record blueline tilefish caught

[seamonkey]

Wow, nice fish, anyone else ever catch a tilefish close to this size? I have never been on a tilefish trip, they seem like awesome fish.



State record blueline tilefish caught in Newport News



http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/2...7250321/-1/ESN


July 25, 2009

NEWPORT NEWS -- A 20-pound, 10-ounce blueline tilefish caught June 28 by Kenneth Bowe of Chester has been certified as the new Virginia state record for the species by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament.



The record-setting blueline bested the existing state record of 20 pounds, 4 ounces set by David Akridge of Virginia Beach.
Bowe made his record catch in approximately 400 feet of water near the Norfolk Canyon while fishing aboard a 30-foot private boat, skippered by Michael Adkins. The fish had a total length of 31 inches and a girth of 24-3/4 inches. The record fish was caught on a simple bottom rig baited with a combination of squid and ballyhoo. Bowe used a Shimano Trevala rod, mated with a Shimano Torium 20 reel spooled with 65-pound Power Pro braided line.
The state record catch was weighed at Chris' Bait and Tackle in Cheriton.
Two other blueline tilefish in excess of 20 pounds were boated on the same trip.
Blueline tilefish was added to the list of species eligible for state record recognition by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament Committee at their fall meeting in 2006 and carried an initial qualifying weight of 17-1/2 pounds. Doug Deese of Seaford registered Virginia's first qualifying blueline tilefish, at 18 pounds, 10 ounces, on March 10, 2007. Deese's record was short-lived, as Rick Wineman boated a 19-pound, 14-ounce tilefish less than three weeks later. Wineman's record stood for nearly two years, as Akridge boated a 20-pound, 4-ounce blueline March 19 of this year.
Contact Lewis S. Gillingham, Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, 2600 Washington Ave., Third Floor, Newport News, Va. 23607, 757-491-5160, vswft@mrc.virginia.gov.

[strikezone31]

Nice tilefish.