Record Book Black Drum? We’ll Never Know For Sure
December 12, 2008
Gwen Frazier of Raleigh was surf fishing at Topsail when she hooked the catch of a lifetime, a humongous black drum. Mike Zlotnicki of the News and Observer has the exclusive story of this catch. I will tell you this the fish was returned to the sea without a tape measure or a scale being used on it so we’ll never know for sure if it was a new state record or possible a new world record.
“I’m 5 foot 4 [inches],” Frazier said, “and the fish was exactly my height.”
If that’s accurate — and we’ll never know for sure — the fish probably would have been a state record and perhaps a world record, said Randy Gregory, a fisheries biologist with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.
“In 1980, the state record was 84 pounds, and the length 53 inches and the girth 42,” said Gregory, who also serves as the weighmaster at many saltwater fishing tournaments. “In 1990, it was broken again at 87 pounds and the length was 54 and the girth was 38 3/4.”
The current state record is a 100-pound, 1-ounce behemoth caught by Charles R. Dycus of Sanford in 1998. Gregory said that fish was 56 inches long, with a girth of 46. The world record is 113 pounds, 1 ounce.
If you had hooked this fish would you’ve turned it lose without getting some measurements? I’ll tell ya I don’t know if I would.
Post by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose
Moose Droppings is a place that chronicles my journey, Ill explore new places and ideas Ill learn new things and Ill teach the things Ive learned to others. Join me on the adventure and hopefully it will help you in your outdoor endeavors.
[...] long ago a potential world record Black Drum was let go prior to any weights or measurements were [...]