Huge speck weighed in at 10-pounds, 10-ounces, Department of Marine Resources confirms.
David Floyd of Pascagoula is no stranger to catching big fish or holding state records. Floyd is the current record holder for permit in Mississippi, caught a 98-pound cobia last spring and has caught three speckled trout over 7 pounds in the last two years — two of those being 8-pounders.
And now he could hold the top spot in the state fishing records if a 10-pound, 10-ounce trout he caught Monday (April 8) is certified by the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources. Floyd’s trip started like any other day, except the fishing was a bit slow. Floyd and his partner were fishing the Bayou Cassotte area of Pascagoula with live shrimp under a cork, and they had only one small trout and a small red. Around 10 a.m., Floyd’s cork disappeared and he set the hook and felt solid weight. “I knew it was a big fish; I just wasn’t sure what it was at first,” Floyd said.
After a short fight, Floyd’s partner netted the beast and laid her on the floor of the boat. Floyd said he and his partner couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Having caught two trout over 8 pounds in the last couple of years, however, Floyd knew this trout was bigger. Hoping the massive speck could break the state record, Floyd and his partner took the fish to the local Mississippi Department of Marine Resources office to get official measurements. MDMR’s Wesley Devers confirmed that the certified weight of the trout was 10 pounds 10 ounces, a little more than 2 ounces heavier than the current state record.
Total length was 28.5 inches with her girth being 17.75 inches. The current state-record spotted seatrout was caught May 13, 2008 by Eric T. Quave, and weighed 10 pounds, 7.66 ounces, according to the Mississippi’s Official Saltwater Conventional Tackle Records. Amazingly, Floyd is a relative newbie to the speck fishing. “I got hooked on trout fishing about two years ago after a couple of trips with some buddies,” he said. “On one of my first trips, I caught a 7-pounder and my friends couldn’t believe it. “It’s kind of funny; I’m a commercial fisherman whose get-away is fishing. I love it; it’s so relaxing.”
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