by WNJ Correspondent Matt McCann

The striped bass is easily the most popular inshore saltwater game fish on the east coast. As an angler in New Jersey, I’ve always felt a sense of pride in knowing that the world record striper was caught right here in the Garden State. On September 21, 1982, Al McReynolds caught a 78 pound, 8 ounce striper off of the Vermont Avenue jetty in Atlantic City.

For as long as I’ve been alive, that fish was a legend that everyone wondered would ever be surpassed. It was part of fishing fame in New Jersey, which was welcome because not many people picture this state as being known for fishing.

Most people were surprised that this record fish came from New Jersey, a state which is known to be the butt of many jokes. When fishermen from Cape Cod and other striper fishing hotspots laughed at us Jersey anglers, we could always respond with, “Tell me again where the world record striper was caught?”

Sure, we knew that stripers could grow much larger than 78 pounds, and that the record could be broken one day. In fact, the largest striped bass on record was a 125 pounder commercially netted in North Carolina in 1891. But the largest striper ever caught on rod and reel was always that fish caught by McReynolds on that jetty in Atlantic City. Until now.

On August 4, 2011, Greg Myerson caught an 81 pound, 14 ounce striper in the Long Island Sound in Westbrook, CT. And so, the torch has been passed and a new legend has emerged. 
   

Greg Myerson, pictured with the new world record striped bass.
Photo Credit: Kierran Broatch

 Does that make McReynolds’ fish forgettable? Maybe to some people, but not to me. Myerson’s new world record fish is extremely impressive, but it was caught on a live eel on a boat with a graphite tuna rod and 50 pound braided line with a 60 pound fluorocarbon leader. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that…in fact, it’s normal. After all, it is 2011 and most of us fish with technology like graphite rods, fluorocarbon leaders, and braided lines.
 
One would think a striper that large would be elusive, so catching it on a boat is normal as well since boats allow one to cover a much broader range of water than someone standing on shore. Also, it’s hard to imagine a fish that big being fooled by an artificial lure, so catching it on live bait makes more sense. So when you imagine the world record being broken in 2011, you imagine it just like how it went down.
 
Still, you can’t help but be impressed by McReynolds’ fish, even now. He caught it while standing on a jetty, trying to keep his footing on the slippery rocks with waves crashing around him. He caught it on a lure…a small 5 and a half inch Rebel plug. He caught it on old fashioned 20 pound monofilament line on an old school 1980’s rod and reel. When you take all those factors into account, you see that the New Jersey legend has more to do with just the fish itself. In that regard, the legend remains a legend.

Will the next world record be caught in New Jersey waters? It’s entirely possible. For years I’ve heard stories about scuba divers around the Steel Pier in Atlantic City seeing monstrous stripers swimming by. Their size was reported to be well in excess of McReynolds’ world record striped bass. Could they be in excess of Myerson’s as well?

Matt McCann is a New Jersey native and specializes in freshwater and saltwater fishing in the Garden State. This is his first column for WildNewJersey.tv.