PORTSMOUTH — Roughly 15 miles off the coast of Portsmouth, two local fishermen over the weekend hauled in one of the biggest bluefin tuna ever recorded in New Hampshire.

The fish, which weighed in at 912 pounds and measured 119 inches, took nearly four hours to capture and left both Sam Smith and Ned Bulmer completely exhausted.

"It was unbelievable," said Smith, captain of the 25-foot fishing vessel Corsair.

The battle began as the sun was just beginning to set, Smith recalled Monday.

Having been on the water all day, Smith said he and Bulmer were continuing to test their luck when what appeared to be a giant fish swam beneath their boat.

Smith said he remembers seeing the tuna on his fish finder.

"I saw it on the screen and I knew it was a big fish," he said.

Within moments, Smith said the tuna had taken the bait and began to strip his fishing rod of its line.

"The thing took off and almost took all of my line with it," he said.

Bulmer, who was steering the vessel as Smith began to fight the fish, said he was tempted to stop to take photos, but instead, he remained focused on the task at hand.

Read the full story at the Portsmouth Herald>>