The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has certified a new state record jack crevalle, a fish commonly caught on ocean reefs.
Frank Dalli of Wake Forest reeled in the 49-pound, 1.6-ounce fish April 2 at the Gulf Stream ledge, 65 miles off Wrightsville Beach. It measured 43 inches fork length and had a 30-inch girth.
Dalli’s catch tops the former state record of 47 pounds, caught in 1989 off Cape Hatteras. The world record jack crevalle weighed 66 pounds, 2 ounces, and was caught in 2010 in Angola.
Dalli caught the fish on a 6-foot Shimano Trevala rod with a Penn 7500 Spinfisher reel using a gold butterfly jig and 6516 braid test line. He was fishing on a boat captained by Michael Jackson of Live Line Charters, Wilmington.
For more information, contact Carole Willis, with the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Tournament, at 252-808-8081 or carole.y.willis@ncdenr.gov.
