Monster 117kg tuna caught off Cape Otway by 11-year-old

A young fisherman will have a story to tell his friends when he returns from school holidays, after landing a monster tuna near Apollo Bay.

A young fisherman will have a story to tell his friends when he returns from school holidays, after landing a monster tuna near Apollo Bay.

Jakim Azzopardi, 11, caught the 116.5kg behemoth off the coast of Cape Otway on Monday night.

Jakim Azzopardi poses with his big catch – a 117kg tuna off Cape Otway.

The massive fish, 189cm in length, took the 146cm fisherman just over an hour to reel in.

Jakim said he felt relieved to have landed the catch.

“It was exciting to get it,” he said.

Dad Matt Azzopardi said the young fisherman was in disbelief, having not expected the size of the catch.

“It was the first time he had a go at a game fish on a game rod,” Mr Azzopardi said.

“He was worried at the start, but once he got comfortable and into the fight, he handled it very well.

“There were a couple of really hairy moments; we thought we were going to lose the fish with it running around the boat, but he got the job done.”

Mr Azzopardi said it was the biggest tuna he’d had in his boat in a decade of fishing.

“He’s outdone his dad and every other bloke that has been on that boat,” he said.

Mr Azzopardi said the size of the catch only sunk in when the boat got back to shore.

“When we were on shore and he saw people sort of fussing over it and taking photos, he realised he had a catch to remember.”

Tuna are a popular target of anglers near Apollo Bay, with the species prevalent throughout the waters off southwest Victoria.

Tuna over 100kg, known as barrels, are a big prize among the fishing community.

Surf-N-Fish owner Wayne Diffey, who weighed the fish, said tuna off the cape had recently ranged between 80kg and 138kg.

On Sunday night a 126kg tuna was hauled in after being caught off nearby Blanket Bay.

Originally published as Monster 117kg tuna caught off Cape Otway by 11-year-old