InTheBite

  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Featured Stories
    • General News
    • Captain of the Year
    • Tournament Results
    • First Builds
    • Splash Reports
    • Old Salts Rule
    • Tackle Tips
    • Dock Talk
    • Crew Records
    • Conservation
  • Tournaments
    • Calendar
    • Captain of the Year
    • Champion’s Cup
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

New Texas State Record Bluefin Tuna Weighing 876 Pounds

April 16, 2021 By InTheBite Digital Editor

Photo courtesy Capt. Justin Drummond

Friday, April 16, 2021, Thomas J. Hilton, www.HiltonsOffshore.com—A week ago last year in early April 2020, 4 Texas boats with Hilton’s subscribers aboard each landed a bluefin tuna weighing between 599 pounds to 820 pounds (new Texas state record). They were landed off of surface structures shown on www.HiltonsOffshore.com.

Sea surface water temperature is critical this time of year, with fish (and fishermen) looking for the warmest water they can find – later in the summer, we will be looking for the COOLEST water we can find.
This past Monday morning, a friend of mine called asking for recommendations on where to head to find some tuna. Since I knew where some good tuna catches were made last year about this time, I went back in Hilton’s archives to early April 2020 to see what the conditions were where I KNEW good fish were caught – the archived shots showed that they were caught in water temps of 77-78 degrees.
I then looked at the latest Hilton’s sea temp shots in those same areas but the water temp was only about 72-73 degrees – a significant difference. I looked around at a totally different area that had the warmest water within range of Port Aransas and it was about 75 degrees so I recommended that they head to “X Marks The Spot”.
The result? Another new Texas State Record Bluefin tuna weighing 876 pounds! Hell yeah!
Congratulations to Capt. Justin Drummond and the crew of the Quantified on their great catch! It’s one thing to hook into one of these behemoths, but it’s an entirely different thing to LAND one (I believe it took 9 hours on an 80W)!
It takes skill and lots of preparation to catch a fish of this caliber – I have heard of captains that have been spooled by some BFT that weren’t even this large.
Bottom line: being able to look back in time is a GREAT learning tool to determine where to go tomorrow based on past results and the ability to log Fish Catch Location spots for future reference. This is where Hilton’s leads the nation’s fish finding industry in this respect with Hilton’s archives and Hilton’s Electronic Logbook Program (H.E.L.P.).
As a side note, it is illegal to “target” bluefin tuna as they come into the Gulf of Mexico to spawn each spring but a boat is allowed 1 fish/year if caught incidentally while targeting other species AND if they have the required HMS Permit.
NOAA Fisheries allows a certain quota to be caught then closes the fishery once the quota poundage has been reached. This fish represents probably about 1/4 of our allowed quota here in the Gulf of Mexico for 2021.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.

    Filed Under: General News, News, Press Releases Tagged With: Bluefin, bluefin tuna record, gulf offshore fishing, texas fishing

    Recent News

    Strange Creatures Come Out at Night

      By Captain Kevin Deerman It’s always been amazing to me to see what kind of creatures show up in the lights around the boat at night when tuna fishing off the Texas coast. Over the years we’ve encountered many different types of fis … [Read More...]

    Colombia To Ban Recreational Fishing

    On May 2, the Supreme Court of Colombia ruled that recreational fishing was unconstitutional. As a result, Colombians expect a ban on recreational fishing to take effect within one year. The decision comes after the Court’s 2019 ban on r … [Read More...]

    lines

    Superlines

    Modern dredge fishing has evolved tremendously, with multi-tiered teasers complementing intricate pulley systems mounted to towering outriggers. Mono has been a reliable choice for dredge line and outrigger halyards for years and is still popular … [Read More...]

    I Always Like A Red Head—Is Lure Color Important?

    By Peter B Wright How important is the color of a lure to a billfish, a tuna or any other large pelagic game fish? For many fish, including everything from small bait fish to giant marlin and tuna, color vision can be hugely … [Read More...]

    blue marlin fishing

    Blue Marlin Blast Fishing Tournament

    By Toine van Ierland, Tournament Director Cape Verde on fire! In both 2020 and 2021, we were forced to postpone the tournament thanks to COVID-19, but on the night of April 24, 2022, we finally kicked off the 2022 EFSA European Championship Big … [Read More...]

    Leave a Reply

    Connect With InTheBite

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Subscribe to InTheBite Magazine Today!

    InTheBite Magazine Current Cover

    Our latest issue is hitting the docks now! Be sure to subscribe to the hottest bluewater mag on the market. Purchase or Subscribe »

    InTheBite Champion’s Cup

    InTheBite Champions Cup Logo

    New for 2022, the Champion’s Cup is an optional paid entry with a winner-takes-all prize format for teams who want to up the stakes in each division utilizing our longstanding tournament scoring formula.

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings

    COTY / ITB Cup Logo

    News

    • Colombia To Ban Recreational Fishing

      Colombia To Ban Recreational Fishing

      On May 2, the Supreme Court of Colombia ruled that recreational fishing was unconstitutional. As a result, Colombians expect a ban on recreational fishing to take effect within one year. The decision comes after the Court’s 2019 ban on recreational hunting. Then, the Court held that recreational hunting was animal cruelty and a threat to the environment. It has made... [Read More...]

    • Blue Marlin Blast Fishing Tournament

      Blue Marlin Blast Fishing Tournament

      By Toine van Ierland, Tournament Director Cape Verde on fire! In both 2020 and 2021, we were forced to postpone the tournament thanks to COVID-19, but on the night of April 24, 2022, we finally kicked off the 2022 EFSA European Championship Big Game Fishing Tournament, AKA The PENN Challenge. And what a tournament it was. Expectations Two weeks prior... [Read More...]

    • New State Record for Dolphin Fish

      New State Record for Dolphin Fish

      Georgia DNR, Brunswick, Ga., May 5, 2022—A 53-year-old Midway man is the new state record holder for dolphin fish (Coryphaena hippurus), also known as mahi mahi, after the Georgia Department of Natural Resources certified his catch Friday. James Roberts of Midway landed the 68-pound, 1.6-ounce dolphin on April 26. He was fishing over Deli Ledge approximately 80 miles east of... [Read More...]

    • Capt. Patrick Price Memorial

      Capt. Patrick Price Memorial

      By Dave Powell, Captain Patrick Price Reef Project Manager On Sept. 6, 2021, Capt. Patrick Price passed away from COVID-19. Soon thereafter, a group of about 100 boat owners, captains, and fishermen, all friends of Pat’s, got together for afternoon beer in front of Fish Heads Tackle Shop. Their goal was to come up with a memorial to honor their good... [Read More...]

    • Contender One/Costa Wins the Quest For The Crest & Still Right Wins Final Sail

      Contender One/Costa Wins the Quest For The Crest & Still Right Wins Final Sail

      Bluewater Movements, April 14—Record Breaking. That’s the best way to describe the 2022 Final Sail tournament weekend in Miami on April 6-9, 2022. 479 releases across a 41 boat fleet and the top 5 teams combined released 121 fish! Going into Final Sail, all eyes were on the five teams in contention to win the coveted burgundy jacket and this... [Read More...]

    Search InTheBite

    Copyright © 2022 InTheBite, LLC · All Rights Reserved.

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.