On his first-ever fishing trip, angler Beau Leaman got particularly lucky when he boated an exceptional opah. The 188.6-pound specimen stands to break the IGFA world record for the unusual species.
Leaman was fishing on the Horizon, a charter boat that runs overnight trips out of San Diego, when he hooked into the fish. According to USA Today, the boat was in over 300 feet of water at the time and anglers were primarily targeting tuna. When the fish bit, Leaman thought he’d gotten his jig snagged on the bottom—but it soon became apparent he had a fish on the line. And it wasn’t a tuna.
Eventually, Leaman brought the fish boat side, and four deck mates gaffed the monster. The moment was captured in an epic video. See it for yourself below.
Leaman’s fish eventually weighed in at 188.6 pounds—putting it well above the current IGFA World Record, a 180-pounder caught in 2014. However, it’s not clear if the fish will be certified due to the shark bite marks on the its body—and the organization has a somewhat controversial rule that could lead to the disqualification of the catch because of this.
Opah, or moonfish, are not regular targets for most recreational anglers. The species is known to inhabit deep ocean waters and is typically only caught as bycatch. As such, scientists know relatively little about the species, though it is known to be the only completely warm-blooded fish in the world.
“Shoutout to the angler Beau Leaman for hooking and landing the fish of a lifetime,” wrote Horizon Captain Bill Wilkerson on Instagram. “I, as owner and operator [of the Horizon], have witnessed Opah being caught three times in 40 years. It’s kind a like a unicorn.”
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Leaman, described mixed emotions after reeling in the behemoth. “Once it was on the boat, I think most of us were in dismay,” he told USA Today. “From the shark bites on its side, to its blend of orange and red, its tail fin slapping the deck, its massive eyes and fins that don’t seem to do much work…It did not look real.”
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