NC Crew Catches 1045 pound Bluefin Tuna Off Morehead City North Carolina

January 20th, 2017 – Morehead City, North Carolina –

Clarke Merrell, Scott McCoy and Chris Garner had a day to remember while fishing off the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.  They landed an enormous 1045 lb Bluefin Tuna about 3 miles off the beach. To our knowledge, this is the largest Bluefin landed off the coast of NC. The fish was an impressive 121 inches long and cored out at 836 lbs.

In 2015 Capt. Herb Sheades of Newport landed a 115 inch Bluefin that tipped the scales at 1005 lbs. This fish was ineligible for a state record because it was sold commercially. This appears to be the case with this most recent catch which will leave the 805-pound bluefin caught in 2011 off Oregon Inlet by angler Corey Schultz as the current NC State Record.

Who says you need a big boat to target BIG tuna? These guys were fishing just off the beach in a center console Sea Hunt and BAM the fish hit. They were fishing with a Bluewater Candy Red Head Jag, Tiagra 130 and a custom Angler’s Envy Chatham Special Bluefin Tuna Rod to get the job done.

It sounds like the fish put up quite the fight and lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes. We can’t wait to hear the full story! Make sure you stop by the Dank Burrito in Morehead and tell Clarke nice catch!