Source: San Diego Union Tribune
Pending approval by theInternational Game Fish Association, Mike Livingston’s 405.2-pound yellowfin tuna caught Nov. 30 on Capt. Mike Lackey's 80-foot sport boat, the Vagabond, will be the IGFA’s new all-tackle, world record. The previous record was the 388-pound, 12-ounce yellowfin caught April 1, 1977 by Curt Wiesenhutter aboard the Royal Polaris, owned then by Capt. Bill Poole.
Even if it’s not approved by the IGFA, Livingston’s tuna, which was weighed in at Point Loma Sportfishing on Monday, is the largest ever landed on rod and reel.
“This is a fish of a lifetime for Mike, for our crew, for me and the entire fleet, really,” said Capt. Lackey after the giant yellowfin was weighed in on Point Loma Sportfishing’s certified scale that was checked on Dec. 2 for certification. “When I think of all the captains like Bill Poole, Frank LoPreste and all the others who paid their dues down here, it’s just an honor to be part of catching such an incredible specimen. The whole fleet shares in this. I’m still in awe of this fish. It just sets the bar that much higher.”
Livingston, 63, of Sunland, Calif., north of Los Angeles, is a long-time angler who retired recently as a school superintendent. He called the fish “a fish of a lifetime,” and thanked Lackey and the crew for the job they did.
“It was my moment, my time,” Livingston said. “I’m certainly not the best angler, but I had enough skill to reel this one in. It was just my day.”
Livingston, 63, of Sunland, Calif., north of Los Angeles, is a long-time angler who retired recently as a school superintendent. He called the fish “a fish of a lifetime,” and thanked Lackey and the crew for the job they did.
“It was my moment, my time,” Livingston said. “I’m certainly not the best angler, but I had enough skill to reel this one in. It was just my day.”
