A MELBOURNE angler is celebrating a pending world record after a weekend at Portland.
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Darren Buttigieg pulled in a 103 kilogram southern bluefin tuna on Saturday with a 10 kilogram line.
It's a dream catch for Buttigieg, who said he had been chasing the record for three years.
"It took us about five hours, so it's 103 kilograms on a 10 kilo line," Mr Buttigieg said.
He said he was stoked and relieved.
"I've been chasing the record for a few years and I've lost a lot of fish in the meantime," Mr Buttigieg said.
"Last season and the season before we had two eight hour battles and we lost the fish both times. It's a big game of patience because we were using such a light line."
Mr Buttigieg and his mates celebrated with a few beers after the epic catch.
There is now a process where Mr Buttigieg has to provide evidence to have it verified whether he has broken the world record.
Portland Bait and Tackle owner John Johnstone said it was a great coup for the city.
"I believe the record has potentially been not just broken, but smashed," Mr Johnstone said.
"It's great news for the industry down here."
The city's Hooked on Portland fishing competition kicked off on the weekend.
Mr Johnstone said the city was extremely busy.
He said a 104 kilogram gilled and gutted fish was leading the competition.
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