New Florida Saltwater fishing records (clockwise from top left): Mark John Gibner (scamp), Anthony Mastitski (schoolmaster), Sidney Little (kingfish). (Photos courtesy of FWC)
September 13, 2021
By Game & Fish Staff
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has certified three new saltwater fishing records set since spring.
All three are new all-tackle fishing records , the agency reported in a news release.
Whiting (Gulf Kingfish )
Captain Sidney Little caught the latest Gulf kingfish (whiting) Florida Saltwater Fishing Record on April 7 while fishing at Santa Rosa Beach. The 2.8-pound catch eclipsed the previous record of 2.4 pounds.
It was the second time this year the whiting record was broken. Joseph Peckham caught the previous record while fishing off Pensacola Beach.
Scamp
Mark John Gibner set the new all-tackle record for scamp with a 29.6-pound record caught near John's Pass Marina in Pinellas County on June 11. The previous record, caught by Braden Douglas Pursell in April 2002, weighed 28.38 pounds.
"I think that for the first 20 feet or so, the fish didn't know that it was hooked," Gibner said in a new release. "When it did, it started to dig. At first, as he was pulling drag, I had to palm my reel to slow him down. But after a short back and forth, I finally got the upper hand and was able to land him with lots of enthusiasm from my friends."
Schoolmaster
It took more than two years for the first Florida fishing record to be set for schoolmaster. Anthony Mastitski turned in the catch, a 2.07-pound schoolmaster caught in Broward County on July 27.
The schoolmaster category opened on Jan. 1, 2019.
More on Florida fishing records
