The Arrival of Pacific Bluefin Tuna South of San Francisco Make for an Incredible Catch

“Like standing on an overpass with a fishing rod.”

California shores are no strangers to incredible catches, but an unusual giant made an appearance recently with no complaints from local fishermen. According to the SF Chronicle, the arrival of rare giant Pacific bluefin tuna off Half Moon Bay has turned the world of fishing upside down.

“In the past 50 years, anglers have caught Pacific bluefin tuna in a handful of encounters out of Bay Area harbors. These were often aberrations where the tuna were mixed in with schools of albacore in the fall, often at distances 30 to 100 miles offshore.”

The tuna, who typically prefer the warmer waters of Southern California and Baja Mexico all the way to Hawaii, began showing up here a few weeks ago, 10 miles out in Half Moon Bay, with anglers telling stories of “enormous fish, long fights and even losing 600 yards of line.”

“’Unbelievable how close they are, unbelievable how big they are,’ said Charlie Claycomb Jr., who with his fishing pal Fred Wilson, caught two in a single trip in fights that lasted up to 2 ½ hours with fish 5 feet long weighing around 150 pounds each.”