Hefty catch: New state record certified for almaco jack reeled in off Outer Banks coast

Published 2:33 pm Friday, June 27, 2025

: Warren Poirier and his record-breaking almaco jack. Courtesy North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

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The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Division of Marine Fisheries announced the afternoon of June 27, 2025 that it had recently certified a new state record for almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana).

Warren Poirier, of Charles City, Virginia, caught the 56-pound, 4.8-ounce fish off the Outer Banks on June 7, 2025. The previous state record was 33 pounds, 12.6 ounces, and was landed in 2024.

“Poirier was fishing with Captain James Bowman at The Rocks when the fish struck his Zest brand jig. Poirier fought the fish for 45 minutes before finally landing it on a Shimano Trevala rod and Saltist 5000 reel with 80-pound braid,” stated the DMF announcement.

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Poirier’s fish measured 46 inches fork length (from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail) and had a 31-inch girth. The fish was weighed in at Teach’s Lair Marina in Hatteras.

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@deq.nc.gov.

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