Season’s biggest yellowfin? 82kg giant stuns two-person crew

A first trip north turned into an unforgettable offshore mission for Jody Verryt and husband Paul, after landing a massive 82.4kg yellowfin tuna – believed to be one of the biggest recorded so far this season.

The pair had set off from Coralie Bay on Great Mercury Island early Saturday morning in the dark, heading north toward the Bay of Islands for a trip they had long been looking forward to. Although they were bound for Northland, the action came much sooner than expected.

Around 20 miles east of Great Barrier Island, with the sea settling after a rough start to the day, the couple slowed the boat to about five knots to clear skipjack from their bungy lines. With only the odd skippy around and no real signs of major activity, it felt like a routine moment on the water – until a reel suddenly erupted.”

“The reel just started peeling,” Jody said. “We were only doing about five knots when it took off.”

With only the two of them onboard, things escalated quickly. Around 800m of line disappeared from the reel within minutes as they scrambled to clear the deck.

“At first we thought it was a marlin and had the tag pole ready. We hadn’t even seen the fish yet,” she said. “Once it came up close and we realised it was a yellowfin tuna, the tag pole went away and the gaff came out.”

Fishing in approximately 300m of water in 20.5-degree conditions, the tuna had smashed a Pretty Holly lure by Black Magic. The set up – a Mikaira 50 reel paired with a CD rod and 37kg line, spooled and set up by The Stunned Mullet – was about to be seriously tested.

Without a game chair onboard, Jody fought the powerful fish standing, while Paul tied a rope from her harness to the boat for extra support.

“It took about 45 minutes to land,” she said. “My arms were getting very sore and every time I got it close to the leader it would take off again.”

Handling a fish of this size with just two people proved challenging. Paul had to juggle everything – driving the boat, taking the leader, gaffing and keeping things under control – all while battling a dose of man flu.

“It’s quite challenging when there are only two of you on board with a fish this size,” Jody said. “Paul had to do everything.”

Eventually the teamwork paid off and the tuna was secured onboard. The true scale of the catch, however, didn’t fully sink in until later when the fish was weighed
in Warkworth.

“When it pulled up on the scales at 82kg, that’s when it really hit me,” Jody said. “I didn’t expect it to weigh that much – it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime fish.”

Although they never made it to the Bay of Islands before the strike, the trip had already delivered a remarkable result. To top off the adventure, Jody tagged a striped marlin the following day, rounding out what became an exceptional offshore mission.

For a two-person crew on their first run north, landing what is likely one of the season’s standout yellowfin is a story that will be talked about for years to come.

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