Catching a Fish, and Probably Setting a World Record

Chatham Borough resident Ted Carroll, all of 13 years old, is a prolific fisherman. Just a few weeks ago, in mid-July he caught a 45-inch striper, and on July 26, he set out with a few family members for a nighttime fishing jaunt off the coast of Connecticut.

He came back a world record holder, pending certification. Carroll caught a 60 pound striped bass, which broke the junior angler world record if it is certified by the International Game Fish Association.

"I had no idea at the time," Carroll said.

The fish came on to Carroll's second cast of the night, while he and his cousin, Ricky Carroll, were on their boat near Fishers Island, N.Y., which is right near Groton, Conn., in Fishers Island Sound. He had placed a live eel on the end of his line when he hooked the bass.

The two fought the fish for about ten minutes before they realized the hook was barely in the fish. Because of that, they reasoned, even the smallest tug would rip the hook out of the bass.

So Ricky Carroll, who is a sport fisherman, then took the fish by the gills and threw it over the boat's side.

The 15-foot Boston Whaler boat they were in was almost not big enough to hold the 52 1/2-inch fish.

"The fish was almost touching both sides of the boat," Ted Carroll said.

The two eventually called a third cousin, Charlie Carroll, who was out fishing that night, to come by and measure the bass. All three agreed it was huge, but none had any idea quite how big it was.

After buying ice and storing the fish, Carroll went to bed. The next day, he and his family members woke up to take the fish to be weighed, but the first shop they visited did not have a scale big enough to hold the fish.

So they went on to a second shop, called Ford's Lobsters, to weigh it. It was 60 pounds.

Other family members then took the fish over to a taxidermist to be officially weighed again. While that was happening, Ted Carroll went to play tennis.

While he was playing, he got the call that he had set a world record.

"My tennis partner made fun of me for being so calm," Carroll said. "In fact, I was so excited."

Carroll's mother, Maggie Carroll, said that all that's now left to do is to submit paperwork to the International Game Fish Association, which certifies such records.

Once that is complete, her son will be the new junior world record holder (which is for people between the ages of 11 and 16). The world record for all anglers is 78 pounds.

"I don't think we realized how big of a deal it was at first," she said.