Florida Teen Catches 693-pound Swordfish, Potential State Record
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.09.14
North Palm Beach, Florida is still buzzing after a 17-year-old landed a massive 693-pound swordfish early last week. According to WPTV, Adam Sattar fought the swordfish for more than four hours off the coast of Jupiter before he finally brought the fish in with the help of his father. At 14 feet in length, the Sattar family had to tow the beast 20 miles back to shore before it could be weighed.
“He came up twice. All we saw was a big shadow. Thought it might have been a shark. The third time he came up we ended up seeing the fish, stuck him with the gaffe and tied him,” the teen angler said.
It was no shark, but it may be a new state record. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the current swordfish record is held by a 612-pound, 12-ounce specimen caught by Stephen Stanford in Key Largo back in 1978. On paper, Sattar’s catch would be a shoe-in for the record, but a technicality may bar the angler from the record books. Sattar used an electric reel to capture his nearly 700-pound swordfish, the same kind of equipment which prevented a 683-pound swordfish from claiming the record in 2012. Regardless, the fish has made an impression on the local angling community.
“Biggest fish I ever measured in here was probably about 220 pounds,” Edmund Alves, a manager at Sailfish Marina, told KWGN.
The Sattars kept the bill from the swordfish after it was weighed, but shared the meat with a crowd that had gathered. Family friend Tore Waagen said that sharing the meat after a large catch is almost like a tradition, and a fantasy for all saltwater anglers.
“I think we’re all dreamers, and we all hope anytime we go out to fish it’s a record or a really big fish so you can share all the meat with your friends,” said Waagen, who was supposed to go fishing with the Sattars on the day of the catch but later canceled.
Adam Sattar and his dad said they will be submitting paperwork for the state record to see whether they are eligible. While theirs may be a big fish, it is still a far cry from the reigning world record, which has stood unbroken for 61 years. According to the International Game Fish Association, that honor goes to a 1,182-pound swordfish harvested in Chile by Louis Marron in 1953.
You can see a short interview with the teen below:
http://youtu.be/m6FesJgG5iI
