YF Tuna from the shore!

[khaliq]

Fair Enough... I may be wrong about the hook setting. But it wasn't the anal fin. The fish wasn't jigged. But there is a good reason comments were disabled from the youtube vid. Every extraordinary fish is questioned but i think all areas were covered here.

No offence was intended Tomato Sauce. I was congratulating the angler on landing the fish hooked in its pelvic fin, having missed the lure. I did not make any reference to jigging or the anal fin as you claim. For information purposes, the pelvic fin on a tuna is just below the throat latch.
Lady luck has been kind to all anglers at some time or another. I have landed fish clinging to bait cotton, and hooked in the chin, fins, wrapped around line etc. I was very grateful on each occasion.
In no way does the way it was hooked detract from the magnificence of the catch.
My sincere apologies if I inadvertently caused offence to anyone.

[Homie]

Fair Enough... I may be wrong about the hook setting. But it wasn't the anal fin. The fish wasn't jigged. But there is a good reason comments were disabled from the youtube vid. Every extraordinary fish is questioned but i think all areas were covered here.

No offence was intended Tomato Sauce. I was congratulating the angler on landing the fish hooked in its pelvic fin, having missed the lure. I did not make any reference to jigging or the anal fin as you claim. For information purposes, the pelvic fin on a tuna is just below the throat latch.
Lady luck has been kind to all anglers at some time or another. I have landed fish clinging to bait cotton, and hooked in the chin, fins, wrapped around line etc. I was very grateful on each occasion.
In no way does the way it was hooked detract from the magnificence of the catch.
My sincere apologies if I inadvertently caused offence to anyone.

 

[Jakes]

I also don't think it matters where the fish was hooked, good fight and good fish. It was targeted with a lure so nobody can suggest it was "jigged".
 
But now since my curiosity has been aroused, at the point where the fish is being hauled out the water and onto the beach, look from 2.57 minutes in the video, it does indeed seem the hook is set somewhere near the pectoral fins, while in the photo's where the angler poses with the catch the lure clearly and distinctly dangles from the fish's mouth.
 
It would be strange if the hook-set was removed from its original position and placed in the fish's mouth "for better photo appeal".

Clive, you mean this pic ... ? The one where you can see where it was hooked?

Have to agree with everyone else though ... regardless of where it was or wasn't hooked ... it's still an AWESOME catch ... 

[Toppie]

Exaccary Jakes, that one, yet when the angler poses with the fish it has the hook neatly embedded in its mouth.
 
Strange that someone would want to make an issue of something like this. I'd start jumping up and down with joy and the fire would have been started already.
 
Again, congratulations to the angler - this only in my wildest dreams.

[adam]

Guys, the simple explanation is:

Angler caught the fish, removed the lure, hugged and kissed the fish (I would have) and then rehooked the lure, to take the photos.

The reason is to have his entire setup that he used to catch it in the photo.  The thought as to where it was hooked probably never even occurred to him.

[carll]

Hi Reef thanks for sharing !

Thats a amazing catch and definitely the year and probably the last couple of years ...   

[krissi]

   and a thousand    - that is an amazing catch and Louis fought that fish with finesse, control and patience - he deserves every acolade!  I also picked up the pec fin hook-up but it really doesn't matter - if anything, it would have made the fight all that harder - that fish had his name written all over it.
 
Well done!

[Capt. Hook]

I am still fascinated with that stretch of beach at Virginia (Dbn) that gets deep so quickly, and think it holds potential for exciting fishing.
 
Any of the Durban guys perhaps have charts that show the depth of the water from the beach towards sea, exactly about behind the airport?

That area by Virginia does not drop off to deep water, you have a steep shore and then the bottom very slowly goes off deeper and for a several Km,s its just flat slowly going deeper, even at 7Km out its only 40m deep. the area is mostly sand and gravel with a few rocky outcrops

[NireshZA]

Thats an awesome catch. Well done Louis. 

[Birtles]

WOW! Congrats! Awesome fish! 


how far was the cast? that lure doesn't look like it would get far out?

[Roachy]

There's a two page story on this in the latest rock, surf and deep!

Still amazed by this catch... I reckon spinning tackle sales have just gone up!