The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has announced a new state record for Bulleye (Cookeolus japonicus). Angler Jody Hopkins from Grimesland caught the fish, which weighed 5 pounds and 10.88 ounces, off Ocracoke on June 21, 2025. This marks the first state record for this species.
The previous International Game Fish Association World Record was set in Japan in 2023 with a Bulleye weighing 7 pounds and 14 ounces. Hopkins was fishing approximately 30 miles off Ocracoke at a depth of 200 feet when he caught the fish using squid as bait. He used a Billfisher SS02040C rod paired with a Fin-Nor Marquesa MA30TP reel and a 40-pound line to bring the fish to his boat within minutes.
Initially believing he had caught a Bigeye, Hopkins later donated the fish to the NCDMF for identification purposes. The NCDMF then contributed the specimen to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences collection.
The Bulleye measured 20.5 inches in fork length and had a girth of 16 inches. The weighing took place at Neuse Sport Shop in Kinston.
For those interested in learning more about state record fish or identifying a Bulleye, resources are available on the division’s State Saltwater Records webpage or by contacting staff at saltwater.citations@deq.nc.gov. Additionally, information can be found on the NCDMF Facebook Page.
