Oklahoma angler reels in 41-pounder Friday
Capt. Joey Davis knew something was up last Friday when one of his clients was battling a blackfin tuna 18 miles out of Venice’s Pass a Loutre.
“I pulled up to a rig and marked a bunch of blackfin,” Davis told nola.com. “We started running chum lines, and one guy started jigging.”
Oklahoma’s David Loewen was onboard when the fish hit a Striker Offshore Tackle jig 120 to 180 feet down in 300 feet of water.
“Normally, blackfin are one run and done, but this one made a few hard runs ….” Davis said. “I thought it was a yellowfin when it first came up. It rose up, and when (the deckhand) gaffed it, I saw it was a blackfin.
“I couldn’t believe it. The biggest one I’d ever caught was 32 pounds. I’d never seen one that big.”
The fish weighed-in at 41 pounds, and if ultimately approved by the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association, will become the new state record blackfin.
Louisiana’s current No. 1 fish is a 37.6 pounder caught by James Hawkins at the Midnight Lump in 2001.
