Maryland man catches state's biggest mahi mahi in decades

OCEAN CITY, Md. — A Maryland man caught a record-breaking 72.8-pound mahi mahi fish -- the largest caught in the state since 1985.

Jeff Wright, of Cambridge, was fishing with friends Sunday off the coast in Ocean City when his rod "went crazy" shortly after noon, according to a statement from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Wright spent the next 25 minutes trying to reel the fish in.

The fish, identified by a DNR biologist as a species of common dolphinfish, weighed in at 72.8 pounds (33 kg). This broke the previous record of a 67.8-pound (30.7 kg) common dolphinfish caught in July 1985.

“It’s really exciting to see anglers like Wright break records that have been on the books for decades,” recreational fishing outreach coordinator Erik Zlokovitz said in the statement. “It just shows that with a little patience you could find yourself a part of Maryland’s angling history.”

Wright plans to participate in the upcoming White Marlin Open in Ocean City.

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