Forgotten Stories of World Record and TX State Record Flounder

How would you like to catch a 13-pound flounder?

A man from Groves, TX did nearly 50 years ago and his record still stands here in Texas.

What about a 20-pounder? That’s the size of the world record caught in Florida in 1983.

We at TF&G did a little investigating and found out the stories behind these great record catches.

The Texas state record was caught by Herbert Endicott Feb. 18, 1976 and the story on it was written by Ray Sasser who at the time was the Port Arthur News Outdoors Editor.

Since the fish still had to be certified Sasser references the current record

“The current flounder taken on sport tackle that tops the list is an 11 pound, two ounce specimen caught in 1972 in Galveston’s West Bay. Besides weight, the record fish carried some other impressive credentials. It was a foot wide, 28 inches long, three inches thick and 24 and a half inches in circumference.”

Sasser wrote Endicott was understandably vague about where his record catch was made.

Just tell them “Lake Sabine,” he said with a chuckle.

He went on to say he believe there was a bigger one out there and  “if people know where my fishing hole is, they might catch him”

Sasser wrote that the strangest thing of all about the record flounder is that Endicott’s next door neighbor and fishing partner, David Landry.caught a flounder a couple of weeks ago in the same area that is “also believed to top the current state record. Landry cleaned the fish for the table before he weighed it on certified scales capable of handling a fish of that size”.

“The old man said he’d catch a bigger one,” Landry recalled in the story, “but I didn’t think he’d do it this soon.

The original skin mount of Endicott’s fish is available for viewing at the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur.

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) tells an interesting account of the world record flounder.

“In 1983, Larenza Mungin landed this 9.33-kilogram (20-pound, 9-ounce) southern flounder to set the IGFA All-Tackle World Record for the species.”

“He was fishing in Nassau Sound, Florida when this flounder ate the shrimp he was using for bait. After a 15-minute fight he was able to land this record fish. Larenza brought the fish to Harrell’s Seafood Market for an official weight on a certified scale. This flounder measured an incredible 33-inches in length.

What’s the biggest flounder you have ever caught? Do you have any old family photos of mega flounder? We would love to see them.

Email cmoore@fishgame.com

Chester Moore