A fisherman in Georgia is the second person in two months to set a new record for the same fish.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says that Brian C. Richburg, 29, of Brunswick, Georgia, caught the largest queen triggerfish ever on May 17. He now holds the record for this species.
The fisherman went out with some friends to look for mahi mahi, crabs, and wahoo. But, Richburg told Fox News Digital, the bites slowed down around lunchtime.
When things were quiet, Richburg went bottom fishing. To his surprise, he caught something big, bright, and “beautiful.”
He got the fish that set the record out at sea, in about 180 feet of water, close to the South Ledge.
Richburg didn’t know at first that his queen triggerfish had broken a record.
“I was about to start cleaning the fish, I’d already cleaned all the other fish, and, I was literally about to put a knife to it,” he said.
It was 9.7 pounds and 6.24 ounces that Richburg caught.
The old record was set on April 7 by Ryan R. Simons of Richmond Hill. This new record beats it. It took Simmons 7.58 pounds to catch something.
“Georgia’s coast has a lot of different kinds of offshore and inshore fishing, so it’s not a surprise that Mr. Richburg caught his big fish,” DNR public information officer Tyler Jones told Fox News Digital.
“It’s a little unusual for a record to be broken so quickly, but it in no way diminishes the achievement of the previous record holder, Mr. Ryan Simons,” said Jones.
The DNR says that the queen triggerfish species is easy to spot because of its unique shape and bright colors.
The DNR claimed that Richburg’s catch was the state record after checking its weight and species, according to a news release from the DNR.
Richburg will get a certificate signed by Governor Brian Kemp, DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon, and Doug Haymans, who is in charge of the Coastal Resources Division. Right now, Richburg is recognized as the official record holder on the DNR’s website.
“Georgia DNR works hard to ensure our state has great fishing opportunities for everyone, whether that’s through our artificial reef program, our beach water quality monitoring or our public access work including the new Georgia Beyond Barriers handicap accessibility initiative,” said Jones.
“We want to see anglers out there making memories and sometimes even breaking records.”
Starting June 1, Richburg can’t wait to get back out on the water for some fishing contests. For now, though, he’s happy that people know him as a record-breaking fisherman.
