'I just saw the explosion of fish': Kayaker lands 105-pound dogtooth tuna

Dana Williams | Pacific Daily News

Show Caption Hide Caption 2018 Micronesian Games Guam National Spearfishing Team Trials Spearfishers compete for a spot on the 2018 Micronesian Games Guam National Spearfishing Team at the Agat Marina on Jan. 6, 2018.

Rogelio “Jose” Argueta and Cody Horn were fishing from their kayaks on the south side of the island Saturday morning when Argueta’s lure got stuck on the reef. He freed it; it got stuck again, and he freed it again.

“The third time, I knew it wasn’t stuck,” Argueta said. “I just saw the explosion of fish, and he ran for probably 10 minutes, just taking line up.”

The battle with the fish started at 9:15 a.m., and continued for the next hour.

“There was no stopping him,” Argueta said. Worried that he was going to run out of line, he grabbed Horn’s kayak, and the two went for a ride out to sea.

“He drug us probably two miles from where we caught him,” Argueta said. “It was a fight.”

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Finally, they were able to bring the big fish back to their boats.

But then they had another problem. The dogtooth tuna was big – 105 pounds, and they had to figure a way to get it to shore. Argueta was in a Hobie Outback, a fishing kayak fitted with a pedal system. Horn was in an Ocean Kayak, powered by a traditional paddle. They balanced the big fish and tied the two boats together.

“If he wasn’t there I would have had to wave a bigger boat down,” Argueta said.

Argueta, who has lived on Guam for two years, has only had a kayak for eight months. Originally from Virginia, he’s stationed here with the Army.

And what do a couple of kayakers do with a 105-pound fish?

“When we got to the house we did some sashimi,” he said.