Maryland man sets new record on biggest mahi mahi

Jeff Wright caught a 72.8-pound mahi mahi Sunday off the coast of Ocean City, setting a new Maryland record. (Maryland Department of Natural Resources)

Call it the big one.

A Maryland man set a new state record this week for catching a nearly 73-pound mahi mahi, officials said, beating a record set in 1985.

Jeff Wright, 34, of Cambridge set the state’s fishing record in the Atlantic division for catching the mahi mahi, also called a common dolphin fish. He caught the fish, which weighed 72.8 pounds, on Sunday off the coast of Ocean City, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Wright was on a boat near Poor Man’s Canyon and was practicing with friends for the popular upcoming White Marlin Open. He told DNR officials that his “rod went crazy shortly after noon.”

“It literally took 25 minutes to get this in,” Wright told DNR officials. “I had to play it until it finally gave up.”

Officials said a state biologist identified the fish and that its weight was certified by Sunset Marina in Ocean City. Wright’s catch beats the record set in July 1985 by Kim Lawson, who caught a 67.8-pound mahi mahi, officials said.

"It’s really exciting to see anglers like Wright break records that have been on the books for decades,” said Erik Zlokovitz, a recreational fishing outreach coordinator for the state. “It just shows that with a little patience you could find yourself a part of Maryland’s angling history.”

This spring, a man caught a 30-pound striped bass in the Potomac River in Washington, according to officials. And in 2016, a young girl set a record for catching a nearly 95-pound cobia near Assateague Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.