January 20, 2015 — Bluefin tuna fishing around Morehead City is shaping up to be one of the best in years, and last Tuesday, it may have hit its peak. After a grueling battle that lasted 3 ½ hours over nearly 10 miles of ocean, two fishermen trolling near Beaufort inlet hauled in what is unofficially the largest bluefin tuna ever brought to North Carolina scales, weighing 1,005 pounds and measuring 115 inches long.
Capt. Herb Sheades of Newport, fishing on a 28-foot Downeast-style lobster boat, the Fish Bucket, hooked up with the big fish at about 6:45 a.m. in rough seas, with the wind blowing between 20 and 30 knots. His mate, Jonathan Anderson of Morehead City, was on the rod for the entire fight.
After an epic tug of war, the huge bluefin was led into harpoon range, where the deal was sealed. The fish’s size rendered it unable to fit through the vessel’s tuna door, so it had to be towed 14 miles back through Beaufort Inlet.