A Maryland woman now holds the state record for mahi mahi, breaking the previous record just three weeks after it was set.
Angler Kristy Frashure of Pasadena, Maryland says of reeling in the record-breaker, “It felt like an eternity.”
On August 16, Frashure decked a 74.5-pounder at the Poor Man’s Canyon while she and five friends were fishing the Poor Girls Open tournament out of Ocean City, Maryland.
Frashure adds that while she and the crew knew it was a big fish, they didn’t realize it was a record-breaker.
“We were taking bets on how much it weighed,” she said of the fish that now sits atop the list of best-ever caches for that species in the state’s Atlantic Division.
Frashure’s mahi barely beats out the 72.8-pound mahi a Cambridge man named Jeff Wright caught earlier this summer. Wright’s fish held the state record for only three weeks. Wright also decked his record mahi at Poor Man’s Canyon while he and friends were pre-fishing for the White Marlin Open.
Until Wright caught his mahi, the state record stood for thirty-four years. Back in July 1985, Kim Lawson reeled in a 67.8-pound mahi. Listed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as a common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), most sport anglers call these brightly colored and flavorful fish either mahi or dolphin.
Frashure’s catch was certified by a DNR biologist and its official weight verified by Bahia Marina, which hosts the tournament she was competing in. Captain Steve Harman started the Poor Girls Open as a way for waitresses and bartenders to fish an affordable and fun tournament while raising money for breast cancer research.
It is a “ladies only” billfish release tournament with categories for tuna and mahi. The tournament continues to grow, drawing more than 100 boats each time. According to the tournament’s website, the Poor Girls Open has donated more than $100,000 to the American Cancer Society in the past three years.
Maryland DNR maintains state records for sport fish in four divisions–Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal and Invasive. They award plaques to anglers who achieve state record catches, but only from public waters. If you ever deck a potential record catch, be sure to immerse it in ice water immediately to preserve its weight until it can be confirmed and certified.
-Capt. Chris Dollar
