# Has there ever been a freak tuna catch in the Chesapeake?



## whiteka6

I heard someone mention something about one being caught off a pier. Probably because of a boat throwing an illegal size on over the limit one overboard before docking or something. It seems very unlikely but is it plausible? Not sure if it's true though.

On a related note, I remember finding out a piranha was caught up in the Occoquan Reservoir a while back. They assumed some guy had an aquarium and tossed it in for whatever reason. I can imagine the face on a thoroughly confused fisherman haha.


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## redgrappler

Haven't heard about tuna in the bay, but I watched my uncle catch a false albi at the Fort Monroe Pier in Hampton, VA. They were in a frenzy and had the reel screaming. Didn't know what it was until he landed it.


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## Cannonball

don't know about a Tuna, but the Naggs Head pier has a picture of a little Sailfish someone caught there.
That's probably pretty unusual


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## andrews

There was one near sandbridge a few years back, they ended up just gaffing or netting it, I don't remember.


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## drumrun

Yeah one off LIP a few yrs back, caught with a cast net, no more then 80#'s.
As I recall, could be wrong


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## Wilber

When the bay had more pound nets a few King Mackerel were caught each year.
We caught Dolphin off Kitty Hawk Pier.
Caught Squid on Jerk Jiggers off Outer Banks Pier.
All piers on OBX have caught Sailfish.
They caught a Tarpon off Outer Banks Pier last year.
and last but not least, A guy caught 2 Bone Fish in the surf south of Outer Banks Pier.


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## wireman

A buddy of mine caught a 20# yellow fin trolling a small plastic squid line about halfway out to the Chesapeake light tower a few years ago but haven't heard of anything in the bay.


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## chris storrs

never heard of confirmed sighting but i can remember a few ppl telling me they got spooled striper trolling in bay...striper they werent, what they were i dunno

seen bones caught off avon pier, snook, plenty sails and tarpon, god knows how many"aquarium worthy" tropicals in sargassum on piers, juvi yellowfins on sabikis, not fat alberts, crazy jacks, pilot fish, mahi, all from planks or sound of hatteras....sailfish seem to show up more and more often, little ones usually chasing jerk jiggers


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## adp29934

Its all about the water temps.


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## Wilber

and east winds that blow the clear water in.


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## Oyster

Yep, or a warm water eddy coming off the Gulf Stream, curling westward toward shore carrying some blue water pelagics with it. I have heard of a few giant BFTs on the NC beaches so I wouldn’t be surprised if one had stuck its nose into the bay at some time. There was a manatee in Richmond a few years ago.


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## chris storrs

dern a manatee in richmond? ive seen em in hatteras, and heard of em in bay, but he musta been on a mission swimmin slow upstreamto richmond


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## andrews

There was a manatee in Rudee inlet this past summer, almost accidentally snagged it.


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## skunk king

I'm sure some of the tuna fishermen are pretty freaky!


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## 757 Fire

I saw a whale off seagull pier last year in the bay so i think anything is possible


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## chefish

757 Fire said:


> I saw a whale off seagull pier last year in the bay so i think anything is possible


12 years ago my brother & I were fishing for stripers in the Cape Cod Canal. All of a sudden something exploded. It looked as if someone dropped a car in the water. Giant Bluefin tuna were in the canal chasing blufish and it was the most incredible thing I have ever seen from shore.

You never know what you will see. I had a report of Tarpon in the bay not too far from the HRBT last year.


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## Out Sick

A few years back there was a Tuna caught by the M&M in a net. They took it to the Johnson's over in Chuckatuck. I forgot how big, something like 80 lbs. One of my fishing buddy's knows the Johnson family so he called over there and confirmed the story.


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## fish123

Most of the southern NC piers caught tarpon last year, a few are landed every year. I personally saw 4 at OCP.


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## chriscustom

*Tuna*

As far as tuna in the Bay I can't say. But I can say that at Little Island there was 2 Bluefin tuna caught swiming around the baits with a cast net...by the same person, 80lbs. each. There was also a couple Tarpon caught.


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## c.story

I heard that someone caught a juvenile sail fish in the bay last year while trolling for Spanish. Anything is possible when you talk about tidal water.


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## gloucester

Cannonball said:


> don't know about a Tuna, but the Naggs Head pier has a picture of a little Sailfish someone caught there.
> That's probably pretty unusual


I caught the baby sailfish on Nags Head Pier 8/8/2008 on a got-cha lure.
I took pictures, sailfish was out of water no more than 60 to 90 secounds with dozens of witnesses present then I put sailfish back in water and watched as it swam off into the ocean. I didn't take time to measure the sailfish but it was 18-20 inches.
Having released the sailfish alive and abiding with North Caroloina saltwater fishing tournement rules was awrded a release citation for my catch.


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## huntingwood

Back from the dead? 

With all the big bluefins that were caught just off the beach this last striper season, I'm sure there were some in the bay. I know several people that caught more than one bluefin last season trolling for stripers inside the three mile line. Most of them were in the 100-200 lb range, with a few bigger ones in the mix.


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