Photo courtesy of Balboa Angling Club
by REERA YOO
Eric Kim, a Korean American angler residing in Fullerton, reeled in a record catch 12 miles off the coast of Dana Point and became the first fisherman in California waters to catch a wahoo, the Balboa Angling Club announced on Facebook last week.
“We couldn’t tell what it was at first until we actually saw the fish outline and everything. And that’s when all our jaws dropped and we were like, oh my god!” Kim told CBS Los Angeles. He reeled in the wahoo aboard the boat Joker with Captain George Garrett at the helm.
The fish weighed a whopping 50.1 pounds and was 60 inches long.
Scientists believe that it might be the first wahoo ever caught off the United States’ Pacific Coast as it isn’t found in local waters and usually frequents tropical and sub-tropical seas. It is a prized game fish among sports fisherman, known for its speed and high-quality flesh, as reported by CBS.
Kim suspects that the unusually warm weather is responsible for his catch, stating that the warm water temperature is luring the tropical fish to unfamiliar territory.
“The fishing is going to be good for a while. And it’s probably going to happen again,” Kim said.
