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| A 33-pound,
8-ounce tripletail caught by Jackie Johnson, 48, of Savannah, Ga.,
is the new state record. Johnson caught the record fish July 30
while fishing out of Hilton Head in Calibogue Sound for trout with
mullet bait on a float. He fought the fish for 25 minutes aboard the
boat "Next," captained by Brent McCullough of Savannah.
Jimmy Cannon of Savannah held the previous tripletail |
SCDNR
biologist Tom Dupre holds the new South Carolina Marine Game Fish
record that was set this July for tripletail. The 33 pound 8 oz
tripletail was caught by
Jackie Johnson of Savannah Georgia. |
record. His
record, set in June 2002, was 25-pounds, 13 ounces. It was also
caught near Hilton Head in Calibogue Sound. The current all-tackle
world record is 42 pounds, 5 ounces caught in Zululand, South Africa
in 1989.
Tripletails have small scales extending onto the dorsal, caudal and
anal fins and a head profile, which becomes more concave with age.
The tripletail has a compressed and deep body, with a
triangular-shaped head. The eyes are relatively small, and its mouth
is large. The bases of both its dorsal and anal fins are scaled, and
its pectoral fins are shorter than its pelvic fins. The tripletail
has distinctively large and rounded soft dorsal, caudal, and anal
fins. This characteristic gave rise to the common name, tripletail.
Tripletail will lay on its side, motionless, seemingly floating near
the surface. It resembles either a dark mass on top of the water, or
is very shiny, reflecting the suns rays off its body. Tripletail are
considered a tasty grilled fish.
If you happen to catch a tripletail, take precautions when handling
one. Tripletails have teeth, and all of its fins are capable of
inflicting stab wounds. The gill flap is exceptionally sharp. It is
best to net a tripletail with a landing net and deposit it straight
into an ice chest.
The tripletail is found in most tropical and subtropical seas. The
tripletail is a semi-migratory fish of the open ocean. It is
normally solitary, but under some conditions the tripletail may form
schools. In the summer, they can be found in bays, sounds and
estuaries. Juveniles are often found swimming under patches of
Sargassum algae. Adults are normally found in waters of the Gulf of
Mexico, but may occur in passes, inlets, and bays near river mouths.
The tripletail is often found around shipwrecks, supports of
beacons, the pilings of jetties, and sea buoys.
The tripletail is opportunistic and feeds on a variety of prey
including small finfish such as menhaden, Atlantic bumper and
anchovies. Invertebrate prey may include blue crabs and brown
shrimp.
According to Tom DuPre', who administers the marine game fish state
records program for S.C Department of Natural Resources, anyone
catching a potential state record must have it weighed on certified
scales with two witnesses and should immediately contact the DNR
Marine Resources Division at (843)-953-9365 in Charleston.
Check out the other
South
Carolina Saltwater Fishing Records |
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Related Links & Resources:
●
South Carolina Bow
Fishing Records
●
South Carolina Freshwater Fishing Records
●
Mississippi State Record Blue Catfish
● North
Carolina Channel Catfish
●
Interactive Kentucky Hunting and Fishing Maps
●
World Record Blue Catfish
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Questions, answers and
tips about bow fishing can be found in our
Fishing Discussion Forums. |
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