The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

45.9 kg. , 101.3 lbs.

Drum, Black Pogonias cromis

Record Category: Men Speargun

Diver:		Richard Martin
Date:		10/2/2013
Location:		UNITED STATES

My dive of 10/02/2013; I arrived at the breakwater in my small 14' boat, I anchor approx. 500 yards north of the lighthouse and about 30 feet from the wall. The water depth in this area is approx. 45'. I began diving at approx. 10:00 am. The tide was flowing out of the bay and visibility was about 3-5', actually average for the Delaware Bay. As usual, I am diving alone; my gear is; wetsuit, fins, mask, snorkel, knife, and an O.M.E.R. Tempest 70 cm pneumatic spear gun. I swim along the wall and free dive about 8-15' looking for Tautog, Striper and Sheepshead, my preference is large Striper. After about an hour (and one Tautog) I see a school of 6-8 Black Drum milling around at a depth of about 12’, I decided not to shoot any, and continued my hunt for Stripers or Tautog. After about two hours in the water I am a little chilled, so I climb up on the rocks and have conversation with some friends fishing from a nearby boat. I begin walking the rock wall toward my boat which is approx. 500 yards away. I am now warmed up again so I get back in the water and again begin hunting for fish. I dive down approx. 12 feet, I am wedged in the rocks waiting for a fish to come by, I see a shadow coming out of the poor visibility, as it gets within 4' I see it is a huge Black Drum, I fire the Tempest and the spear goes where I aim, into the head, the Drum heads for the bottom but I am able to get it to the surface. I swim it to my boat, tie the spear gun line off on a handle at the outside of the transom, I pull myself over the gunnel into the boat, then pull the Drum over the gunnel into the boat, the time is 12:30 pm. My friends from a boat that were fishing nearby stop by in their boat to admire the Drum, they will witness my catch. I get my anchor up and head the boat for the Lewes Yacht Club boat ramp where I launched from, I telephone my wife to meet me at the Lewes Harbor Marina where they have a State of Delaware certified scale, they weighed the fish at 112.6 lbs. (I previously had an IUSA record Atlantic Sheepshead @ 12.8 lbs. weighed at the same facility) the IUSA registered date is Aug. 02, 2002. The weigh station is about 2-1/2 miles away so I trailed the fish there in my boat. I pulled the fish from my boat which is now on the trailer, and drag it to the weigh station, the weigh master, William W. Cook, was surprised at the size, a number of people gathered to watch; as Drum are pretty slimy, it took three of us to get the rope, (that I had previously put through the gills) and the fish, attached to the overhead scale. The digital scale only took a few seconds to settle and the weight reading was 112.6. I weighed the line used to hang the fish from the weighing scale; it weighed 1.4 ounces that deducted from 112.6 lbs. equals 112.51 lbs. I received my weight validation certificate, took some photos of the fish hanging from a railing, then pulled the fish back to the boat trailer and lifted it back into the boat to return
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