Todd Spangler, of Merritt, caught the 12-pound, 8-ounce fish in the lower Neuse River in Pamlico County on Feb 9, 2022.
The previous state record speckled trout weighed 12 pounds, 4 ounces and was caught off Wrightsville Beach in 1961.
The International Game Fish Association All Tackle World Record spotted seatrout stands at 17 pounds, 7 ounces, and was caught in 1995 off Ft. Pierce Fla.
Spangler’s fish measured 33.5 inches total length (from the tip of the snout to the tip of the compressed tail) and had an 18-inch girth.
He caught it with a Daiwa Procyon reel and custom-built spinning rod. He used a dark purple Z-Man jerk shad soft plastic bait with a 20-pound braid.
Along the Mid Atlantic coast, speckled trout, also known as spotted seatrout, are one of the most popular saltwater species for recreational anglers. Speckled trout are identified by a pattern of dark spots along their backs, flanks, and tail.
For more information on state record fish, go to the division’s State Saltwater Records webpage or contact the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Tournament staff at saltwater.citations@ncdenr.gov.
source: North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
