How Does This Recent Catch Compare to an Unbreakable Record?

A local angler by the name of Michael Majors recently landed the fish of a lifetime! At 26 inches in length, this is one of the largest spotfin croaker ever documented. This catch got us pondering whether it was a record. If not, how big is the record spotfin croaker?

What’s the Largest Spotfin Croaker Ever Caught?

World records and local records are confusing and likely don’t represent actual records. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) has a few requirements that often deter anglers from submitting them as official records. One example is the IGFA regulation that states you must “capture the length record using an official IGFA measuring board”. There are a few more specification and additionally, for some reason, most records are taken by weight as opposed to length. For surf anglers, that doesn’t typically apply.

While Michael wasn’t able to submit an official record, it’s still worth a feature here on surffishingsoaclsd.com. Let’s take a look back at his catch from July 30th, 2022.

For a summary of unofficial records and rumors of potential world record spotfin croakers caught along the West Coast, scroll to the bottom where you’ll see a ridiculous photo of another potential record fish!

The Story

Michael was kind enough to write up a brief synopsis of his fight with this tank of a fish. He was fishing a Carolina rig and using sand crabs for bait.

Gear and Tackle Used

• Rod: Michael was using a Daiwa Saltist West Coast 9′ Spinning Rod but I can’t seem to find them in stock anywhere so here’s a comparable rod that I recommend: Okuma Celilo 8’6″ MA
• Reel: Daiwa Saltist 2500
• Mainline: 20 lb braid
• Rig: Carolina rig
  • Leader Line: 15-pound fluorocarbon
  • Swivels: 15-19mm barrel swivels
  • Hooks: size #2 or #4 owner mosquito hooks
  • Weights: Sliding egg weight
  • Beads: 8mm fishing beads

The Fight

The fight was an absolute war. I felt a quick tap and then I felt the weight of the fish. Given its sheer size, I don’t think he even knew he was hooked at first. Once he did… he started peeling and peeling drag!

I feathered the drag and walked him down the beach maybe 20 yards or so, trying to figure out how much drag to use. I honestly had no idea what was on the line as it was heavy like you’d imagine a ray but fighting like a fish.

Another angler I was fishing with let me know there was a sea lion following whatever it was, so I buttoned it down a little bit more than normal. I was literally adding drag pressure click-by-click trying to gain my line back without popping the leader but also not wanting to lose it to the sea dog.

With the help of a wave, I was able to turn him around and start working him back north, away from the other anglers and the sea lion. After maybe 4 minutes, (which may as well have been an hour) I beached an absolute monster of a fish – a 26-inch spotfin croaker!

I could not have asked for a better fight. After a quick photo, I walked him back and revived him as I had no intentions of keeping such a beast. It took a bit for him to recover, but he swam off just fine. I hope to see him again but seriously doubt I’ll have the pleasure again… what a fish!

Thanks for the write up, Mike! And yes, this fish was likely over 15 years old and potentially as old as 20 or even 25 years of age. Very little research has been done on specimens larger than 20 inches in length, but even with such little research they are known to reach the age of 24 years-old. There’s a cool chart of fun facts and common questions on my page about spotfin croaker and fishing for them so be sure to check that out.

Record Spotfin Croaker

The longest spotfin I’ve ever heard of was an unofficial length of 29 inches caught by Robert Wood back in March of 2008. Like Michael, Robert was unable to register his fish as an IGFA record but for different reasons. While Michael never had any intentions of keeping his fish, Robert on the other hand, shared his catch with family and friends – “29 inches was a world record… until we ate it!”.

At the end of the day, does “holding an IGFA record” really matter? To some it may, but to others, the stoke is in the moment and the memory. Check out this behemoth of a fish!

IGFA Record Spotfin Croaker

Another bummer about the IGFA is that typically, catches are measured by weight and not length. For surf fishermen, almost nobody ever weighs their catch, nor do we describe our catches by weight. It’s all about length for us.

Anyway, the IGFA record for spotfin croaker is written as “4.48 kg (9 lb 14 oz).

Biggest Spotfin Croaker Record

• 29 inches | ?? lbs – Robert Wood (3/2008)
• ?? inches | 14 pounds – Charles Dusart (9/1951)
• 27 inches | 10.5 pounds –
• 26 inches | ?? lbs – Michael Majors (7/30/2022)