During the remarkable winter weather of early January, Marc Heiden, 41, of Florence, SC caught a 9-pound, 5.12-ounce Queen Triggerfish to claim the new state record for the species.Heiden was bottom-fishing off the coast of Murrells Inlet with a double-bottom rig, using a cigar minnow and 30-pound test line. He was captaining his boat, the Bite Marc, and took only 3 minutes to land the record fish.
Heiden’s catch dismantles the previous SC state record for Queen Triggerfish, which was held by Joseph Schroer, of Pawley’s Island. On January 1, 2004, Schroer caught a 7-pound, 13.3-ounce Queen Triggerfish off of Georgetown.
The Marine Resources Division of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Charleston maintains state records for 67 species of saltwater fish. State record fish must be caught by sporting methods in accordance with state and federal laws.
Saltwater fish weighing less than 50 pounds must break the existing record by 4 ounces; fish 50 to 100 pounds must break the old record by 8 ounces; and fish more than 100 pounds must exceed the previous record by 16 ounces.
According to Tom Dupré, who administers the marine game fish state records program for S.C. Department of Natural Resources, anyone catching a potential state record must have it weighed on certified scales with two witnesses and should immediately contact the DNR Marine Resources Division at (843) 953-9365 in Charleston.
State saltwater game fish records are available on the DNR website at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/fish/saltrecs/record.html.
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