SC Sportsman Reported 1st: Andrew Demas of Charleston was targeting black sea bass on Sunday, March 15, when he ran out to the Charleston Inshore Reef with his parents, Geri and Bill, to try out their new boat. The big catch of the trip, however, was a huge black drum that would almost certainly have broken the state record had they not released it.
Demas landed a black drum that was 42 inches long and had a girth of 43 inches. Not wanting to further stress the huge fish – and having no idea what the state-record was – he released it alive.
Later, using a set of calculations to determine the fish’s weight, Dumas came up with 97 pounds, pounds larger than the existing record, an 89-pound fish caught in Port Royal Sound in 1978 by William Buquet.
“I was excited to take the new SeaFox out with my parents for some quick black sea bass action,” said Demas. “We targeted black sea bass using cut shrimp as bait on light tackle; something quick-paced and easy just to catch a good number of fish in the new boat.” Continue reading – http://www.southcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=4434