February, 2006
On January 22,
2006 Jim Scott
Middleton III, 30, of Bluffton, SC reeled in a 396-pound, 14.4 ounce Bluefin tuna. Trolling off of Hilton Head, Middleton used a ballyhoo
rig with a blue and white Islander lure and 80-pound test line to
catch the record fish. Middleton fought with the fish for 4 hours
aboard the boat “Echo” captained by Michael Perry.
Michael E. Stone, of Savannah, GA held the previous
state record for Bluefin Tuna. Weighing in at 332-pounds, 6-ounces, he caught the
former record fish in 1996 leaving out of Murrells Inlet and off the
coast of North Carolina.
The Marine Resources Division of the S.C. Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) in Charleston maintains state records for 67 species
of saltwater fish. Saltwater fish weighing less than 50 pounds must
break the existing record by 4 ounces; fish 50 to 100 pounds must
break the old record by 8 ounces; and fish more than 100 pounds must
exceed the previous record by 16 ounces. State record fish must be
caught by sporting methods in accordance with state and federal laws
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