Can I post a saltwater kayak pic? Bluefin tuna have been running near the Outer Banks beaches.

[Johnbt]

Some have been hooked, but none had been landed.

 

"4/4/25

Stefan Turko of Kitty Hawk just landed this awesome BLUEFIN TUNA from his kayak off the end of Jennette's Pier in Nags Head."

 

www.facebook.com/jennettespierobx/posts/stefan-turko-of-kitty-hawk-just-landed-this-awesome-bluefin-tuna-from-his-kayak-/1127871776042165/

[Motoboss]

Wow!!

[Johnbt]

They are incredibly strong - even a small one like this - and one the fastest fish. You have to land them quickly or the heat they generate fighting a long fight will cook them and ruin the meat. Because of the their hard aerodynamic heads they have to keep swimming to breathe and I've read they can cross the Atlantic in 60 days.

 

I've been visiting the Outer Banks since the early '70s and have never heard of bluefin tuna roving the beaches. 

 

Bluefin this close to the beach has been the talk of the tackle shops. They are an offshore fish. You pay a couple of grand for 6 people to charter a boat for a day. Plus tips. Maybe you catch a fish, maybe you don't.

 

"The largest bluefin tuna ever caught, a 1,496-pound Atlantic bluefin tuna, was caught by Ken Fraser off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1979, and it remains the current world record holder. "

 

A big Penn or Shimano reel like that is probably $1500 these days.

 

 

[JHoss]

A guy caught one off the pier itself yesterday. Was estimated 120-150 lbs but had to be cut loose due the pier not having its HMS permit. The kayak angler in question very likely could be getting a ticket here before long for not having an HMS permit.