Extraordinary tripletail catch sets new record 'benchmark'

A Maryland angler has set the state’s first record for a fish that looks as though it has three tails, aptly named a tripletail.

Don Whittington of Bivalve caught the 11-pound tripletail last Saturday while fishing on his son’s boat off Ocean City near Baltimore Canyon. The fish measured 25.25 inches.

“We knew what it was – we’ve seen small ones all summer – but after I pulled that one in I was like, ‘Wow,’ ”  Whittington stated in a news release issued Wednesday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Prior to Whittington’s catch, the MDNR had not included Atlantic tripletail in its sportfishing record base, but this specimen stood out because of its colossal appearance.

“While tripletails aren’t too unusual off the coast of Maryland, the size of this one really creates a great benchmark for a new record catch,” said Erik Zlokovitz, Recreational Fishing and Outreach Coordinator for the MDNR.

Tripletails are deep-bodied, perch-like fish that inhabit tropical and subtropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Their rounded anal fins extend almost to their tail fins, giving them the unusual appearance that explains their common name.

They’re also called buoy fish because they often hang out near buoys and other floating objects. Smaller tripletails will sometimes float on their sides, looking like leaves or debris.

Many of the larger fish, however, are caught in deeper water near reefs and shipwrecks, and pose a challenge because when hooked they’ll immediately dash toward the safety of such structure.

States the International Game Fish Assn., which keeps records for all types of fish caught around the world: “ may look like a lazy, slow fish floating at the surface, but they can move quickly when they strike, and can exhibit surprisingly powerful lunges and occasional jumps when hooked.”

While Whittington’s tripletail is exceptionally large for Maryland waters, the fish get much larger.

The IGFA lists as the all-tackle world record a 42-pound, 5-ounce tripletail caught off Zululand, South Africa, in 1989.

–Image showing Don Whittington with his record tripletail is courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources