Yep, that’s a big’n.
It’s hard to imagine a fishing trip much better than one where you walk away as a state record holder, and this Washington state angler got to experience that feeling first hand.
According to Field & Stream, Wade La Fontaine hauled in a MASSIVE 21-pound mahi mahi, which is one of the biggest ever caught off the Pacific Northwest coast.
La Fontaine was on a charter boat named Tunacious, and was initially targeting tuna more than 40 miles off the coast of southwest Washington. Can you imagine running 40 miles offshore? If you’ve never been deep sea fishing, just imagine hoping on a boat and riding for over and hour, possibly two hours, before you even start fishing.
Nevertheless, this trip was well worth it for this avid angler.
The fish clocked in at 21 pounds and 48-inches, blowing the previous record of 16 pounds out of the water, which was set back in 2013. For reference, the Florida state record is 81 pounds.
Fontaine said:
“Without these charters (making the run offshore) day after day, I wouldn’t have had a chance to connect with this fish. I’m blessed beyond comprehension.”
You usually think of Florida or Caribbean waters when it comes to mahi mahi fishing, but actually 2/3rds of the United States’ commercial mahi mahi production comes from the Pacific, primarily Hawaii.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Chase Gunnel also told the outlet:
“We’ve seen a few mahi landed in southwest Washington ports in recent years–with a handful last summer–but none this size, at least so far.
Makes you wonder what else is swimming in the blue water off the Pacific Northwest these days!”
Needless to say, it’s a trip that Fontaine won’t ever forget, and it’s probably gonna be a hot minute before his record is broken again, if ever.
