-tackle record of (427). That got the buzz going throughout the sportfishing community, but the fish still had to be weighed on a certified scale, and that wasn’t happening until it was carted up to the scale on dry land near Fisherman’s Landing.
“We will be back to the landing tomorrow morning to offload our catch and to weigh Earl’s tuna on an official scale” Captain Justin Fleck posted to the Excel Facebook page while steaming back home. “To my knowledge, there have only been four other yellowfin tuna weighing 400-plus pounds caught on rod and reel. Win, lose, or draw, it is an amazing achievement. It makes you wonder if we have been hooking fish of this caliber over the years but are just now able to start landing them because of the advancements in fishing gear. Here on the Excel, our mission is to put our anglers on the biggest fish in the ocean, but 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.”
This was the 29th-annual Brad Merritt’s “Bent Rods” 10-Day Excel Charter, and Gill made the cross-country trip from North Carolina to take part in it. He was already on a plane home as this was being written early Saturday afternoon mere hours from his fish of a lifetime being dock-carted up the pier in front of Point Loma Sportfishing, through an applauding, cameras-out crowd and to the scale at Fisherman’s Landing where everyone was clamoring to hear the number.
Gill’s fish was lifted tail-up out of the cart, and the digital scale wavered between 442 and 444 pounds. Both 442 and 443 were mentioned as the final weight, regardless, the fish clearly appears worthy of standing as the new IGFA all-tackle world record.
The IGFA record was one thing, but the Captain and crew of the Excel was also interested to see if Gill’s yellowfin was also bigger than a 445 pounder caught on the vessel in 2012. That fish did not qualify for an IGFA record because the angler had assistance from the crew, but it’s still likely the biggest yellowfin ever caught on rod and reel, and Gill’s fish had a shot at dethroning it as well but it fell a couple pounds short.
The crew of the Excel made a point to wheel the world-class fish from the pier in front of Point Loma Sportfishing to the Fisherman’s Landing scale because it’s located near the statue of sportfishing pioneer, Bill Poole. Honoring the former boat owner, Captain, boat builder and entrepreneur in this manner was 100 percent by design.
Gill closed the deal on his tuna using a chunk bait on 100-pound line and an Okuma Makaira 20 2-speed reel. After the weigh-in, Western Outdoor News spoke with Captain Jeremiah Sapp who was part of the crew on the trip, and he made it loud and clear that Gill used a shoulder harness and did not use the rail as leverage when fighting his fish. While rail fishing is popular and effective for big game fishing, it would have disqualified the fish from IGFA record consideration.
The all-tackle record for yellowfin tuna as it stands now is 427 pounds, and it was caught by Guy Yocum offshore of Cabo San Lucas on September 18, 2012. Similarly to Gill’s catch (which was caught at the lower banks off of Cabo), Yocum also was chunk fishing with 100-pound tackle.
“That fish was absolutely mind blowing, and we’re thrilled to be part of this remarkable moment in sportfishing history,” said Dave Brown of Okuma, who was also in attendance when the Excel returned to San Diego. “The fact that this incredible catch was made using a Makaira 20 is a proud moment for the entire Okuma team and truly solidifies its legacy in long-range fishing. Congratulations to Earl, Justin, and the entire Excel crew on this outstanding achievement.”
