North Carolina Man Just Caught a Bigscale Pomfret That Destroyed the World Record!

Written by Mike Edmisten
Updated: June 30, 2023
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Jeremiah Elliott of Greenville, North Carolina made the catch of a lifetime on April 21 when he reeled in a 26-pound, 11.4-ounce bigscale pomfret. The fish had a 35.5-inch fork length (from the nose tip to the fork in the tail) with a 30.75-inch girth.

Sun setting in Morehead City, North Carolina

Jeremiah Elliott boated his record-breaking bigscale pomfret 50 miles east of Morehead City, North Carolina.

©Sheldon Perry/Shutterstock.com

Record Breaking Fish

Elliott caught the fish in North Carolina coastal waters, 50 miles east of Morehead City. The fish has been certified as the state record for North Carolina (there was no previous state record for bigscale pomfret), but it also bested the world record in a big way. The previous world record bigscale pomfret weighed 20 pounds, 10 ounces. That fish was caught in Florida in 2004. Elliott’s fish beat the world record by more than six pounds. Barring any unforeseen issues, Elliott’s fish should be certified as the new world record bigscale pomfret by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

International Game Fish AssociationFishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Florida

It is widely expected that the International Game Fish Association will certify Elliott’s bigscale pomfret as the new world record.

©User:trnsz / CC BY-SA 3.0 – License

Elliott was using squid for bait when he hooked the record-smashing fish. Elliot and his friends who accompanied him are pictured with the fish on North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality website. 

The catch made news in North Carolina but it is sure to garner the attention of the angling community worldwide if IGFA certifies it as the new world record as is expected.

Bigscale Pomfret

The bigscale pomfret (Taractichthys longipinnis) is the largest member of the Bramidae family, which encompasses 35 species. Most fish in this family feature a single dorsal fin and deeply forked tails.

The bigscale pomfret is not widely known to people who are not saltwater anglers. Even then, it is not typically regarded as a top-tier fish among saltwater fishermen and fisherwomen. It is also not used extensively in the seafood industry, though there is a market for the fish. But, as Elliott would tell you, this fish ought not to be overlooked.

The bigscale pomfret is sometimes known as the long-finned bream. The fish are often caught at depths down to 1,600 feet. This ray-finned fish is a highly migratory species. Depending on the time of year, bigscale pomfrets can be found from Nova Scotia to South America. They are also found off the coasts of Africa and Australia. The fish is classified as a Species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Bigscale pomfret

The bigscale pomfret is not one of the more famous fish in the Atlantic, but Jeremiah Elliott will surely never forget it!

©Internet Archive Book Images / No restrictions – License

The photo featured at the top of this post is © MPH Photos/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Mike is a writer at A-Z Animals where his primary focus is on geography, agriculture, and marine life. A graduate of Cincinnati Christian University and a resident of Cincinnati, OH, Mike is deeply passionate about the natural world. In his free time, he, his wife, and their two sons love the outdoors, especially camping and exploring US National Parks.

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