A fisherman caught one of the biggest bluefin tuna ever taken off California last week and he has a large shark to partially thank.
Mark Lawler, 49, was fishing on a two-day trip aboard the Thunderbird out of Newport Landing in Orange County when he landed a 313.6-pound bluefin tuna off the backside of San Clemente Island.
It was the largest bluefin tuna ever caught aboard a boat from Newport Landing since it started taking offshore trips in 1958.
Lawler told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors that the weight estimate was conservative; it was based on a formula using the measurements of its length and girth, which were 80 and 56 inches.
The length would have been longer if not for a shark biting off its tail near the end of the fight.
Also on FTW Outdoors: 17-foot great white shark shakes cage full of divers
Lawler was taking his turn using a balloon to float a flying fish on the water surface away from the boat when he got the strike.
“All of a sudden, the water splashed everywhere, the fish flies out of the water and I start cranking,” Lawler said.
The fish took nearly half the line off his reel on its initial run before settling into a back-and-forth battle. He went around ...
Full story at USA Today: https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/11/shark- ... -huge-tuna
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