By Benjamin Plummer
- A Hawke’s Bay fisherman has caught a massive 172cm yellowfin tuna, possibly the largest land-based catch in New Zealand.
- The fish, estimated at 65kg, was caught during Regan Ellison’s four-day fishing trip on the East Cape.
- It comes amid his journey to catch a marlin from land – a goal he’s pursued since August 2023.
A Hawke’s Bay fisherman has landed possibly the biggest land-based yellowfin tuna in New Zealand, with the beast measuring only 5cm shorter than himself.
Regan Ellison, of Greenmeadows, Napier, set off for a four-day fishing venture on the East Cape last month as part of his goal to snare the first rod-caught marlin from land in New Zealand – but instead may have broken a different record.
Ellison said his type of fishing was a “set and forget situation” and was about 30m away from his rod when he heard the reel “start screaming” for a few seconds.
“I thought I’d go check the line. It was out about 1500m and because there was so much line drag, it was hard to tell if it was just the big bait or if there was a fish on there,” he said.
“I should’ve dragged it out, but I was busted and I really couldn’t be bothered walking half an hour. Next time I’ll be calling up a boat or dragging it out to get an official record, but I like to refer to it as an unofficial record,” he said.
He said it was “definitely” the best fish he has caught in New Zealand and hardest he’s ever had to work for.
“The first trek out to the spot is 40 minutes with a 40kg pack and then every day it’s a half hour each way so definitely my hardest catch for sure.”
The catch came amid Ellison’s journey for New Zealand’s first land-based rod-caught marlin – a feat he has been gunning for since August, 2023.
He said he’s aware of a 142kg striped marlin being caught off a Kontiki longline, but he is chasing the first “rod and reel, stand up and fight” caught marlin from land.
“When I heard that a marlin hadn’t been landed land-based in New Zealand, I just thought that fish has got to be mine. So that’s always been my attitude on it. I know there are a few other crews that have been trying but they haven’t been able to land them.”
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It comes after 18-year-old Hector de Mornac landed a 52kg tuna while on a jetski in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf last month.
Sport Fishing Council communications and operations manager Mike Plant earlier told the Herald a fish must be weighed on certified scales at an affiliated club’s weigh station to be officially recognised in record books.
The national all-tackle record for yellowfin tuna is 95kg (men, 37kg line) and 92.1kg (women, 37kg line), Plant said.
The world record is an impressive 193.68kg.