The forecast that morning seemed fine: Swells between one and two feet. No problem for AJ Elson and the four other men aboard the 51-foot Let ‘Em Run. 

But after a few hours on the water, the waves had grown to over five feet and the local fishermen were convinced it was time to pack it up and head home. They started pulling in the line and getting ready to motor the five miles back to the coast when a giant bluefin tuna hit. 

“It was so rough on the water we weren’t sure about the size right away,” Elson said. Then the fish went on a run.

For two hours Elson battled the tuna. When the fight was over, the boat had been dragged more than two miles and Elson and company had landed a 750 pound fish.

“I was ecstatic,” Elson said. “It was very cool, especially to be able to do with my dad.”

Al Elson, AJ’s dad, owns and runs Striper Marina in town. The other crew included Connor Halpin, who works at Striper, and Matt Kelsey, who is the yard manager. 

“It was great,” AJ added.

The tuna was so large that the crew was unable to get it into the boat while at sea. Instead, they towed it to into Castle Hill. Then they steamed back to Striper Marina where the fishermen used a forklift to move the enormous catch. 

The next morning, on Oct. 11, Elson’s dad sold the tuna to the Narragansett Bay Lobster Company. 

AJ Elson, 19, said it was the first giant bluefin tuna he has caught. 

“I’ve been fishing all my life,” Elson said. “My dad introduced me to it when I was really young.”

The 750-pound, 107-inch tuna was among the largest caught recently off the coast of Rhode Island.