VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WTVR) – A Virginia fisherman has quite a fish tale to tell – a record-breaking one actually. Joseph Harris, of Virginia Beach, caught a 446-pound swordfish last month off Virginia Beach and south of the Norfolk Canyon. This week that catch was certified as the new Virginia State Record by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, according to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
“Harris used a custom built 50-pound class stand-up rod mated to a Shimano TLD 50 reel and loaded with 50-pound test Ande monofilament line,” information posted on the commission’s websiteindicated.
Harris hooked the record-setting fish hit at 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 1. The commission said Harris and the group he was fishing with fought the fish for two and a half hours before reeling it in.
The 446-pound swordfish broke the previous record catch of 381.5 pounds set in 1979.
