Victorian angler lands a bluefin tuna - in a 4.0m boat

Brody Connelly had recently finished restoring the 4.0-metre Haines Hunter Seawasp that he’d bought as an unfinished project. 

The entire boat had been stripped back to a bare hull, with the rebuild including a new transom, installing and raising new stingers and gussets and glassing in a new floor with all voids sealed. Careful consideration was given to weight distribution to accommodate the 1985 Suzuki DT55 that was powering it.

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An anchor well and forward casting deck featuring port and starboard lockers and a 40-litre aluminium fuel tank were also fitted to help with the fishing friendliness and balance of the 'Wasp – critical in a small boat. A centre console, bought online, completed the project.

However, on its third run – a trip out of Port Welshpool heading offshore to chase kingfish – the old Suzuki cooked its gearbox. Connelly decided to swap it out for a new 60hp Suzuki DF60 that was only slightly heavier than the engine it replaced, but much more fuel-efficient. He also took the opportunity to finish the boat’s 60-litre live bait well.

The tuna? That came about after Victoria reported another good season of bluefin fishing, with particularly large tuna being landed close to shore – the perfect opportunity to land one in the 'Wasp.

A good weather forecast with light winds saw Connelly head out from Newhaven on Phillip Island on October 11 heading for the coastline along Inverloch, a run of about 50km south-east. Onboard were a pair of Shimano Tiagra 50W trolling rods (24kg line) borrowed from a mate, and some lures.

Initially, the weather was not on Connelly’s side. As he headed out the wind picked up, and 35km from shore and with no signs of fish, he made the call to return to the boat ramp.

After travelling a few kilometres, somewhere off Coal Point he noticed gannets diving and decided to troll with two rigs. One rig used a Bonze spreader bar and Exocet Paris lure, while the other rod was fitted with a Bonze Islander.

Seeing no activity, and with the wind backing off, Connelly turned back east towards Inverloch, passing a couple of whales but seeing no other significant signs to stoke his enthusiasm.

Another hour later, the 'Wasp was down on the 65-metre line. Connelly spotted dolphins and gannets busy on bait in the area he’d originally aimed to fish, while the water had turned from green to brilliant, clear blue, and the water temperature had settled on 14.5 degrees.

Within moments, the Islander lure in the short corner started screaming. It was here Connelly says he made a couple of critical mistakes.

First, Connelly started fighting the fish before clearing the spreader bar set well back – he would later have to tend to that during the fight, where he was forced to cut the line to mitigate it tangling up with the hooked fish, losing the borrowed expensive lure.

The other big mistake he made was to not have his harness and gimbal prepared and ready to put on. 

The gimbal and harness allow the angler to apply greater pressure on the fish while fighting it without increasing stress on the back, arms or legs. 

While the padded gimbal belt provides comfort, the butt of the rod slots into the gimbal. Without it, Connelly had to battle the fish with the butt of the rod jammed into his hip or groin, and rely on his arms during the fight – as well as increasing his fatigue. 

After about 15 minutes and with the fish showing signs of settling, Connelly decided to put the rod down and ease off the drag, buying some time to give him a chance to put on the harness. 

However, the fish took off on another run and he came close to losing the rod over the side – the run pulled it from the holder, and luckily it was caught in the 'Wasp’s snapper racks. 

About 40 minutes into the fight, Connelly saw colour and realised he’d have a bit of trouble getting the tuna into the boat. Tiring and with the butt of the rod constantly jammed against his leg, he grabbed his handheld marine radio and called for help to land the fish – the closest boat that could assist was about 20 minutes away.

After increasing the drag Connelly had the tuna on the surface, and would now need to gaff it. He missed with his first attempt, but as the tuna circled by for the second time the gaff slotted into the gills and the fish was pinned. 

After a 10-minute rest and fearing a shark might come and take his fish, Connelly made a last-ditch effort to haul it into the 'Wasp.

What Connelly landed turned out to be a 98.2-kilogram bluefin tuna according to the Corinella Angling Club scales it was weighed on – just shy of triple figures.

For any keen angler looking for that perfect fish on that perfect day, what are the takeaway lessons? We’ll let Connelly give his take:

Connelly says that this is his biggest fishing achievement as an angler, and particularly rewarding seeing it was off his own boat. 

What was the feeling of landing this fish?

“Just pure excitement,” Connelly says. “I'm not one to get excited easily. I'm a joker, I love a laugh and all that, but expressing emotion and excitement is not something I usually do. 

“I was fist-pumping the air and screaming with excitement all on my own!”

Fostering thoughts of catching your own tuna? There are still some big ones out there.

Bass Strait Game Fishing Club believes it may have a junior world record on its books after one of its 15-year-old members, Levi Dowell, reeled in a 152.8kg bluefin tuna caught on a JB Dingo Big Dog lure rigged on a 24kg line.

The club posted news of the potentially record-breaking catch on its social media feeds yesterday.

The target tuna species in Victoria include big eye, yellowfin and southern bluefin.

If you do catch one, there is no legal minimum size. However, there is a statewide possession limit of two southern bluefin, yellowfin or big eye tuna, and a maximum combined weight of 160kg if you include every bit of tuna caught, including what’s in the freezer at home.

Victorian anglers can also target albacore and skipjack tuna. Again, there is no minimum size, and both these species have a daily bag limit of five albacore and/or skipback tuna a day.