| For Immediate Release November 14, 2007 Golden Tilefish Record Broken A 53-pound, 8-ounce golden tilefish, caught on September 22nd by Charles Maresh of Norfolk, has been certified as the new Virginia state record for the species by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The record-setting tilefish measured 46 inches (TL) and sported a 33-inch girth. Maresh was fishing off the Virginia Beach coast at the Norfolk Canyon with Captain Joe DelCampo aboard the charter vessel Keyed Up. The trip was arranged by long-time friend and fishing buddy Byron Waller in lieu of a bachelor party, as Maresh was scheduled to be married the weekend following the trip. The pair even tied the deep-drop rigs they would use the night before the trip, using 100-pound mono and 8/0 Gamigatsu hooks. The record tilefish was caught on a Penn Mariner Stand-up rod and a 4/0 High-speed Senator reel packed with 80-pound PowerPro braided line. Squid was used for bait. Golden tilefish was added to the list of eligible species for state record consideration in November 2006 with an initial qualifying weight of 40 pounds. Jeffery Dail was the initial and current record holder, with a 44-pound golden tilefish caught on April 29, 2007, although a 48-pound golden tilefish was caught August 5, 2007, but is still pending final verification. Click here for a picture of the new State Record
Golden Tilefish. |
