Ocean City Fishermen Catch 500-Pound Tuna

It was 3:30 a.m. in North Carolina. Three men from Ocean City were ready to fish. There were six people on their boat, and they needed them all to catch a 500-pound tuna.

Their first bite of the day took 90 minutes to reel in. Finally, three Ocean City residents caught the biggest fish of their life.

Jeff Dahl, 19, more than doubled his record for largest catch. The Ocean City resident and Stockton student previously caught a 200-pound shark. Catching the tuna required more than brute strength, he explained.

"You have a big reel and a lot of line," Dahl said. "You have to be patient and careful because anything can break it off, especially when there's so much tension on the line. It's a combination between driving the boat and being careful reeling it in."

Dahl and two of his friends on the boat — Doug Raab and Greg Heenan — have frequently fished in Ocean City. He used to work at Blue Water Marina in Ocean City.

Now he and his friends travel to fish. They caught the tuna on a boat called Dr. Bones from Ocean City.

Dahl said he started fishing with his grandfather around his freshman year of high school. His grandparents own a boat and live along the coast. Now their families will have plenty to eat.

"We cut it up and gave it all to friends and relatives," Dahl said.

Photo provided by Jeff Dahl