WILMINGTON — A Wilmington fisherman just set the state record for the Graysby Grouper, an Atlantic Ocean ray-finned fish, caught 40 miles outside Masonboro Inlet.
George Dale of Wilmington caught the 2-pound, 3-ounce fish in about 100 feet of deep water. The fish measured 15 inches in total length and 18 inches in girth.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries announced the state record certification in a Monday press release.
Dale used cut bait on a floral carbon rig with an 80-pound braid. He caught it with a heavy jigging rod and a Penn Slammer III reel.
The Graysby Grouper world record was set in 1998 by a 2-pound 8-ounce catch in Texas.
To set a state record, a fish “must be exceptionally large for North Carolina waters and within a reasonable range of the world record,” according to the release. The Division of Marine Fisheries requires the angler to submit an application to be considered for the record.
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