The saltwater sportfishing community has been buzzing with excitement over a potential new IGFA world record yellowfin tuna caught off the lower banks of Baja on a 10-day trip aboard the Excel, a sportboat out of San Diego, California. On November 11th, 2024, Earl Gill IV hooked and landed a massive yellowfin that weighed 448 pounds on the boat's scale. When weighed again six days later in San Diego on a certified IGFA scale, the fish came in at 443.5 pounds—still 15 pounds heavier than the current IGFA All-Tackle world record.
The lucky angler’s journey all started over 2500 miles away when his father reached out to Melton Tackle for assistance with this inquiry:
Name: Earl Gill III.
Message: Looking for the following packages for my long range trip scheduled beginning of November. Avet Reels (Red) LX 6/3 MXL 6/4 MCR Pro EX 30/2 R HX 5/2 MCR JX 6/3 MCR Rods (Red) Melton CBG 700 XH 7' (40-100) CBG 700 H 7' (30-80) CBG 700 H 7' (30-60) Need one more rod to match the last reel Also looking for two cow rods. I already have the reels Please let me know what kind of deal you're able to put in place for all this equipment. I need to get it ordered soon. Thank you, Earl Gill.
Some Information About Melton Tackle
A little background for you…Melton Tackle has been outfitting anglers worldwide since 1993. What began as a college business plan at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business entrepreneurship program has since grown into one of the largest retailers globally of offshore saltwater fishing tackle and accessories for the past 31 years.
Anyone who has been involved in the saltwater sportfishing world over the last 30+ years knows the Melton Tackle catalog and website. It is the go-to stop for serious offshore fishermen, tournament fishermen, and traveling anglers. It is run by people who live for fishing—so when an email came over on the customer service line in September asking for help outfitting a group of anglers going on their first long-range trip, Melton Tackle owner Tracy Melton responded directly to the customer and began asking questions. Having done multiple long-range trips over the years, he was intimately familiar with the tackle and techniques that are used on these trips and was able to build a selection of tackle that would be perfectly suited for Earl and his family's 10-day trip that was scheduled on the Excel out of San Diego's Fisherman's Landing.
Melton Tackle's Custom Rods
The major challenge was that these anglers—Earl Gill III, his son Earl Gill IV, and their 5 buddies—all live on the East Coast but needed their tackle delivered to their San Diego hotel prior to the trip so that when they arrived, they could simply grab their gear and head over to the Excel. All of the rods were built at the Melton Tackle custom rod shop run by rod-building guru Wade Cunningham of Seeker and Cousins Tackle fame (Wade was the founder for both) and were purpose-built for this long-range trip and target species/applications. We also had a selection of new Avet reels that needed spooling and rigging for this 10-day trip as well.
Earl Gill III wanted all of the rods built with custom nicknames so he knew who got what rods and what rod should be paired with each reel. A nice custom touch for personal tackle. And as it would turn out, EG4, dubbed "Meat Staff," lived up to its name and helped Earl Gill IV land one of the largest Yellowfin Tuna ever caught on rod and reel. One of four Yellowfin over 400 pounds EVER landed and documented on rod and reel! The fish initially weighed 448 pounds (unofficial) on the boat's scale, and eventually came in at 443.5 pounds on the certified scale at Fisherman's Landing back in San Diego. It is now a pending IGFA All-Tackle world record! If you're curious why there are two different weights (unofficial and official), that's because it's incredibly difficult to get a pinpoint weight on a rocking boat, so this fish had to wait a whole 6 days in the fish hold of the Excel before being weighed on dry land where the official weight was eventually recorded.
The Potential World Record Catch
Now, the day that Earl Gill IV hooked into his fish of a lifetime was the Excel's second day fishing on a specific bank off the Baja coast. The fishing thus far had been relatively slow, but a couple of cow (200+ lb) Yellowfin had been landed, and after a discussion with the Excel's captain, Justin Fleck, the group of anglers decided they wanted to try and stick it out to catch trophy tuna. The boat had landed a roughly 275-pound tuna that morning but had not seen any signal of fish since. Just as Captain Fleck was about to pull anchor, he announced that he saw a few fish on the boat's sonar.
Gill IV quickly deployed a chunk bait off the stern of the boat. Not 30 seconds after his father teased him, saying "Hurry up and catch something" so he could send his wife a nice photo, he was bit! Earl and the Excel crew immediately knew this was a larger fish as it peeled line off his reel, running up the side of the boat toward the bow.
Gill IV had been fighting his fish for about an hour before he and the crew felt something was amiss. The telltale tuna tail beats had stopped, and he was struggling to gain any line on the fish. What had happened, which is not all too uncommon when fishing for big tuna in shallow water, was that his fish had died mid-fight, and he was now going to have to leverage his giant fish from the depths somehow. Captain Justin Fleck pulled the anchor and repositioned the boat in an attempt to give Gill IV, who was fighting his fish in a shoulder harness, better leverage on his fish—and it worked. When Gill IV ultimately got his fish to the boat and the crew brought it on board, everybody was absolutely ecstatic and in awe of this giant tuna. It's hard to fathom actually how large a 400-pound tuna is, but for reference, Earl Gill IV is about 6 feet tall!
“Melton International was one of four shops I reached out to looking for a full set of fishing gear for my upcoming 10 day fishing trip. Tracy Melton called me back within 5 minutes of sending my inquiry for the gear. He worked with me for the next week or so to ensure my order was correct. He got all the reels together with the correct line and custom names each rod. What he asked in return was some great pictures. I’m happy my son, Earl Gill IV, was able to fulfill his request with a 443# Yellowfin Tuna. The second largest ever to be landed via rod and reel.”
-Earl Gill III
The rod Gill IV landed this potentially record-breaking fish on was a Melton Tackle Kuro Monster Rail Rod - KR MRR 70XXH, which is a custom rod in the Melton line that is purpose-built for heavy tackle and long-range fishing. He was using an Okuma Makaira 20 spooled with 100-lb Braid Line and 100-lb Fluoro Leader and 4/0 circle hook.
Wrap-up
Melton Tackle is incredibly thankful and proud to have been a part of this historic catch along with the Gill family and Excel sportboat crew and captain. We'd like to thank Earl Gill III for trusting Melton Tackle with assisting and guiding him in outfitting his group for their 10-day trip aboard the Excel. We'd say that the results speak for themselves, and it doesn't get much better than what Gill IV was able to accomplish on this trip. Congrats to everybody involved, and a massive congratulations to Earl Gill IV, who was able to land one of the biggest yellowfin tuna ever and a new potential IGFA All-Tackle world record on "Meat Staff," a Melton Tackle custom-built rod!
Email us at customs@meltontackle.com for more information about our Custom Rods!
Be sure to reach out to Melton Tackle for any assistance or questions you may have about your next fishing trip! Trust our experience…whether it’s long range, big game or inshore. Customize Your Rods. We offer custom options for your fishing gear. From custom colors, boat names & intricate threadwork, we can do it all.
