Surf angler reels in 58-pound striped bass in New Jersey
The catch was not a world record or even a record for New Jersey, but it still is one big fish.
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A surf fisherman has reeled in a monster 58-pound striped bass at a New Jersey beach.
Joe Julian of Julian's Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands, Monmouth County, said John Callahan reported that he caught the fish in Raritan Bay on Monday, but would not disclose where exactly the catch happened.
"I'm sure he doesn't want anyone to know where his honey spot is," Julian said.
Ron Julian, also of the bait and tackle store, said Callahan told the shop he was from Pennsylvania and packed the fish on ice for his two-hour return trip.
"He just came in to get it weighed and have his picture taken," Joe Julian said.
Callahan did not have the striper measured but Joe Julian described it as "as big as a tailgate on a truck."
It took Callahan a half-hour to reel in the fish, the Julians said. The angler used a chunk of bunker for bait.
The world record for a striped bass is 81.88 pounds. It was caught in Connecticut in 2011. For 29 years before that, the world record striper was a 78.8-pound fish that was caught in the surf in Atlantic City.