As bluefin begin to appear on Carolinas coast, crew hauls in big one

Fishermen in the Little River-Brunswick County, N.C., vicinity got a little Christmas bonus about two weeks before the big day when a highly coveted species started showing up in the waters off the coast.

In mid-December, boats fishing off Brunswick County reported seeing some huge fish jump and soon what they suspected was confirmed – bluefin tuna were once again in the vicinity of Frying Pan Shoals.

“People started to see some fish,” said Capt. Brant McMullan of Ocean Isle Fishing Center. “They were seeing them jump and it’s hard to mistake a 500-plus pound fish jumping. If you see them you’ll know what it is – looks like someone dropping a tanker truck into the ocean. There were tales of people hooking up but losing fish.”

Soon, the presence of bluefin tuna was confirmed in a very big way when John Dosher of Oak Island Fishing Charters hooked up with and landed a true giant on Dec. 16.

Dosher and crew didn’t have to go far to encounter the fish, which they battled for about three hours in the vicinity of the Knuckle Buoy, located about 17 miles off Bald Head Island near Frying Pan Shoals, according to McMullan.

The fish measured 113 inches – well over nine feet long – and McMullan estimated it weighed about 800 to 900 pounds.

McMullan states the fish is the largest bluefin tuna ever landed in Brunswick County.

“Obviously that one huge one was caught, which would explain guys losing them,” McMullan said. “It’s the biggest that’s ever been landed in this county for sure.”

Over the last week, plenty of boats have headed out targeting their own giant tuna, but with limited success.

“That got everybody excited and fired up,” McMullan said. “Sunday (Dec. 20) was the first open weather window, and about 30 boats fished. There were three fish verified hooked up.”

Capt. Ryan Williams of Catch 22 Charters in Holden Beach, N.C., landed a bluefin that day, a 90-inch fish that weighed an estimated 400 pounds.

“It helps to verify they are real – they’re not dreams,” said McMullan. “There’s a difference between hooking and losing one and putting one on the boat. There’s not a greater thrill than getting hooked up with one of those fish.”

Bluefin are more commonly found farther north, off Morehead City, N.C., and the N.C. Outer Banks, typically during some time-frame in December and January. Some years, the giants of the tuna family are also found further south and this is obviously one of those years.

There have been good showings of bluefin off Brunswick County in 2006, 2009 and 20012, with a few scattered catches in other years.

“They seem to be coming back a little bit for whatever reason, maybe a change in migration pattern or what have you,” said McMullan.

The migratory fish could be here today and gone tomorrow, and how long they will stay likely depends on the food source.

“They’re ultimately migrating through but depending on how much food they find will determine how long they will stay out there,” McMullan said. “There has been some food for them but they’re known to eat anything and everything. One of the main (food sources) is menhaden.”

Over the years, the Knuckle Buoy located near Frying Pan Shoals has been a hot spot to find the tuna when they’re around and that has been the case this time around. Anglers troll horse ballyhoo to catch the bluefins.

“The Knuckle Buoy has been ground zero, and they’ve been moving to the west which is off Holden Beach and Ocean Isle,” McMullan said Monday. “In the past when we’ve had fish, we’ve had them off Little River and Myrtle Beach. As they’re migrating there should be opportunities to catch them anywhere up and down the coast as they follow the bait to the south.”

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 2:02 PM with the headline "As bluefin begin to appear on Carolinas coast, crew hauls in big one."