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Monster 888-pound Tuna is largest ever caught off Florida

Monster 888-pound Tuna is largest ever caught off Florida (Courtesy: Anne Nuffer Hinze)

DESTIN, Fla. – Six lucky anglers have an amazing fish story to tell for generations after they landed a nearly half-ton tuna.

Capt. George Gill was captaining a private boat called the ‘Flat Dangerous’ about 68 miles off Destin last month, when the people on board made the catch of a lifetime.

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After an exhausting five-hour-long battle, they landed what’s believed to be the largest Atlantic bluefin tuna ever caught off Florida.

Monster 888-pound Tuna is largest ever caught off Florida (Courtesy: Anne Nuffer Hinze)

But there was no time to rest when Capt. Gill’s 80-foot Viking got back to the marina.

It took a whole team of people to pull the 9-foot-long monster through the water, and lift it onto the scales, where it weighed in at 888 pounds.

Monster 888-pound Tuna is largest ever caught off Florida (Courtesy: Anne Nuffer Hinze)

But you will not find this giant catch in the record books.

Record catches only count if one person reels them in on their own.

The current state record for a bluefin tuna is 826.5 pounds.

It was caught by Rick Whitley in the Gulf in 2017.

Anne Nuffer Hinze’s husband is a private boat captain and best friends with Capt. George.

They went down to the marina to witness the weighing.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience to see a fish this huge for so many of us,” Hinze said.

Monster 888-pound Tuna is largest ever caught off Florida (Courtesy: Anne Nuffer Hinze)

Over the next day, Hinze says the massive fish was cleaned, portioned and given away to family and friends.

“I don’t know exactly how many people received fish,” Hinze said. “It’s pretty common in our group of captains to share big catches like that. It was a lot of fish.”


About the Author
Steve Owen headshot

Steve Owen is the Assistant News Director at WPLG, and helps lead the daily news operations.

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