N.C. angler catches state record red hind

New state record for red hind established in N.C.

Matthew Parr of Wilmington, N.C. set the new North Carolina state record for red hind this past fall. The NCDMF certified the 7-pound, 1.6-ounce fish at the beginning of December.

Parr was fishing off of Cape Lookout on Oct. 1, 2021 when he caught the record hind. It measured a total length of 21.5 inches and had a girth of 17.5 inches.

The big fish bit a piece of cut bait that Parr was using on 80-pound test line spooled onto a Penn Senator 113N reel which was mounted on a Star Aerial heavy powered jigging rod. Parr was fishing with Salt Air Ventures and Capt. Charles Stewart Merritt.

The red hind is a species of grouper managed under the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The recreational season runs May 1 – Dec. 31.

Before Parr’s catch, North Carolina did not have a state record for red hind. Because this was an exceptionally large specimen of the species, NCDMF established the category, then certified the fish as the new record.

If you think you’ve caught a state record fish, contact Carole Willis at carole.y.willis@ncdenr.gov.