• A fisherman may have set a new Louisiana state record after catching a 256-pound yellowfin tuna.
• The catch was made on a charter boat captained by Eddie Adams of Highlands, New Jersey.

Eddie Adams, a local charter boat captain from the Highlands, may have guided a fisherman to a new Louisiana state record yellowfin tuna after a member of his fishing charter, Jeffrey Tomaloff, landed a 256-pound yellowfin tuna on a Jan. 16 trip to the Gulf.

If the catch is certified, the fish would surpass the current record 251-pound yellowfin tuna set in 2012 by Elliot Sale who landed his near the West Delta Block oil rig, according to the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association records.

Adams told the Asbury Park Press that the paperwork is filed and they’re just waiting on the certification. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries confirmed that staff weighed the big fish but it’s the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association that keeps the records.

Adams runs Henry Smulewitz’s 39-foot Contender Down N Dirty. The boat, powered by triple Honda 350 outboard engines, runs charters here in the spring and fall out of Raritan Bay and Manasquan River. This winter the boat is fishing out of Cypress Cove Marina and Lodge in Venice, Louisiana as part of the Fish Venice Charters’ fleet.

On Jan. 16, Adams had a four-man charter on board and was chasing pogy balls – what they call menhaden pods in Louisiana – about 12 to 15 miles off the coast. In one of the thick clusters of bait, Tomaloff, a Floridian, hooked the big bruiser of a yellowfin on a clear popper. Tomaloff fought it on a 8-foot Jack’s Custom spinning outfit spooled with 80-pound hollow core braided line. Adams said from the hook up to gaff, it took Tomaloff 30 minutes to wrestle in the yellowfin tuna. On the boat was also Mike O’Sullivan from Boston, Mike Le from Louisiana and Andy Brown from Florida.

Lake Hopatcong Ice Contest

The frigid air of late has created a nice layer of ice on the state’s largest freshwater body, Lake Hopatcong. Laurie Murphy at Dows Boat Rentals on Nolans Point Road said in the shallows around the coves the lake has 5 to 7 inches of ice on it. Out in the main lake, she said the ice cover is 4 to 7 inches. Next week, the forecast calls for the temperature to drop down to as low as 5 degrees overnight on Thursday, while daytime temps will be in the teens for most of the week. That has the potential to keep the lake locked up in ice for a while. 

As such, the Knee Deep Club will hold its first ice fishing contest on Feb. 1 from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are cash prizes for the three heaviest fish in each category. Entry fee is $20 for club members and $25 for everyone else. Anglers can sign up at Dows or Lake End Marina. Both locations will also serve as official weigh stations. As far as the catch goes, Murphy said anglers are picking away at perch and pickerel. There have been some bass around the state park and a couple walleye out in the deeper parts of the main lake. 

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him at dradel@gannettnj.com