Ocean City angler lands record false albacore while trolling for bluefin tuna
A 19-year-old Ocean City angler reset Maryland’s false albacore mark with a 28.2-pound fish at the Jackspot. He hooked it while trolling skirted ballyhoo for bluefin.
A 28.2-pound false albacore hit Cooper Clark’s spread at the Jackspot off Ocean City, giving Maryland a new Atlantic Division record. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recognized the 19-year-old’s fish as the new Atlantic Division mark on July 8 after a certified weight and biologist verification.
About 20 to 30 nautical miles off Ocean City near the 20-fathom line, Clark and his group were trolling for bluefin tuna with skirted ballyhoo on July 3. Maryland Department of Natural Resources verified the catch the next day at Sunset Marina, where fisheries biologist Gary Tyler confirmed the weight on a certified scale and made the record official.
Clark first thought he had a small bluefin on the line. The crew then put the fish in the box to use as bait before realizing they had a state-record false albacore.
False albacore are a frequent summer visitor to Ocean City waters and are more closely related to mackerel than tuna, despite the tuna talk they draw from anglers. The species is also called little tunny, has very dark flesh that is not usually eaten, and is often used as bait. It is one of the most common tuna species in the western Atlantic, ranging from Massachusetts to Brazil, and has become a light-tackle favorite for catch-and-release fishing along the East Coast.
The previous Atlantic Division record was a 26.0-pound fish set in July 2025, which replaced a 23.5-pound mark set by Timothy K. Shaarda on July 12, 2025, off Ocean City between the Washington and Norfolk canyons. In a little over a year, the standard was broken three times, and twice within eight days in July 2025 before Clark reset it again.
Clark lives in Ocean City, attends Salisbury University and works for his uncle’s construction business. He fishes with family from his uncle’s boat, Baby Girl, and the July 3 trip was their fourth outing of the year.
Anyone who thinks they have a record fish should complete the state record application, call 410-991-0748, and keep the fish immersed in ice water until it can be weighed and certified.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
