Fisherman and futures trader Dave Lamoureux has a taste for danger – a danger he prefers to be served pan seared.

Lamoureux is essentially a big game sportsman, and his favored hunt – enormous tuna fish. Unlike the commercial tuna fisherman, with their big boats and harpoon wielding, Lamoureux prefers a line, a fishing pole, and the comforts of a recreational kayak that he modified in garage. Recently, according to the New York Times, Lamoureux’s and his one-man fiberglass vessel hauled in a 157-pound bluefin tuna, a record for a solo kayak tuna fisherman.

His most recent catch, on Nov. 5, was a 157-pound bluefin, a record tuna for an unassisted kayak fisherman, and a near record over all, topped only by a 183-pound halibut caught by Howard McKim, an Alaskan, in 2004. Reeling in a halibut, though, has been likened to hauling in a load of plywood, and some of Lamoureux’s admirers consider landing a bluefin, known for its power and ferocity, the greater feat. He is a hero at bait shops up and down Cape Cod. On fishing blogs, a few grumblers call him a dangerous idiot.

Lamoureax told the Times that when you hook one of these mothers it’s “sort of like a raging bull” – as the tuna will tow the kayak around until the fish expires from exhaustion. It can take hours for a bluefin to give. Here’s an idea of what it takes to reel one of these beasts in…

Lamoureax and his kayak, named Fortitude, will look to up the ante as he continues his quest, splitting time between his home in Chicago and the fishing waters off the coast of Cape Cod. Someday he hopes to one day push that record weight to 300-400 lbs.

I’d suggest a record tuna casserole bake-off at the local rod & gun for the locals in the community when that happen.
Catching Tuna and Hanging On for the Ride (New York Times)

(Photo via NYT)