Jian Feng Li, of Silver Spring, caught a 38-pound yellowedge grouper, enabling him to claim the Maryland state record.
Li was on an Ocean City charter boat in the Atlantic Ocean when he made the record catch while fishing Aug. 27 in Poorman’s Canyon. His fish was only 10.6 pounds short of the world record. It was 43 inches long.
Li was deep-dropping with false albacore strips for bait and using a hand-cranked conventional reel, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The DNR recognized Li as the first state recorder holder for yellowedge grouper in the Atlantic division.
Li was with other anglers on Captain Chase Eberle’s charter boat, the Tiderunner. Four anglers hooked up with big fish, but three broke off. Li was the only one to reel in his fish to the surface.
Staff at Sunset Marina in Ocean City weighed the fish on a certified scale. Maryland DNR biologist Gary Tyler confirmed the species.
Photo by Gary Tyler, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
