MARYLAND- Two anglers reeled in impressive catches off the coast of Ocean City landing them new Maryland records. New Jersey's Chris Stafford and Maryland's Stephen Humphrey set records with their catches of a pompano dolphinfish and a great barracuda, respectively.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says Stafford, from Cherry Hill, snagged a 2-pound pompano dolphinfish on September 20, while Humphrey, from Ellicott City, landed a 13-pound great barracuda on October 6.
Stafford was reportedly at Poor Man’s Canyon, where he was "bailing" dolphinfish. He noticed that one of his catches had slight differences compared to the others. A mate, who works as a fish cutter, saw that the fish's body shape and proportions varied from the typical dolphinfish. This led Stafford to contact DNR.
The department identified several distinctive features of the pompano dolphinfish, this fish had a ray count of 53 contrasted with the 58 to 66 rays found on common dolphinfish. The catch was confirmed at Bahia Marina measuring 20 inches in fork length.
DNR says Humphrey's great barracuda was caught while trolling for yellowfin tuna at Washington Canyon when the fish struck. He was aboard the charter boat "Wrecker" with mate Cody Smith and Captain Bobby Layton.
Humphrey's barracuda was weighed, confirmed, and certified at the Ocean City Fishing Center, measuring 40 inches fork length and 42 inches in total length.
While a few barracuda have been caught in Maryland waters recently, Humphrey's catch stood out due to its size. Department fishery managers anticipate more frequent sightings of this species and other southern visitors like cobia, king mackerel, sheepshead, and pompano, as ocean temperatures rise due to climate change.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources maintains state records for sport fish across four divisions: Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal, and Invasive, celebrating record-setting anglers with commemorative plaques.
Anglers who believe they have made a record-breaking catch can download a state record application and contact the department at 443-569-1398 or Erik.Zlokovitz@maryland.gov. Officials recommend keeping the fish in ice water to maintain its weight until it can be officially checked, confirmed, and certified.