Chester Moore, Jr
CNHI
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The bull redfish on the other end of the line was monstrous.
In fact, it was almost obscene looking with a gigantic head and a belly that looked as if it had eaten another redfish or three. If this fish was not 50 pounds, it wasn’t five.
The bronze behemoth was feeding behind a shrimp boat about three miles off the beach and managed to break my partner Chris Villadsen’s line before he could ever get it in. Chris at the time was not an experienced angler, but knew enough about reds to ponder that fish being some kind of a record.
Thinking back to that trip got me to wondering just what the chances are of someone breaking the current state records for the popular game fish along the Gulf Coast.
The current Texas rod and reel record for redfish is a 59.50-pound giant caught by Capt. Artie Longron in 2000. While that is a huge fish, I do think there is a very good chance that record could be broken. After all, the world record is 94 pounds, 2 ounces and although it was caught on the eastern seaboard where reds tend to get bigger, I am 100 percent confident Texas water’s harbor some fish bigger than Longron’s record catch.
The sheer number of bull reds along the Texas coast is staggering and with commercial harvest prohibited for going on 30 years, the chance for giants to lurk in the mix is better than it has ever been. It takes age for a fish to get big and with current conservation measures in place, there is a wide window of opportunity for someone to make history.
With speckled trout however, the prospect seems a bit more dubious to me. Carl Rowland’s 15.60-pound state record usurped the former record by nearly two pounds.
However, there are very few examples of fish larger than this and none of them comes from Texas. The world record hails from Florida and is a whopping 17 pounds 7 ounces. Trout are highly pressured and the Lower Laguna Madre, which is the area most likely to produce record fish, is currently having some problems. I could be wrong but I bet Rowland’s record holds for a long time.
Of the big three, the flounder record may be the most difficult to break. The state record is 13 pounds and was caught on Sabine Lake in 1976 by Herbert Endicott. Nowadays five and six pound fish are rare, much less something that looks like a lost halibut.
The regulations put in place to protect flounder from overharvest in both the recreational and commercial sector could aid production of a new state record fish. It takes age for any fish to reach gigantic proportions and now maybe some of these flounder will reach their maximum potential.
Snook are another one that is unlikely to be broken. The state record is an amazing 57.50 pounds and that record caught way back in 1937 by angler Louis Rawalt. Snook are isolated to the extreme southern portion of the Texas coast and the chances of anything topping that are scarce.
The southern stingray is another one that can be broken. While the current record of 248 pounds caught by Carissa Egger in 1998 is almost scary, I know of two rays that potentially could have beaten that one. Ask anyone who fishes around the jetty systems along the coast about the big rays out there. They will tell you there are some you better really want to catch before you decide not to cut the line and do battle with them.
Record fish get to their impressive sizes because they are rare and elusive. Catching one is a great honor and accomplishment that few anglers can boast. However, as the saying goes, records are made to be broken and in the case of saltwater fish records, even if you never reach your goal, fun is guaranteed along the way.
By Chester Moore, Jr. is The News Outdoors Editor. To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at cmoore@fishgame.com. You can hear him on the radio Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.
