Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

A big tale: 101-pound wahoo breaks 12-year-old record at fishing rodeo

“He was huge,” said one Florida man of the fish

Gino Spocchia
Tuesday 11 October 2022 18:15 BST
Comments
Related video: Hundreds of tons of fish wash up on Florida coast

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A wahoo fish weighing over 100lbs has smashed a more than decades long record at an annual competition in Destin, Florida, organisers have said.

The record for the biggest wahoo – a type of tropical and subtropical fish – was broken by a father and his two sons on Saturday at the Destin Fishing Rodeo, an annual competition.

Organisers of the rodeo said in a Facebook post: “Rodeo record Wahoo caught today. 101 lbs by angler Derrick Dover on Muscle Memories! Congratulations guys! Great Catch!”

The previous record for a wahoo was set in 2010 by Omar Breiz of Mary Esther, who NWF Daily News reported caught an 98.2lb wahoo aboard the Don’t Hate, captained by Scott Whitehurst.

Speaking in an interview with the local news outlet, Mr Dover said he could not have anticipated the 101lb wahoo he caught on Saturday about 30 miles southwest of Destin.

The man was fishing with his brother and captain Andrew Dover along with their father on board the Muscle Memories.

“We were trying to get some nice groupers, but it was happening,” said Mr Dover to the news site. “We were in the same area. ... It took off and just kept going. I thought, ‘Oh this is a big one’”

Mr Dover said he thought the fish would get away but managed to reel the 101lb beast in, which he managed to get a glimpse of underneath the motor of his boat.

“He was down deep under the motor,” said the fisherman. “He was huge...After dad stuck the gaff in him, he was done.”

The family trio eventually managed to get the fish onboard their boat before taking it back to shore to be weighed in Destin, which has hosted 74 additions of the rodeo.

Pictures shared to social media by the competition’s organisers should the size of the wahoo which was longer than Mr Dover is tall.

The wahoo was not the only big catch at the rodeo after a grouper fish weighing more than 300lbs was caught on Sunday, requiring five people to bring the fish onboard a boat, social media posts said.

That did not break a record however, reports said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in