884-Pound Bluefin Tuna Sets New Texas State Record Off Galveston

Thirty hours into what was supposed to be a blue marlin run, David Esslinger hadn't had a single bite. He and five friends had left Galveston at dawn on a late April morning aboard the Catillac, Captain Carson Deer's 46-foot Invincible catamaran, loaded with Shimano Tiagra 130s, 1,600 pounds of ice, and enough food for an extended offshore push. The blue marlin never showed. Then, working a floating rig 160 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, something else did.

What followed was a five-hour stand-up fight against an Atlantic bluefin that refused to give up. Esslinger, a 45-year-old offshore veteran from Houston, worked the fish on stand-up gear rigged with a Release Marine Battle Saddle while Captain Deer kept the Catillac positioned throughout the battle. By the time the leader came up, Esslinger's hands had nearly given out entirely.

"With shaking body and inoperable hands I made my way to the side of the boat and screamed with utter shock: 'WHAT a GIANT BLUEFIN!'" Esslinger recounted after the catch.

Landing the fish took the full crew. TC Swetman took the leader, Brad Hildebrandt and Jeff Young worked the gaffs, and Colby Denbow got a tail rope secured on the fish. "Everyone played a major role in us successfully landing the fish," Esslinger said. "Deer kept the boat positioned correctly throughout the entire battle. Swetman manned the leader while Young and Hildebrandt gaffed the fish. Denbow secured the tail rope and I was finally able to make my way to the side of the boat and take a look at her."

The crew had estimated the fish somewhere between 600 and 700 pounds. They were off by nearly 200. Back at Pelican Rest Marina in Galveston, it went on the scale at 884 pounds, with a length of 115 inches and an 80-inch girth. That beat the existing Texas state record for Atlantic bluefin, a 876-pound fish caught in 2021, by eight pounds.

"The sheer size of the fish was mind blowing," Captain Deer said. "It was literally like putting a car on the boat. We knew we had a big bluefin onboard, but none of us really thought we had a potential record-breaking fish."

Landing a record-class tuna from an outboard-powered center console catamaran, more than 150 miles from the dock, is the kind of accomplishment most Gulf anglers dream about but rarely discuss seriously. The Catillac crew made it happen on a trip that wasn't even targeting bluefin. The fish was processed for consumption among crew and family, a fitting end to one of the more remarkable offshore stories the Texas coast has produced in years.