By Kevin Deerman
Most of the tournaments in the Gulf of Mexico are won catching one big fish. Boats set up to handle a dozen or more live tuna with high-velocity pumps often head straight offshore. However, dredge fishing for release numbers dominated our tournaments in Texas this summer as the inshore bite remained strong throughout the season.
By Captain Kevin Deerman
With our Texas tournament season upon us, I believe everyone will be more than happy to get back to attending the normal events with all of the festivities, dinners and award ceremonies that come along with them. Unfortunately, last year with all of the uncertainties and regulations surrounding large gatherings and social distancing we weren’t allowed to have these functions that many considered a significant part of the big game tournament experience.
Photo courtesy Capt. Justin Drummond
By Steve Dougherty
When Cameron “Twitchy” Plaag set the spread on July 11, 2014 under the careful watch of Capt. Kevin Deerman, he likely had no idea he would soon encounter the fish of a lifetime—a 972.7-pound blue marlin which ultimately took top honors in the Bastante John Uhr Memorial Billfish Tournament and stake claim as the new Texas state record. Still riding high from that catch seven years later, Plaag was most recently part of the newest Texas state record bluefin tuna weighing 876 pounds caught aboard Quantified on April 14 with Capt. Justin Drummond.
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus). Photo by Rob Atherton, Getty Images
NOAA Fisheries, Tuesday, May 11, 2021—Fishermen aboard Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Angling category and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels (when fishing recreationally) may not retain, possess, or land large medium or giant Atlantic bluefin tuna (i.e., measuring 73 inches curved fork length or greater) in the Gulf of Mexico after 11:30 p.m., May 4, 2021.
