Think You've Got a Record-size Fish?

RULES AND REGULATIONS

  1. Fish must be caught in New Jersey waters.
  2. Saltwater species taken from a boat must have been caught from a boat which left from and returned to a New Jersey port during the same trip.
  3. Fish must have been caught on sporting tackle, hooked and landed by entrant.
  4. New Jersey state records are determined by weight alone. There are no line classes.
  5. Fish must be weighed on a certified scale.
  6. A clear photograph of the fish must be furnished for identification purposes. In the case of freshwater species, a yardstick must be placed next to fish to clearly show length.
  7. Fish should be refrigerated to permit inspection by a biologist in cases of uncertain identification.

Catch a fish that may not be of record size but is of sufficient size and weight to have tested your skill and/or be of "bragging" size? Then enter your catch in the Division of Fish and Wildlife's Skillful Angler Awards Program.

Here are some selected state records:

SpeciesSizeYear
Amberjack, Greater85 lbs1993
Black Sea Bass8 lbs 2oz.1994
Bluefish27 lbs 1 oz1991
Cod81 lbs1967
Fluke ( Summer Flounder )19 lbs 12 oz1953
Winter Flounder5 lbs 11 oz1992
Ling ( Red Hake )11 lbs 1 oz2002
Pollock **46 lbs 7 oz1975
Porgy5 lbs 14 oz1976
Sheepshead14 lbs 1 oz1995
Spadefish11 lbs 6 oz1998
Striped Bass **78 lbs 8 oz1982
Tautog ( Blackfish ) **25 lbs1998
** World Record

Type:
artificial reef, freighter, purse seiner
Built:
1944, JK Welding - Yonkers NY, as FS-355 (US Army)
Specs:
( 166 x 32 ft ) 542 tons
Sunk:
Thursday, Jan 21, 2021 - DelJerseyLand Artificial Reef
GPS:
38°31.340' -74°30.671'
Depth:
125 ft

John S Dempster Jr. is sister to Shearwater and Reedville, see those vessels for details, links in the sidebar. All three vessels were originally small Army transports, converted to Menhaden fishing by Omega Protein company. FS-355 was USCG-manned, and retained by USA as PVT Carl V. Sheridan (see below) until sold in 1972.

The aging Shearwater and Reedville were retired when Omega got two new modern vessels in 2017, but Dempster was kept as a reserve. Finally, almost 80 years old, the Dempster was sent to her reward as well. Another sister, Tangier Island, was reefed off Georgia in 2020. As of 2023, one old sister remains - Smuggler's Point, FS-400, launched in 1944!

Printed from njscuba.net