If you’re going to hook a fish, it might as well be a big one.
That’s exactly what happened to the crew aboard Destin’s Prime Time with Capt. Steven Pixley during the weekend while fishing a tournament out of Orange Beach, Alabama, the MBGFC Billfish Limited.
Taylor Guidry hooked and hauled in a 161.6-pound escolar, which could possibly be a new record in the Gulf of America, previously known as the Gulf of Mexico.
According to Alabama Outdoors State Saltwater Records, the largest escolar on record is a 102-pound, 10-ounce fish caught in September 2023 by a man from Orlando.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Pixley said on Aug. 4 as they were at the docks at HarborWalk Marina.
The fish was caught aboard Prime Time, a 40-foot Barker.
Taylor Guidry landed this 161.6-pound escolar for a possible Gulf record. He was fishing aboard the Prime Time with Capt. Steve Pixley at the helm.
“We just picked it up,” Pixley said of the boat owned by Chad Guidry. “That was the first time we’ve had a hook up on that boat. The first trip and we hooked a Gulf record.”
So, what is an escolar?
Pixley explained that an escolar is a deep-water fish and really good to eat, but only in moderation.
The fish is known to be extremely oily.
“They say you can’t eat more than 4 ounces of it,” he said.
The escolar reeled in by Taylor Guidry weighed 161.6 pounds. It is a possible Gulf record.
Where did they hook the enormous escolar?
The crew were fishing about 130 miles from Destin in the early morning hours of Aug. 1 in about 6,000 feet of water.
“We were actually drifting at night trying to catch a tuna fish. And that’s the critter that ate,” Pixley said.
More big fish tales: Local captains haul big fish for big money in Sandestin’s Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic
When the fish latched onto the bait, a live hardtail, Pixley said they weren’t sure what they had online.
“I thought it was a big swordfish the way it was fighting,” Pixley said.
Capt. Steve Pixley, who is 6-foot, lays down beside the gigantic escolar that measured 69 1/2 inches in length, to put things in perspective.
How long did it take to reel it in?
It took them about an hour-and-a-half to get the fish up and on the 40-foot Barker boat.
“It stayed beneath the thermocline for about 45 minutes,” Pixley said, noting they couldn’t get the fish to come above 300 feet.
“It probably took 2,000-foot of line at the first. Then once we got it up to 300 feet it just stayed there for 45 minutes, until it got tired,” he said.
“Not until it broke the surface … when we first started seeing color, I had no idea what it was, because I’d never seen an escolar that big,” Pixley said, noting he has caught 40- and 50-pounders before.
Fish tales abound: Mollie brings in big haul in Biloxi billfish tournament; top tuna, second marlin
“I wasn’t expecting that. Then once we saw it … it was get the gaff,” Pixley said.
“I did not know that God created them that big,” he said at the site of the escolar.
Local artist Harley Van Hyning came down to HarborWalk Marina to do a painting of the huge escolar on Monday morning.
“It took three of us to get it through the tuna door,” he said. “It freaked out on the deck for about 15 minutes. We were a little intimidated to get near that fish. It was beating the boat up pretty good.”
What’s next for the escolar?
They weighed the fish in Alabama at the tournament and paperwork was drawn up to submit for a record.
More: A 468-pound blue marlin brought in $230,000 in prize money for this Destin fishing crew
“We had someone certify it in Alabama, but I’m waiting to hear from the IFGA,” Pixley said.
Once everything is recorded, Pixley said they want to donate the fish to science.
Local artist Harley Van Hyning came down to HarborWalk Marina to do a painting of the huge escolar on Monday morning.
Pixley spoke of having Alex Fogg, the natural resource chief in Okaloosa County, take samples from the fish.
“Alex can take core samples … an eye and other stuff to be able to age the fish,” Pixley said.
More: With a 508-pound blue marlin, Pensacola crew wins $167,000 at Emerald Coast classic
“There’s no data on a fish that big … so somebody should learn something,” he said.
“It’s too much fish to eat,” due to the oil content. “So, let’s feed it to science,” Pixley said.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: Destin’s Prime Time lands possible Gulf record escolar
