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The World Record Striped Bass

 

The World and New Jersey State Record Striper
Al with his record striper he affectionately named Bertha in front of Cambells Bait shop September 1982
All images and text © Stripers247.com *except when used with permission.
*Photo copyright Atlantic City Press 1982 / Photographer Dan Drake
Click the picture for closeups of the record fish

The Vermont Avenue jetty where Al battled with the striped bass world record

Al says the Reel was a Penn 710 and the Lure was a black back 5 1/2 inch silver minnow not a windcheater and the line used was green Ande # 20 not the pink as others have reported.

The IGFA all-tackle world record striped bass! This massive fish was caught at night by Al McReynolds off of the Vermont Avenue jetty in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was fishing during a September 21st 1982 Nor'easter storm. It weighed in at 78-1/2 lbs., was 53" long and its girth was measured at 34 - 1/2". Al says It took him over 4 hours not the previously reported hour and 40 minutes to land this monster. Als previous best to this point was 39 lbs. Al also caught a 15.9 pound weak fish immediately before he hooked into his world record beast.

Al McReynolds pulled this World Record striper from the Atlantic fishing at night off the Vermont Ave. jetty in Atlantic City following days of September Nor'easter storming in 1982. The fish was taken on a 5 1/2-inch long Rebel Black-back silver minnow plug on 20-pound test line. It took one hour and 40 minutes to land the fish on the slippery jetty. The fish measured 53 inches in length with a 34 1/2 inch girth, and was estimated to be 20 - 22 years old. Its 78 pound 8 oz. weight earned it the IGFA all-tackle record!

1. Al Mcreynolds looking for signs of baitfish activity in Salem Massachusetts July 2004
2. Al Mcreynolds with Bertha for the New jersey record striped bass. Picture taken by the NJ DFG
2. Al Mcreynolds with Bertha for the New jersey record striped bass. Picture taken by the NJ DFG
Al Mcreynoldswith the news clippings outside cambells after the weigh in in september of 1982 with the new worlds record striped bass. 2. Al Mcreynolds with the record Bertha and a 39 pound striped bass. With Pat Erdman and Corky Cambell. The take also consisted of some pretty decent weakfish

Al Mcreynolds with his son Thomas- Longport beach in the summer of 1998 with a few stripers and bluefish..
Pictures from © Alberts McReynolds personal collection First published in Saltwater sportsmans September 2004 edition.

It stood as the IGFA all-tackle world record striped bass! This massive fish was caught at night by Al McReynolds off of the Vermont Avenue jetty in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was fishing during a September 21st 1982 Nor'easter storm It weighed in at 78-1/2 lbs., was 53" long and its girth was measured at 34 - 1/2". It took him over 4 hours not the previously reported hour and 40 minutes to land this monster. Als previous best to this point was 39 lbs. Al also caught a 15.9 pound weak fish immediately before he hooked into his world record beast

Some more Al Mcreynolds articles on his world record striper and the aftermath

The night He caught the devil.
Genes Beach Bar in Brigantine. The missing world record striper mount

Als Story of the record catch
The world record striped bass weighed in at seventy eight pounds- eight ounces.

Seventy Eight Eight Part 1
Seventy Eight- Eight - Part 11

Als Rebuttal to a magazine article written by Saltwater Sportsmens managing editor in the October 2004 edition of Mens Journal magazine.

New Jersey State Freshwater Record

More on Albert and the New Jersey State and World record striped bass
All State Record Stripers

You may find Al fishing around Atlantic City, Brigantine, Longport Beach or the Cape May rips early to late Fall. He winters in Florida and will hit the Chesapeake Bay in the spring and be in Massachusetts by the summer time striped bass migration.

 

 

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