Tag: opah

First-time angler lands rare moonfish, a pending world record

A first-time angler on an overnight trip out of San Diego has landed a potential world-record opah, or moonfish.

A first-time angler on an overnight trip out of San Diego has landed a potential world-record opah.

Beau Leaman of Santa Clarita, Ca., caught the 188.6-pound opah, or moonfish, after a 45-minute battle while fishing Monday aboard the Horizon.

Capt. William Wilkerson told FTW Outdoors that Leaman was using a rental rod on a 1.5-day tuna excursion with friends. “He was fishing pretty deep and at first he thought he was stuck on the bottom,” Wilkerson said.

The opah, caught on a jig, was reeled from 300-plus feet and the crew knew by its movements that it was not a tuna. They used four gaffs to hoist the fish through a gate near the stern (see video below).

The wounds on its side, visible in the images, were caused by cookie-cutter sharks as the brightly colored fish was reeled toward the surface.

Leaman, 37, implied that the experience was as bittersweet as it was surreal, saying:

“Once it was on the boat, I think most of us were in dismay. 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.”

Opah catches are rare because the fish do not typically swim in schools and their whereabouts are unpredictable. Because of this, there is no directed commercial fishery for opah and catches almost always are incidental.

The world record stands at 180 pounds, 12 ounces, for a 2014 catch south of San Diego.

Wilkerson said the International Game Fish Assn. has been contacted about Leaman’s catch and that a world-record application will be submitted.

–Images and video courtesy of Horizon Charters and H&M Landing

Rare opah found on Oregon beach to benefit students

The rare discovery of a 100-pound opah on an Oregon beach will  offer school kids a chance to dissect the brilliantly colored fish.

The rare discovery Wednesday of a 100-pound opah on an Oregon beach will offer students a chance to dissect the brilliantly colored fish.

The moon-shaped opah, far north of the typical range for the species, was found early Wednesday at Sunset Beach in northern Oregon.

Scientists at Seaside Aquarium collected the fish and stored it for future research.

https://www.facebook.com/SeasideAquarium/posts/6224256220917665

“It created quite the stir at the Aquarium where folks were encouraged to come take a look at this beautiful and odd-looking fish,” Seaside Aquarium wrote on Facebook. “Always on the lookout for new educational opportunities, the fish will be frozen until the school year starts. Partnering with the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s educational director, Nate Sandel, one lucky school group will get the chance to dissect this large fish.”

Opah are rarely encountered off Oregon. However, as Seaside Aquarium noted, a 97-pound opah was caught 37 miles beyond the Columbia River Mouth in 2009.

Three opah caught south of San Diego in 2014. Photo: Excel Sportfishing

The largely solitary fish, which reside mostly in deep waters, are caught sporadically by Hawaii-based long-line fishermen targeting tuna. But the fish, which can weigh more than 200 pounds, also appear in the Southern California Bight.

They’re not frequently encountered, or caught by fishermen, but in 2014 anglers aboard a San Diego-based sportfishing boat pulled off an extremely rare feat by landing three giant opah on the same day.

The largest of the three, weighing 180 pounds, 12 ounces, is listed by the International Game Fish Assn. as the all-tackle world record.

Earthquake leads to fisherman’s surprising catch of opah

A fisherman caught 143-pound opah in the Philippines, and a fisheries expert believes a 6.6 magnitude quake in the country led to the catch.

A fisherman made a surprising catch of a 143-pound opah off Tubabao Island in the Philippines on Tuesday just hours after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the central Philippines. A fisheries expert believes the quake led to the catch.

The opah, a fish that lives in deep water from 165 to 1,640 feet, was probably “spooked” by the earthquake shockwaves causing it to surface in the shallow waters around the island in Oras, or so the fisheries expert strongly believes, according to Philippine News Agency.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Great white shark chased by prey in odd encounter

“This was quite a revelation, seeing this magnificent fish,” Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Juan Albaladejo told PNA. “We know that it is quite abundant in our eastern seaboard, usually schooling with highly migratory tuna species but rarely seen.”

The colorful fish, also known as a moonfish, was caught with hook and line by Armando Amos, who sold the fish at a local market for approximately $250.

According to NOAA Fisheries, little research on the basic biology and ecology of the opah has been conducted, despite its value to commercial and recreational fishermen. Most opah are caught in longline fisheries and average about 100 pounds with a diameter of 3 feet.

Photos courtesy of Ranilo Ebron.

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