Fishing is an undeniably popular pastime in the United States, with almost 48 million people participating in freshwater, saltwater and fly fishing in the U.S. in 2012. Unfortunately, few of those sportsmen and women likely broke any records with their catches. Two fisherman in Maryland, however, may soon have claims to local and even worldwide fame after their recent fishing trips.
Maryland is famous for both its saltwater and freshwater fishing, a fact that drew Kenneth Westerfeld of College Point, NY to Ocean City. On Jan. 2, Westerfeld reeled in a 28.8-pound tautog while on the charter boat Fish Bound with Captain Kane Bounds. The boat was 20 miles southeast of the city in 75-foot waters. Westerfeld was using a seven-foot, two-inch Calstar Custom road with 50-pound braided running line and a 50-pound fluorocarbon leader on a Shimano Tymos reel. For bait, he was using a Jonah crab.
Tautog, also called hoodfish, are a type of western Atlantic wrasse found from Nova Scotia to South Carolina. While most tautog weigh only one to three pounds, they can grow to be three feet long and around 25 pounds. Maryland’s previous state record was set in 2012, when Charles Donohue caught a 23-pound fish near Ocean City; in contrast, the current world record is 25 pounds. Westerfeld’s tautog surpasses both.
The fish was weighed by Jacob Widgeon at Sunset Marina, using the marina’s International Game Fish Association-certified scale. It was then examined and confirmed by Keith Lockwood, a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Recourses fisheries, who awarded Westerfeld the new record for tautog in the state. Westerfeld, who has been fishing for over 20 years, is also pursuing the all-tackle world record certification, but says he intends to continue fishing for a big tautog.
Also on Jan. 2, Lee Haile III of Towson caught an eight pound pickerel at an Eastern Shore pond near Salisbury. Using a light spinning tackle with an eight-pound braided running line, a 20-pound monofilament leader, and a minnow/jig combo lure, Haile said that he knew immediately that he had to have the pickerel measured as soon as possible. After weighing the fish at Clyde’s Sport Shop in Halethorpe, he eventually obtained a certified weight at Conrad’s Crabs and Seafood Market in Parkville. Later that day, he also met with Lockwood to confirm the species.
Ultimately, the current world record for pickerel still belongs to a nine-pound, four-ounce fish caught in Georgia in 1961. However, Haile’s eight-pound fish superseded the previous state record, which was set by a seven-pound, four-ounce fish caught by Roy Molick Jr. in 1976.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources maintains records for three divisions of sport fish: Atlantic, Chesapeake and freshwater. Anglers who catch potentially record-setting fish are required to keep their fish immersed in ice water to preserve its weight until it can be checked at a seafood retailer, grocery store or tackle shop with a certified scale. Fish caught from private, fee-fishing waters are ineligible for record consideration. Anglers who achieve new records receive plaques from the DNR.