Fisherman missing after going overboard while hooking ‘huge’ tuna on fishing trip
Editor Note: Probably had a stand up harness on with the drag on the reel extremely tight! Always have a rope or cable secured to the reel or harness, anchored to the boat when going after big fish! Also know how to operate the reel you are using!!
A fisherman is missing after he was reportedly pulled into the ocean when he hooked a “huge” ahi tuna off the coast of Hawaii.
The incident occurred at approximately 5 a.m. on Sunday morning (1/15/23) when 63-year-old Mark Knittle of Captain Cook, Hawaii, was fishing with a friend on a boat near Hōnaunau on the west coast of the Island of Hawaii.
“Knittle and a friend were fishing near the ‘C’ buoy, four miles outside of the Hōnaunau Boat Ramp, when Knittle hooked an ahi,” the Hawaii Police Department in a statement detailing the accident. “The friend heard Knittle say, ‘the fish is huge,’ then saw Knittle go overboard into the water.”
Police say Knittle’s friend attempted to grab the line in an initial and unsuccessful attempt to save him.