Fishermen in Port Aransas, Texas, hauled in a massive fish on March 24 that snapped a pole in two after a long battle.
An image shows Captain Tim Oestreich with his broken fishing pole as he and others kneel beside a 676-pound bluefin tuna, Fox Weather reported Sunday.
As the fish struggled against 16 anglers and five crew members onboard the Dolphin Express charter fishing vessel, the group was forced to take turns as it pulled against them for two hours.
“Great job anglers, Captain’s and crew on the 56hr that came in this morning with a limit of Yellow Fin Tuna, 11 wahoo and a 678# Blue Fin Tuna. Congratulations y’all,” Dolphin Docks Deep Sea Fishing said in a social media post announcing the impressive catch:
It apparently only took a few minutes for the bluefin to chomp down on the bait before it dove and pulled approximately 800 yards of line as it went.
“That’s almost half a mile straight down in about a minute,” Oestreich noted.
Once the fishermen reeled the creature near the boat, it bolted again. However, the captain worked to keep it moving in hopes it would become exhausted and give up.
The group followed it for over two miles and it eventually came alongside the boat. However, the fish took off again and that was the moment the pole broke in half.
But because Oestreich was determined to make the catch, he grabbed half of the rod and used his hands to bring it in. It was a distance of 40 feet, and eight of those onboard helped haul the fish into the boat.
Oestreich shared additional photos of the incredible catch on his own social media page and followers were quick to praise his and the group’s efforts:
“Nothing with a fin has a chance against u Tim Oestreich. Outstanding catch brother,” one person wrote, while another said, “Got em’! Helluva job gents.”
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the bluefin tuna is considered the biggest of tunas and has a lifespan of nearly 40 years.
“They migrate across all oceans and can dive deeper than 3,000 feet. Bluefin tuna are made for speed: built like torpedoes, have retractable fins and their eyes are set flush to their body,” the fund’s website reads.