OCEAN CITY — Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials this week confirmed a Carroll County teenager last weekend set a new state record with an 18-pound sheepshead caught off the Ocean City coast last Friday.
The DNR announced the 18-pound sheepshead caught by angler Robert Martin, 17, of Carroll County, set the new state record in the Atlantic Division. After hearing rumors that sheepshead were biting off the Ocean City coast, Martin and his father, Brad Martin, took a few days off to go fishing off the coast of the resort.
The father and son duo caught a remarkable 11 sheepshead on their first day of fishing in Ocean City, but the biggest prize came early on the second day. Around 9 a.m. on their second day of fishing last Friday, the younger Martin said he felt an unusually strong tug on the other end of his line.
“If was heavier than the rest,” he said. “I knew this one was different. I was amazed when I pulled this big fish aboard the boat.”
The catch was officially weighed and certified at the Ocean City Fishing Center in West Ocean City. It replaces a 13-year-old state sheepshead record set by angler Raymond Daniels for a 17.5-pound sheepshead caught in the Ocean City Inlet.
The DNR maintains state records for sport fish in four divisions, including Atlantic, Chesapeake, non-tidal and invasive, and awards plaques to anglers who achieve record catches. Fish caught from privately-owned, fee-fishing waters are ineligible for consideration.
