August 4, 2011. A Thursday night. Greg Myerson is drifting a live eel over a rocky patch in Long Island Sound called Southwest Reef. He’s a big guy, a former defensive end who basically lives to hunt "cows"—those massive, legendary female striped bass that haunt the Atlantic coast.
He feels a thump. Not just a nibble, but a heavy, rod-shaking slam.
Fifteen minutes of pure chaos follow. Myerson slips on eel slime, slams his ribs into the gunwale, and eventually hauls a prehistoric-looking beast into his boat. He didn't even know what the world record was at the time. He just knew this fish was stupidly big.
The next morning, the scale at Jack’s Shoreline Bait and Tackle in Westbrook, Connecticut, didn't lie. It read 81.88 pounds.
That fish officially became the biggest striper ever caught on rod and reel, shattering a record that had stood for nearly three decades.
The Gregory Myerson Record: 81 Pounds of Long Island Muscle
Honestly, the fishing world was stunned. For 29 years, everyone thought Albert McReynolds’ 78-pounder from the Atlantic City surf was the ceiling. People assumed stripers just didn't get bigger than that anymore due to commercial pressure and environmental changes.
Myerson proved them wrong.
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His fish measured 54 inches long with a girth that looked more like a beer keg than a fish. He was using a St. Croix rod and a Quantum Cabo reel, but the real secret—at least according to him—was his "rattling sinker." He’d figured out that big bass are attracted to the sound of lobsters and crabs clicking along the bottom.
But it wasn't just luck. Myerson had already boated multiple fish over 70 pounds in his life. He was a specialist. When the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) finally certified the catch, it ended the reign of the previous record and turned Myerson into an overnight fishing celebrity.
The Curse of the 78-Pounder: What Happened to Albert McReynolds?
You can’t talk about the biggest striper ever caught without mentioning the most dramatic night in surfcasting history. September 21, 1982. A Nor'easter is screaming across the Jersey Shore.
Albert McReynolds and his buddy Pat Erdman are out on the Vermont Avenue jetty in Atlantic City. The waves are literally washing over the rocks. It’s dangerous. It's miserable. It’s exactly the kind of weather that brings big fish in close to feed on mullet.
McReynolds was casting a 5.5-inch black-and-silver Rebel plug. When the monster hit, he thought he’d hooked a submarine.
The 100-Minute War
The fight lasted an hour and forty minutes. Think about that. Nearly two hours of holding a bent rod while waves try to sweep you into the ocean. When he finally got the fish to the rocks, he had to bear-hug it to keep it from washing back out.
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The fish weighed 78 pounds, 8 ounces.
But here’s the crazy part: the record almost ruined his life. Because there was a $250,000 bounty from a tackle company for anyone who broke the record, people got ugly. He received death threats. People claimed he’d stuffed the fish with lead or found it dead. He ended up moving away and largely disappearing from the public eye for years. Fishing for a world record sounds fun until you actually catch one.
Are There Even Bigger Stripers Out There?
We know they exist.
If we’re strictly talking about rod-and-reel catches, Myerson is the king. But if you look at commercial nets and scientific surveys, the numbers get scary.
- The 125-Pound Myth? There are historical reports from the late 1800s of striped bass weighing 125 pounds taken in nets off Edenton, North Carolina. While photos from 1891 aren't exactly high-def, most biologists agree the species is biologically capable of hitting that mark.
- The 92-Pounder: In 1995, Maryland DNR biologists netted and released a 92-pound female in the Chesapeake Bay during a routine survey.
- Freshwater Giants: Don't sleep on the lakes. The landlocked world record is a 69-pound, 9-ounce beast caught by James Bramlett in Alabama’s Black Warrior River back in 2013.
The reality is that "The Big One" is likely swimming right now. Stripers can live for over 30 years. If a female finds a steady supply of high-protein bait like menhaden or trout and stays out of the path of commercial nets, there’s no reason she couldn't hit 90 or 100 pounds.
Why Breaking the Record Is Harder Now
You’d think with better tech—GPS, side-imaging sonar, carbon fiber rods—we’d be breaking records every year. It’s actually the opposite.
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The "biomass" of the oldest, largest fish has taken a hit. Management councils have had to implement "slot limits" (where you can only keep fish between certain sizes, usually 28 to 31 inches) to protect the big breeding females.
Most serious anglers today practice Catch and Release for any fish over 40 pounds. Because of this, many potential records are likely caught, photographed, and slipped back into the water without ever seeing a certified scale. To get an IGFA record, the fish usually has to be killed and weighed on land, which is a trade-off many modern conservation-minded anglers aren't willing to make.
How to Catch a Record-Class Striper
If you’re actually looking to see your name in the IGFA books, you have to change your strategy. You aren't going to catch an 80-pounder by accident while targeting schoolies.
Live Bait is King
Almost every massive striper on the books fell for live bait. Myerson used eels. The legendary 73-pounders of the 80s fell for live bunker (menhaden) or mackerel. Big fish are lazy. They want a massive calorie payout for very little effort.
Night Patrol
Big stripers are notoriously light-sensitive. The "cows" move into the shallows under the cover of darkness. Most of the fish on the record list were caught between 8:00 PM and 4:00 AM.
Location Matters
Stick to the "Striper Coast."
- Long Island Sound: The structure and current here are perfect for big fish to ambush bait.
- The Elizabeth Islands: Massachusetts’ legendary big-fish nursery.
- The Chesapeake Bay: Specifically in the winter when the big migratory females are moving through.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Trophy Hunt
If you want to move beyond the 20-pounders and actually target a career-best fish, start with these adjustments:
- Upsize your tackle: Stop using "all-purpose" gear. If you’re hunting a 50+ pound fish, you need a reel with a rock-solid drag system and at least 50-pound braid.
- Fish the Moon: The three days before and after a full or new moon provide the strongest currents. Stronger current means more disoriented baitfish, which triggers the big girls to feed.
- Learn to rig live eels: It’s messy, it’s annoying, but it is the most effective way to catch a trophy striper in deep structure.
- Check the regulations: Before you head out, ensure you know the current slot limits for your state. If you think you have a record, you’ll need a witness and a certified scale—know where the nearest one is before you leave the dock.
The record for the biggest striper ever caught has stood since 2011. That's a long time. Somewhere out there, a 15-year-old fish is gorging on bunker and gaining the weight needed to finally knock Myerson off the throne.