A Houston angler now sits atop the Texas record books after landing a truly monstrous Atlantic bluefin tuna, an 884-pounder that is officially the largest ever recorded in the state. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recently locked in the catch on its 2025 Angler Recognition Program list, after Houston fisherman David Esslinger and his crew battled the fish for roughly five hours about 160 miles off Galveston before hauling it to shore for an official weigh-in.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department said in a March 31 press release that the 884-pound catch, logged under the name David L. Essingler of Houston, was the heaviest state record processed in 2025. The agency reported that anglers submitted 600 applications that year, resulting in 44 new state records and 470 new waterbody records, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
The five-hour battle off Galveston
The record tuna hit during an April 2025 offshore trip aboard the 46-foot catamaran Catillac. Esslinger and the crew say the fish ran and dove again and again, turning into a marathon fight that stretched to roughly five hours before they finally managed to boat it. Once the tuna was on deck, the crew packed it on ice for the long run back to Galveston.
Back at Pelican Rest Marina, the fish was hoisted onto certified scales and officially registered at 884 pounds. The angler’s account and the dockside photos first made the rounds on social media, then were picked up and summarized in coverage by Outdoor Life and Sport Fishing Magazine.
How state records are verified
TPWD’s Angler Recognition Program requires any potential record fish to be weighed on certified or legal-for-trade scales within three days of the catch, and anglers must submit applications and supporting photos within 60 days. Agency staff review the paperwork and images before confirming a new record. The ARP is based at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, and the department says the program is designed both to honor standout anglers and to help track the health of Texas fisheries over time, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
Record context and reaction
The 884-pound tuna edged out the previous Texas bluefin record, a 876-pound fish landed in 2021, by eight pounds. Reporters noted that the new record fish had been double-tagged on prior outings, a sign it had already lived a long life at sea before meeting Esslinger’s crew…