Young Tasmanian Anglers Catch Potential Junior World Record Tuna
OutdoorHub Reporters 08.17.15
Two brothers fishing off the coast of the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania last Friday may have reeled in a pair of world record tuna. According to Stuart Nichols, the proud father of Sam, 12, and Toby, 10, the boys caught the fish near Hippolyte Rocks last week.
“I am in awe of my kids. I was just part of the most amazing experience. A double strike of barrels for Toby and Sam,” wrote Nichols, who operates Personalized Sea Charters, on Facebook.
“These were really tough fish and it took everything they had to hang in there,” he added.
Sam, the older brother, measured his fish at 246.92 pounds. At that weight, the tuna may take its place as the new junior world record, surpassing the current 231-pound record recognized by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Toby will follow as well, with an even larger 262.35-pound tuna to snatch up IGFA’s “Small Fry” record, which is awarded to anglers below the age of 11. The young angler only had to beat the current record of about 60 pounds.
“They were exhausted, they were absolutely exhausted—I didn’t think they’d be able to do it on their own,” Stuart Nichols told ABC News.
The veteran angler added that Toby spent almost two hours to reel in his catch, while Sam battled his fish for about three hours before landing it. Both boys were only recently introduced to tuna fishing and just days before, Toby had caught an even bigger 266.76-pound tuna near the same location. Nichols said he will be submitting both his sons’ fish for recognition.
