Bigeye tuna are a large deepwater tuna, with, as the name suggests, a large eye and a deep body. Maximum recorded weight is over 400kg, but the largest specimen caught in NZ waters on rod and reel was 139.2kg caught on 37kg line after a three hour battle by two anglers. These tuna are a sought-after commercial species found throughout tropical and sub-tropical waters, and they visit northern New Zealand waters during summer months. They tend to stay deeper during the day than other tuna species, and are usually only encountered by anglers at dawn or dusk in deep water

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