Kaua‘i Anglers Land 309‑Pound Pacific Bluefin, Second Ever in Hawaii

Billy Light and longtime friend Ryan McKnight hauled a giant Pacific bluefin onto Light’s 18-foot boat Wet Willie after a dramatic fight about 12 nautical miles off Kapa‘a. The pair were trolling a daisy-chain lure on Jan. 23, 2026, when the fish struck the lure at the end of their center line and took off, triggering a fierce run that quickly emptied line from the reel.

McKnight described the moment on the water: the fish “hit the lure’s heavy duty hook and dove, draining several hundred yards of line from the ‘screaming’ spool in seconds.” The anglers realized they “had not hooked a typical ahi” and spent roughly 45 minutes wrestling the fish aboard before heading to shore.

Onshore measurements put the tuna at about 309 pounds and about 6 feet 6 inches long. Photographs of the catch were credited to Ryan McKnight. A local catch database cited in reporting called the fish only the second bluefin tuna caught on record in Hawaiian waters, a designation that immediately drew interest and some local skepticism.

Kristy Kahananui, owner of Lawai‘a Fish Co. in Līhu‘e, recalled an unreported bluefin she caught in the early 1980s while fishing with her father, Frank Medeiros Jr. “It was 312 pounds,” she said. “We never thought to report that kind of stuff back then.” Her recollection highlights how oral history and unrecorded catches can complicate official tallies of rare species in the islands.

Kauai Now issued an Editor’s Note correcting an earlier error in published captions: “In the original version, the surname of one of the fishermen was incorrect. The correct name is Billy Light.” That correction clarifies the record on the anglers involved.

Several verification points remain. There is no public confirmation from state or federal fisheries authorities about species verification, an official weigh-in record, or whether any biological samples were taken. The available reporting does not say whether the fish was retained, sold, donated, or released after the landing. Those gaps matter to anglers who log records and to researchers interested in Pacific bluefin occurrences in Hawaiian waters.

For the Kaua‘i fishing community, the catch delivers a rare thrill and a reminder to document unusual takes thoroughly: photographs, certified weigh slips, and timely notifications to fisheries authorities can turn local lore into confirmed records. Follow-up reporting and official verification are expected, and the catch will likely prompt questions about bluefin migrations and how often these giants show up in Hawaiian waters.