Salisbury Angler Sets Winter Flounder Record

Kevin Twilley with his state record five-pound, two-ounce winter flounder

Kevin Twilley of Salisbury caught a Maryland state record five-pound, two-ounce winter flounder on June 23.

Twilley set the mark while bottom fishing in 140 feet of water, 26 miles east of Ocean City aboard the charter boat Fish Bound with Captain Kane Bounds.

“I was fishing with a clam when the fish took the bait. It was a soft take, and I didn’t think there was much to it until I got it next to the boat and realized it was a winter flounder,” Twilley said.

Captain Bounds called a friend onshore to check the record, which was a four-pound, seven-ounce fish caught by Jeremy Kuhn in 2006. Back at Bahia Marina, they weighed the fish on a certified scale and called DNR’s coastal fisheries biologist Steve Doctor to confirm the species and the weight.

When asked what he did with the fish, Twilley said, “I baked it and ate it, and it was delicious.”

Flounder are marine flatfish that hide on muddy and sandy bottoms where they can ambush prey.  Adult flounder have both eyes on one side so they can better see their prey. Marylanders most often catch summer flounder, which have both eyes on the left side. Winter flounder are more prevalent in the Northeast and feature eyes on the right side.

DNR maintains records for sport fish in three divisions—Atlantic, Chesapeake and freshwater—and awards plaques to anglers who achieve new record catches. To report a potential record catch, call 443-569-1381 or 410-260-8325. Anglers should keep their fish immersed in ice water to preserve its weight until it can be weighed at a seafood retailer, a grocery store, or tackle shop with a certified scale. All International Game Fish Association rules for records and Maryland fishing regulations apply.

Fish caught from privately-owned, fee-fishing waters are not eligible for record consideration.

The Maryland State Record application and a list of records are on the DNR Fisheries website.