When you ask a big game fisherman what’s on their most wanted list, it’s no surprise that bluefin tuna is usually at the top. These massive fish are usually upwards of 700lbs, and can take hours of battling to bring in. It’s truly a championship round for any sports fisherman, and creates a story you’ll share for the rest of your life. 

Nova Scotia Fishing

Nova Scotia is big game fishing’s best-kept secret. Every year, from August through October, the cooler North Atlantic waters meet with the warm eddies from the Gulf Stream, creating the perfect conditions for monster gamefish to thrive. Towards the middle of June comes the first sighting, by the end of August the waters are teeming with giant bluefin tuna.

The massive amounts of herring and mackerel that come there to spawn are the lifeblood of these tuna stocks. When the commercial herring fishery starts up, the tuna show up in droves. They know the sounds of the boat engines and the clanging of the chains, and tuna all over the world are known to be drawn to commercial-fishing boats to grab an easy dinner.

Shallow Waters

The bluefin fishery in Nova Scotia happens in shallow water and very close to land, and these fish have no problem getting in the skinny water to catch their prey. As crews, boats, gear and techniques once again evolve, anglers have been able to minimize the mortality rate of these fish by catching them faster without breaking off gear nearly as much as in the past.

The Equipment and Expertise

Changing techniques from primarily trolling to live-baiting and, ultimately, kite-fishing, blueprinted reels, and rods that can take a beating, along with ­better ­electronics technology to find the fish and bait variety, means the crews on tuna charters have mastered the art of big game fishing, while at the same time making ­better anglers out of their ­charter clients. World Record Tuna Charters takes it one step further, with a shot at an official IFGA record catch.

The Experience

Once a giant bluefin tuna grabs the bait, it’s only a matter of seconds before you’re hooked into the fish of a lifetime – a freight train hits your line and your reel starts screeching, making you think that the thousands of yards of line your reel is spooled with simply won’t be enough.

When the initial run is over, settle into your stride as it’s a give-and-take game from here on in. These fish are stubborn, which means you have to be stubborn as well – give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. It can sometimes take hours to reel one of these monsters in, especially if it ends up being over 1,000 lbs.

Once in a Lifetime

The struggle of reeling one of these majestic tuna’s in is just one of the reasons fishermen flock to Nova Scotia to book a tuna charter. Being at sea, and the adventure of landing a giant bluefin tuna is an entire experience you’ll tell time and time again. and If you are interested in fighting some of the biggest fish in the sea, look no further than Nova Scotia and World Record Tuna to land the catch of a lifetime.