832.6-Pound Atlantic Bluefin Sets Virginia Record for Angler Mike Rogerson

Mike Rogerson hauled an 832.6-pound Atlantic bluefin tuna aboard the 58-foot High Hopes after a mid-morning ballyhoo bite roughly 10 miles offshore at the edge of Smith Island, and that certified weight now stands as the Virginia state record. Capt. David Wright and the High Hopes crew fought the fish in foggy conditions before bringing it on deck, then took the catch to the Virginia Beach Fishing Center where a certified scale and a witness from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission completed official verification.

The hookup produced one of the most dramatic strikes captains in the area have seen. David Wright described the moment as, “Lo and behold, we had an explosion that looked like an atom bomb going off in the back of the boat,” and later called it, “the most amazing bite I’ve ever had…It was like a whale surfacing. The splash was over 15 feet in the air…It was crazy.” A release from the team notes the fight lasted about 90 minutes before Rogerson boated the fish.

Measurements taken alongside the certified weight give a sense of the animal’s scale. The bluefin was measured at about 108 inches in length with a girth near 80 inches on the High Hopes deck, figures that exceed the long-standing state marks. The catch came the day after another giant tuna was taken nearby, a fish in the roughly 720-pound range that briefly held local attention before Rogerson’s catch reset the benchmark. Capt. Robbie Brown and other captains in the fleet had been trading tallies during the two-day window, a run that underscores the unusually large bluefin presence off the Eastern Shore.

The weigh-in was conducted on a certified scale with the VMRC director present as a witness, and VMRC certified the new state record shortly after the landing. Photographs of Rogerson and the High Hopes crew posing with the tuna circulated widely in local media and on the docks, and the catch drew immediate attention within the coastal fishing community.

The timing carries regulatory weight. Fisheries managers have met quota levels, and the recreational trophy fishery was closed on Jan. 13 and will remain closed until Jan. 1, 2027. Capt. David Wright suggested these giants may be part of larger migration patterns, noting that large bluefin may “come over from the Mediterranean Sea to mingle with resident tuna,” a hypothesis that will interest tag-and-sample programs and scientists tracking transoceanic movements.

For anglers, captains, and tournament organizers, Rogerson’s certified state record is both a headline and a reality check: exceptional bluefin are in the region, but strict seasons and quotas will shape how those opportunities are pursued. Expect follow-ups from VMRC on official record files and any research or sampling tied to this fish; for now, Mike Rogerson’s 832.6-pound bluefin belongs in the record book and the stories told on the docks for years to come.