The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has officially crowned a new state record holder for false albacore in the Atlantic Division — and the angler almost threw the fish in the bait box without a second thought.
Cooper Clark, a 19-year-old Ocean City resident, landed a 28.2-pound false albacore on July 3, 2026, topping the previous record of 26.0 pounds that had only been set in July 2025 — itself just the second time the record had been broken in 30 years. That means the Atlantic Division record for this species has now been broken three times in a single year.
Clark hooked the fish at a popular offshore fishing spot known as the “Jackspot,” located roughly 20 to 30 nautical miles off Ocean City near the 20-fathom line. He and his fishing party were trolling for bluefin tuna using skirted ballyhoo when the fish struck. Clark initially believed he had a small bluefin on the line. Once they got it into the boat and identified it as a false albacore, the group was unimpressed and tossed it in the fish box to use as bait later.
It wasn’t until the next day that someone in the group wondered if the fish might actually be a record catch. Clark is a lifelong Ocean City-area resident who attends Salisbury University and works for his uncle’s construction business. He frequently fishes with his uncle and cousins aboard his uncle’s boat, called “Baby Girl.” The July 3 outing was their fourth fishing trip of the year.
On July 4, the fish was weighed on a certified scale and verified by DNR fisheries biologist Gary Tyler at Sunset Marina in Ocean City, making the record official.
False albacore are a common summer visitor to the waters off Ocean City. Despite their nickname “little tunny,” they are actually more closely related to mackerel than to tuna. Their meat is very dark and typically not eaten, making them more useful as bait — which is exactly what Clark’s group had planned. They are, however, known as hard fighters and a real challenge when caught on light tackle.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources tracks sport fishing records across four divisions: Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal, and Invasive. Anglers who think they may have caught a record fish are encouraged to fill out a state record application and call 410-991-0748. DNR recommends keeping the fish submerged in ice water to help preserve its weight until it can be officially verified. Maryland fishing licenses are available through DNR’s MD Outdoors website.
