A Bermudian fisherman has featured in a top fishing magazine after catching a monster 1,000lb tuna.

In an article in the US-based National Fisherman magazine headlined ‘Big fish, small island’, veteran angler David Soares recounted how he reeled in the bluefin on Challenger Banks about 12 miles southwest of the Island last December.

Mr Soares, a commercial fisherman, told the magazine he knew he was on to something big when 950 yards of a 1,000-yard reel disappeared in seconds.

The monster then dragged him for two miles but after a two-hour battle, Mr Soares, who was alone on the trip, was able to harpoon the fish and get it aboard.

“Right away, when anything takes that much line off a reel that fast, I realised he was quite large,” Mr Soares told the magazine.

“I’ve never had them take it that fast or that much. I’ve had them take 400 or 500.”

Mr Soares went on to explain that, because there are no fish houses in Bermuda, commercial fishermen deal directly with hotels and restaurants.

“We go out and catch the fish and we sell off the fish directly to them, tell them what we have and they tell us what they want and then we sell it off piece by piece,” Mr Soares said.

His prize tuna — the biggest ever caught in Bermuda waters — was sold to the MEF restaurant group.

The article concluded with Mr Soares selling the Island as an excellent destination.

Journalist Melissa Wood wrote: “At National Fisherman, we talk to fishermen on all coasts about the concerns surrounding their fisheries. But when I asked if commercial fishermen in Bermuda were facing any troubling issues, he had nothing for me. ‘Life’s good. It’s sunny, nice weather, average temperature 70, 72. In the dead of winter you might get down 60 to 65’.”