Guy Yocum is the lucky angler who hauled in a monster yellowfin tuna, which looks to be a sure betfor a new all-tackle world record that would crush the current record of 404 pounds set two years ago by Mike Livingston aboard the long range boat Vagabond on a trip out of San Diego.

The fish caught Tuesday was weighed on two different scales, with local IGFA rep Minerva Saenz of Minerva’s Tackle in Cabo present and the fish registered 421.5 and 427 pounds.

“To settle on one weight to submit to the IGFA, the digital scale belonging to the boat was sent off to verify that it is correct and to have the certification checked,” said Tracy Ehrenberg of the Cabo-based Pisces Fleet who gathered much of the information on the catch thus far.

“Nevertheless either of these weights would make it a new world record,” said Ehrenberg,Yocum, a contractor by trade, is also a hard core angler who knows what he is doing, she said. His crew is experienced, headed by its Captain, Greg DiStefano from San Clemente. They went out precisely on a mission to land a large tuna. El Suertudo left Cabo on Saturday around noon and, according to Yocum, “headed out looking for schools of porpoise.”

He said, “Each time we found them we would position the boat in front of the school and bait fish with the kites, using bolitos and dead flyfishing, and when that didn't work we switched to drifting with chunk baits.”

They ended up 180 miles due south of Cabo and landed a 200-pound tuna on Monday as well as some smaller fish. It was around 10.45 a.m on Tuesday, Sept. 18, as they were drifting with chunk bait, that Yocum got his hook-up.

“Being an experienced angler he worked the fish like a pro and had the yellowfin to the boat and gaffed by the crew in 55 minutes,” said Ehrenberg. They started to head back after the fish was in the boat, knowing they had an exceptional catch, reaching Cabo at 8 a.m. today, Wednesday.

Ehrenberg added, “Guy sounded exhausted but excited when we reached him by phone earlier today when asked what his previous record for tuna was. He HHee said ‘Two hundred and twelve pounds is my previous record, but my son did get a 350 pounder on the boat last month.’ The tackle he used was 100-pound test line, with a Shimano Tiagra reel, chunk bait with a Mustad hook/

That is a big deal. That hook and the weightmight just make the catch eligible for the Mustad $1,000,000 competition which offers registered anglers a chance to win a million dollars if they can catch a certified all tackle world record before Sept. 30. Perfect timing.

Although many fish have been reported to be 400 pounds plus weighed in at Cabo, only two have been heavier on IGFA scales. Three years ago a 383-pound yellowfin won the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot for the Fisherman team and remains the largest tournament yellowfin ever caught. Yocum’s fish is likely to be approved by the IGFA, but before that happens the catch will be carefully looked at in terms of basic rules.

The Million Dollar Contest will be contingent on the fish being approved by the IGFA. Under the terms of the contest, all insurance money will be doled out at $20,000 a year for 50 years.

Cabo, known for decades as a marlin destination, is clearly the yellowfin Capitol of the World.In a report from Cabo, Brian Solomon, owner of Solomon’s Landing in Cabo, said Yocum came by Wednesday night to the marina-side restaurant for dinner to celebrate, but said the huge fish is great new but the other catches on local banks portend well for the upcoming Cabo Tuna Tournament Nov. 7-10, the big tuna have arrived with several 200 pounders caught in recent days on the local banks, and several huge fish in the upper 200s and 300-pound rangehave been lost in recent days.

“Way to go guys and great for Cabo,” said Ehrenberg. “Itshows that we still have the best fishing in the world.”

GUY YOCOM FROM DANA POINT, CA holding reel and rod) and his crew poses with what is unofficially a new all tackle world record yellow fin tuna. Weight has to be verified between 421.5 and 427 lbs and could be worth $1,000,000.00 in the Mustad Hook a Million Contest a worldwide competition.