Rare 'cow' tuna landed off Cabo San Lucas as bite heats up

A 208-pound yellowfin tuna was landed Sunday off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, helping to signal the start of another big-fish season at the iconic resort destination.

“COW TUNA Yesterday hitting the Pisces dock!” the Pisces Sportfishing Fleet boasted via social media. “This 208-pounder was landed by anglers Diego Bribiesca & Jesús Rodríguez aboard the boat Scale House (not a Pisces boat). The fish hit on a yellow/orange lure 35 miles out.”

Late summer and fall are prime months for anglers seeking to battle massive and immensely powerful yellowfin tuna, along with blue marlin and other prized game fish.

Pisces continued: “We should see the Tuna hold now all the way through to the beginning of November, just in time for the [Western Outdoor News] Tuna Jackpot Tournament.”

A yellowfin tuna earns “cow” status at 200 pounds. More rare are “super-cow” yellowfin weighing at least 300 pounds.

According to the International Game Fish Assn., the current world record was set off Cabo San Lucas in September 2012 with the catch of a 427-pound yellowfin tuna.

Yellowfin catches topping 400 pounds are exceedingly rare.

–Image courtesy of Pisces Sportfishing Fleet