A Maryland man reeled in a record-breaking catch Wednesday off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland.
Jeff Wright, of Cambridge, was out fishing with his friends shortly after noon when he caught the 72.8-pound Mahi-Mahi — shattering a 34-year-old state record, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Wright said his rod “went crazy” and he struggled before finally pulling in the fish.
“It literally took 25 minutes to get this in,” Wright said in a statement to the agency. “I had to play it until it finally gave up.”
The large fish broke the record in the Atlantic Division for the biggest common dolphinfish, also known as the Mahi-Mahi, defeating the previous record made in 1985, the department said.
Kym Lawson pulled in a 67.8-pound common dolphinfish during July that year.
“It’s really exciting to see anglers like Wright break records that have been on the books for decades,” Recreational Fishing Outreach Coordinator Erik Zlokovitz said in a statement. “It just shows that with a little patience you could find yourself a part of Maryland’s angling history.”
The department maintains state records for sport fish in the Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal and Invasive divisions, and awards plaques to those who achieve record catches.
A biologist from the department confirmed the species was a Mahi-Mahi and its weight was certified by Sunset Marina in Ocean City.
The world record for the biggest Mahi-Mahi ever caught was made in Costa Rica in 1976, with an 87-pound fish.
