Henry Barksdale of Sutherland, Virginia, has set a new North Carolina state record for Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana), according to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries. Barksdale caught the 60-pound, 8-ounce fish off Hatteras on September 18. The previous record was 56 pounds, 4.8 ounces and was also caught in the same area earlier this year.
Barksdale was fishing with Captain Shaun Dunn from Teach’s Lair Marina when he landed the fish using a jig on an Okuma Cedros rod paired with a Daiwa Saltist LD 50 reel and 80-pound braid. The fish measured 46 inches in fork length and had a girth of 32 inches. It was weighed at Teach’s Lair Marina and verified by staff from the Division’s Manteo office.
Almaco Jack is sometimes confused with other Amberjack species such as Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) or Lesser Amberjack (Seriola fasciata). The species can be identified by its tall and elongated second dorsal fin and anal fin, darker body color, gill raker count, and alignment of the maxilla relative to the eye. Lesser Amberjacks are much smaller; for comparison, the current IGFA World Record for that species is only 12 pounds.
For those seeking more information about state record fish or wishing to contact tournament staff, details are available through the division’s State Saltwater Records webpage or by emailing saltwater.citations@deq.nc.gov.
