Montgomery County Angler Catches First Maryland State Record Yellowedge Grouper

The 38.0-pound grouper caught in the Atlantic Ocean is only 10 pounds short of the world record.

Jian Feng Li, center, caught the new Maryland state record yellowedge grouper from an Ocean City charter boat. Photo by Gary Tyler, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recognizes Jian Feng Li of Silver Spring as the first state record holder for yellowedge grouper (Caulolatilus microps) in the Atlantic division.

Li caught the 38.0-pound, 43-inch fish on August 27 while fishing in Poorman’s Canyon off Ocean City. He was deep-dropping with false albacore strips for bait and was using a hand-cranked conventional reel.  

The group of anglers on Captain Chase Eberle’s charter boat Tiderunner started the day fishing offshore for dolphinfish (mahi) and other pelagic fish–those that live in the water column and not near the bottom or shoreline. Eventually, the anglers decided to deep drop false albacore strip baits with heavy sinkers into 420 feet of water in Poorman’s Canyon, looking for large bottom fish. Four anglers hooked up with big fish, and three broke off. Li was the only angler to bring his fish to the surface – a state-record grouper.

Staff at Sunset Marina in Ocean City weighed the fish on a certified scale. Maryland DNR biologist Gary Tyler confirmed the species.  

The yellowedge grouper commonly ranges from North Carolina to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. With the recent popularity of deep dropping, anglers have reported catching them in the canyons off of New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. They are a solitary, deep-water species occurring in rocky areas and on sand or mud bottoms in 290 to 1200 feet of water. On soft bottoms, they are often seen in or near trenches or burrow-like excavations. Yellowedge grouper feed on a wide variety of invertebrates (mainly brachyuran crabs) and fishes. They are considered very good for eating, among the best of the grouper species when fresh. 

Li’s catch is the first state record for this species. It is only 10.6 pounds lighter than the International Game Fish Association world record yellowedge grouper, a 48.6-pound fish caught off Dauphin Island, Alabama in June 2012. 

The Department of Natural Resources maintains state records for sport fish in four divisions — Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal, and Invasive. Anglers who think they have a potential record catch should download and complete a state record application and call 443-569-1398. The department recommends the fish be immersed in ice water to preserve its weight until it can be checked, confirmed, and certified.