OCEAN CITY — Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials this week confirmed a Wicomico County angler last weekend set a new state record with an 11-pound tripletail caught off the coast of Ocean City, the first ever for the species in the books.
Angler Don Whittington of Bivalve was fishing near the Baltimore Canyon off Ocean City last Saturday when he landed the unusually large tripletail. The species can be found from Florida to southern New England during the summer months, but they are typically much smaller than the 11-pound, 25-inch-plus fish landed by Whittington.
After about two hours fishing from his son’s boat, targeting tuna and dolphin in the Baltimore Canyon, Whittington said he saw something unusual in the water.
“We knew what it was,” he said this week. “We’ve seen small ones all summer, but after I pulled that one in, I was like ‘wow.’”
The new state record tripletail was taken to Bahia Marina where staff certified its weight and a DNR biologist certified the species. This week, for the first time ever, the tripletail was recognized by Maryland in its Atlantic Division for state records.
“While tripletails aren’t too unusual off the coast of Maryland, the size of this one really creates a great benchmark for a new record catch,” said DNR Recreational Fishing and Outreach Coordinator Erik Zlokovitz.
The DNR maintains state records for sport fish in four divisions including the Atlantic, Chesapeake, nontidal and invasive and awards plaques to anglers who achieve record catches. Fish caught from privately-owned, fee-fishing waters are ineligible for consideration.
Anglers who think they have a potential record catch should download and fill out the state record application and call 443-569-1381 or 410-260-8325. The DNR suggests fish be immersed in ice water to preserve weight until it can be checked, confirmed and certified.
