Giant bluefin caught off Hatteras

bigeasy · 10-27-2007, 10:43 AM

This photo came from a private collection in the family of General Billy Mitchell. I copied it from a photo in possession of the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" museum.

It is reported to be a photo of General Mitchell and his wife after returning from a fishing trip off Hatteras Village in the 1920's.

As you recall, General Mitchell is one of the pioneers of military aviation, proving that aircraft delivered bombs could sink battleships. He sank two, the "USS Virginia" and the "USS New Jersey" off Hatteras. Presumably the bluefin was caught in the timeframe of the military experiments. He was court martialed in 1925 for insubordination and he retired from the military but he continued to speak in favor of aviation. In 1942, President Roosevelt elevated him to the rank of Major General posthumously. Congress awarded him a Gold medal in 1946. The General Michell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the Billy Mitchell Airstrip in Hatteras are named for him.

This photo is of interest to fishermen as it shows bluefins visited the Hatteras area prior to the mid 1990's when vast schools were found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mitchell

shoefish · 10-27-2007, 11:29 AM

Very cool pic and story!

TROPHY SPORTFISHING · 10-27-2007, 07:03 PM

hey Cliff got any idea where they sunk those ships whether or not it is shallow enough to be good structure?

bigeasy · 10-27-2007, 07:37 PM

below the 230 Rocks. The "Virginia" is located in 50 fathoms on TD's 26863.5 and 40211.9. This wreck is in several pieces. Good place to troll for tuna. The "New Jersey" is located at 26865.1 and 40217.3 in 60 fathoms of water. These are known locally as the 212 and 217 wrecks. Good areas to troll.

hotrodmarlin · 10-27-2007, 09:29 PM

There is an old pic of a giant bluefin at the Sanitary restaurant in Morehead too-

squirtis · 10-28-2007, 01:26 PM

Very cool Cliff, thanks for the pic and story

Curtis

Glenn W · 10-29-2007, 01:39 AM

Too cool Doc. Unfortunatly, I have not been to the new museum yet. It seems to be closed every time I get a chance to stop by, and open while I'm fishing.
What are the memories and talk of the older Hattersas gentlemen (Mssrs.Foster, Eef, Burriss, Midgett, et al about the Bluefins prior to, say the 1960's?
I remember when they started showing up in '91 or '92, and the talk was--Have they always been here (Hatteras) or is this a recent occurance? It would be interesting to know if the Giants were off HI to MHC in the 20's, 30's, 40's or 50's, disappeared for a while, and then mysteriously showed back up again in the 90's.

softcrab · 10-29-2007, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn W

Too cool Doc. Unfortunatly, I have not been to the new museum yet. It seems to be closed every time I get a chance to stop by, and open while I'm fishing.
What are the memories and talk of the older Hattersas gentlemen (Mssrs.Foster, Eef, Burriss, Midgett, et al about the Bluefins prior to, say the 1960's?
I remember when they started showing up in '91 or '92, and the talk was--Have they always been here (Hatteras) or is this a recent occurance? It would be interesting to know if the Giants were off HI to MHC in the 20's, 30's, 40's or 50's, disappeared for a while, and then mysteriously showed back up again in the 90's.

I just don't know the answer to above question. I have heard of unsubstantiated reports of landings as incidental catch by commercial fishermen in the winter. These fish didn't have much commercial value prior to the demand by the Japanese market made possible by Japanese prosperity following WW2 and the developement of transoceanic air transport. Sportfishing in the Atlantic in the winter is a relatively new phenomenon. Bob Eakes of Red Drum Tackle is given most of the credit for finding these fish. He went marlin fishing out of Hatteras in February in the nineties and on the way in he trolled over the "Malchase" wreck and had multiple hookups of bluefins. The following two links are newspaper reports re the bluefins- 1996 and 1997. Dr. Barbara Block and Dr. Eric Prince are biologists who study these fish. Their writings may shed some light on the subject. This will likely remain a mystery of the sea. But that is what makes it interesting.
I am using my wifes computer.
Cliff Parker bigeasy

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA...2/03120382.htm

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA...3/02030040.htm

http://www.google.com/search?source=...=Google+Search

WAHOONBOX · 10-29-2007, 11:34 AM

WHAT A COOL STORY LINE YOU HAVE SHARED WITH US CLIFF.....THE PICTURE IS AWESOME

z71offshore · 11-01-2007, 01:33 PM

neat picture. i wonder if they went home to shower and then came back for a picture with the fish. surely they did not fish in such attire then?

thats a big one though. thanks for the picture.

10-27-2007, 10:43 AM	#1
bigeasy Crab mustard is good Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hatteras Village, North Carolina Posts: 667 Credits: 5,702.8 Boat: Big Easy Home Port: Hatteras, NC Occupation: Charter boat operator	Giant bluefin caught off Hatteras This photo came from a private collection in the family of General Billy Mitchell. I copied it from a photo in possession of the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" museum. It is reported to be a photo of General Mitchell and his wife after returning from a fishing trip off Hatteras Village in the 1920's. As you recall, General Mitchell is one of the pioneers of military aviation, proving that aircraft delivered bombs could sink battleships. He sank two, the "USS Virginia" and the "USS New Jersey" off Hatteras. Presumably the bluefin was caught in the timeframe of the military experiments. He was court martialed in 1925 for insubordination and he retired from the military but he continued to speak in favor of aviation. In 1942, President Roosevelt elevated him to the rank of Major General posthumously. Congress awarded him a Gold medal in 1946. The General Michell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the Billy Mitchell Airstrip in Hatteras are named for him. This photo is of interest to fishermen as it shows bluefins visited the Hatteras area prior to the mid 1990's when vast schools were found. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mitchell Attached Thumbnails __________________ _________________ Captain Cliff Parker www.bigeasycharters.com Hatteras, NC year round Last edited by bigeasy; 10-27-2007 at 11:33 PM.

10-27-2007, 07:03 PM	#3
TROPHY SPORTFISHING I think Admin is going to let me have this space Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Myrtle Grove Sound, N.C. Posts: 1,075 Credits: 1,554.6 Boat: 46 Egg Harbor/ 17 Coral Bay boat Home Port: Wrightsville Beach/ MHC N.C. Best Catch: 3 Blue Marlin and a Sailfish one day out of MHC and 750+ Blue 17 Whites out of Pirates Cove Occupation: Paying for my habit	hey Cliff got any idea where they sunk those ships whether or not it is shallow enough to be good structure? __________________ don't be scared of reverse

10-27-2007, 07:37 PM	#4
bigeasy Crab mustard is good Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hatteras Village, North Carolina Posts: 667 Credits: 5,702.8 Boat: Big Easy Home Port: Hatteras, NC Occupation: Charter boat operator	The battleships are on the charts below the 230 Rocks. The "Virginia" is located in 50 fathoms on TD's 26863.5 and 40211.9. This wreck is in several pieces. Good place to troll for tuna. The "New Jersey" is located at 26865.1 and 40217.3 in 60 fathoms of water. These are known locally as the 212 and 217 wrecks. Good areas to troll. __________________ _________________ Captain Cliff Parker www.bigeasycharters.com Hatteras, NC year round Last edited by bigeasy; 10-27-2007 at 09:07 PM.

10-29-2007, 01:39 AM	#7
Glenn W Motor Mouth Mega Poster Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Richmond, Va Posts: 3,714 Credits: 2,017.9 Occupation: Moonbat	Too cool Doc. Unfortunatly, I have not been to the new museum yet. It seems to be closed every time I get a chance to stop by, and open while I'm fishing. What are the memories and talk of the older Hattersas gentlemen (Mssrs.Foster, Eef, Burriss, Midgett, et al about the Bluefins prior to, say the 1960's? I remember when they started showing up in '91 or '92, and the talk was--Have they always been here (Hatteras) or is this a recent occurance? It would be interesting to know if the Giants were off HI to MHC in the 20's, 30's, 40's or 50's, disappeared for a while, and then mysteriously showed back up again in the 90's. __________________

10-29-2007, 11:34 AM	#9
WAHOONBOX I'M SPEECHLESS Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: MOREHEAD CITY NC 28557 Posts: 14,880 Credits: 39,986.1 Boat: I AM A FREELANCER Home Port: MOREHEAD CITY, NC Best Catch: PONEYTAIL Occupation: OFFSHORE MATE VIDEOGRAPHER	WHAT A COOL STORY LINE YOU HAVE SHARED WITH US CLIFF.....THE PICTURE IS AWESOME __________________ I STRONGLY SUPPORT: DEEP DIVING AND EASY TRIPPIN' OLD SALTY PLANERS FINRAZOR RODS & THE ABSOLUTELY DEEPER ATTACK WEAPON: SNIPER PLANER RODS THE GIANT BLUEFIN TUNA HEART STOPPER: POON HARPOON

10-27-2007, 11:29 AM	#2
shoefish Chum Nuts Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Portsmouth NH Posts: 4,642 Credits: 2,998.9	Very cool pic and story!

10-27-2007, 09:29 PM	#5
hotrodmarlin I think Admin is going to let me have this space Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: NC Posts: 1,150 Credits: 1,247.8	There is an old pic of a giant bluefin at the Sanitary restaurant in Morehead too-

10-28-2007, 01:26 PM	#6
squirtis Crab mustard is good Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NC/Panama Posts: 733 Credits: 1,313.3 Occupation: masterbaiter	Very cool Cliff, thanks for the pic and story Curtis

11-01-2007, 01:33 PM	#10
z71offshore Got fish Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: South Carolina Posts: 187 Credits: 1,249.6 Home Port: Charleston, SC	neat picture. i wonder if they went home to shower and then came back for a picture with the fish. surely they did not fish in such attire then? thats a big one though. thanks for the picture.

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