World Record Striped Bass
Greg Myerson’s 37.1 kg (81 lb 14 oz) record striped bass (from 2011) was approved after the IGFA’s Record Committee came to a consensus on the catch and its supporting documentation. Myerson’s catch created a whirlwind of excitement in early August for striper anglers everywhere, but especially in the northeastern USA.
“After a 15 minute fight on my St. Croix rod and Quantum reel, I got the striped bass close enough to the boat for netting,” Myerson shared in the testimony accompanying his world record application. “The fish was bigger than I thought. I slipped on eel slime and banged my ribs against the gunwhale of the boat. But it didn’t matter. The monster fish was mine. At this point it was about 8 pm, I put the fish into the hold and fished the rest of the tide. As I fished, I repeatedly peered into the hold and asked myself ‘is this striper really that big?’ The following morning, I brought the striped bass to Jack’s Shoreline Bait and Tackle to be weighed. The fish measured 54 inches in length and tipped Jack’s digital scale at 81.88 pounds. It really was that big.”
The IGFA’s approval of Meyerson’s catch marks the end of Albert McReynolds’ 29-year reign as All-Tackle record holder for this prestigious saltwater species. In addition to now holding the All-Tackle record, Meyerson’s catch also landed him the new men’s 37 kg (80 lb) line class record, which previously stood at 70 lb. Congratulations to Greg Myerson on this historical record striped bass – and good luck to you striper fishermen aiming to best it in the future!
Few other near-record stripers have come close to this catch, but here our two that almost topped the list.
Other Near-Record Striped Bass
A 74-pound striped bass, caught on January 20th, 2012 by Cary Wolfe of Bristow, VA, has been certified as the new Virginia State Record by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Wolfe’s catch surpassed the existing record of 73 pounds, caught nearly four years ago to the day by Fred Barnes of Chesapeake.
Wolfe made the record-setting catch in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Henry, where they were but one of an estimated 100-boat flotilla while fishing with Captain Tim Cannon aboard the charter boat Bada Bing. The trophy striper hit a trolled tandem parachute rig, consisting of a pair of 2-ounce big-mouthed nylon skirted jigs, paired with 9-inch rubber shad bodies and trolled from a custom rod mated to a Penn 114H, spooled with 80-pound Ande monofilament line.
The 74-pound, record-setting striper measured 56-3/4 inches in length and had a girth of 31-1/2 inches. The prior state record striped bass of 73 pounds was caught in the Atlantic Ocean about one-half mile north of the 4A buoy, which is located off Fishermen’s Island, by Frederick Barnes of Chesapeake on January 23, 2008.
Sklar caught a 52-pound striper in 2007 in the surf at Assateague Island. Allen Sklar had been fishing the Assateague Island surf eight to ten hours a day, four days a week, only to watch his buddies pull in big striped bass, one after another, while he settled for sharks and skates. In May, though, Sklar got his due when a 50-pound striped bass took his bait and bolted. After a couple hard runs, Sklar finally worked the striper onto the beach.
“I just stood there wondering if my heart could beat any faster,” Sklar said. “My head was spinning.” When the striped bass broke the 52-pound mark on his friend’s Boga Grip, Sklar decided to take the fish to a certified scale in Ocean City. There, the fish tipped the scale at 52 pounds, 14.4 ounces, six ounces heavier than the current Maryland striped bass record in the “ocean” category. As for the pending-record holder: “Life is fine right at the moment.”
