Tired angler thought he’d regret dropping another line in — then he set Georgia record

Saltwater fishing guide Jason Rich told his buddies he’d “probably regret” dropping his line in again after he was already tired from wrangling fish all day.

Then he hooked a record-breaking fish.

“I was thinking one of the huge amberjacks would smash it and I would be tied on one of them for another 20-30 (minutes) and be completely worn out again,” Rich told McClatchy News.

But his jig was ready to go, so he put it in the water.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said.

On May 2, he set a Georgia record by reeling in a nearly 24-pound Almaco Jack, which was more than four pounds heavier than the previous record, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Another angler, Molly Strickland, beat a 25-year record for heaviest Blackfin Tuna only two days later, the department said. She was using a daisy-chain with ballyhoo.

She landed a 30-pound, 14.24-ounce tuna, besting the women’s Blackfin Tuna record from 1999 by six ounces.

Both anglers are from Telfair County, about a 95-mile drive southeast from Macon.

Rich wasn’t on the clock the day he caught his record-setting Almaco Jack. He was fishing on his boat with friends from Savannah, and they had already hauled in grouper, amberjacks and snapper. He took a break and decided to drop that line in anyway, even though he was “pretty tired.”

“Got it to the boat in about 10 minutes and realized just how big it was,” he said. “At first we didn’t realize (we) had a record but we knew it was huge for an almaco.”

They didn’t have cellphone service on the water to check the existing record for comparison, but as soon as they did, Rich realized his fish had smashed it.

As an experienced angler and fishing charter guide, Rich said he’s hauled in big catches before, including a 285-pound swordfish with an electric reel, but no qualifying record-breaking fish.

“I’ve been wanting to get my name in the record book for a couple years now,” he said.

Having a state record under his belt will likely help his charter business, and at the end of the day he said he’s thankful he gets to pursue his passion.

“I enjoy taking people out on the water and letting them experience what I love so much, so hopefully this will bring me more opportunities,” he said.

This story was originally published May 16, 2024 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Tired angler thought he’d regret dropping another line in — then he set Georgia record."