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NATCHEZ — Three Natchez men had the thrill of a lifetime last week when they landed a record-setting yellowfin tuna on an offshore fishing trip.

Jason Streeval, David Jenkins and Jacob Jenkins set off from Venice, Louisiana, bright and early on Friday, March 7, on a chartered fishing trip with the Mexican Gulf Fishing Co.

They each took turns reeling in the largest yellowfin tuna ever caught in the Gulf of Mexico. It weighed 265.5 pounds.

The catch does not qualify for an official record because they each took turns reeling the fish in.

Streeval, the warden at the Adams County Correctional Complex, said they caught the massive fish within 30 minutes of reaching their destination 18 miles out in the gulf.

This time of year is prime for catching yellowfin and other large fish, Streeval said, when large fish swim out around oil and gas well platforms and chase “bait balls.”

Bait balls are groups of smaller fish that swarm together and form a ball as a move to avoid predator fish.

The bait balls are attracted to the oil and gas platforms out in the gulf as an artificial reef-like structure that offers shelter and an abundant food source. That, in turn, attracts larger predator fish, like the yellowfin tuna, which the three Natchez men were specifically hoping to catch on their trip.

“This time of year, they come chasing those bait balls. You will see them crashing the water and you run over to them and you cast at them,” Streeval said.

“It took all of us to reel it in. I was the first man on the pole, and I couldn’t move him. I didn’t get one reel on it. I held it for 10 minutes and all he did was take line.”

He said it took about an hour and 15 minutes to land the fish.

“Each of us would take 10 or 15 minutes on the line, then somebody else would try,” Streeval said. “Official records are only one person. But one person wasn’t reeling in this beast.”

The fish was hooked on a spinning reel with a top water plug and 125-pound braided line.

As it turns out, the captain of their charter boat, Matt Miranda, holds the official record for the largest yellowfin tuna caught in the gulf. His fish weighed 258 pounds.

“We were very surprised that the captain held the record of the biggest fish before ours. He is very aggressive, the go-to guy within the fleet, which probably has eight boats,” he said.

Streeval said he highly recommends the Mexican Gulf Fishing Company and Miranda.

He said that when they unloaded the fish at the Venice Marina, their fish commanded great interest from others there.

Streeval and the Jenkins — father and son — are avid outdoors enthusiasts.

“We are all hunting and fishing guys. We like getting out, enjoying being outside,” Streeval said.

The charter company cleans, cuts and packages the fish caught on the trip, including this record-setting yellowfin.

“He’s going to be sashimi, sushi and tuna steaks. I had a piece of him last night. He was delicious!” Streeval said.