San Antonio-area man scores world record fish in lake near New Braunfels

SAN ANTONIO – Charles Dewey is no stranger to fishing records, but his latest is a first.

The retired Universal City police officer who now fishes five times a week has more than 100 current state records. However, Dewey, 56, has never held a world record, until now.

Dewey’s 2.02-pound, 11.1-inch Rio Grande cichlid, which he caught in Lake Dunlap near New Braunfels in Sept. 2011, was certified by the International Game Fish Association this week as world record for the species.

Dewey caught the cichild, which are related to tilapia, using an earthworm as bait and ultralight tackle, he said. Dewey released the fish after weighing it at an official scale on Lake Dunlap.

“Fishing is about being in the right place at the right time,” said Dewey. “Just getting out in the beautiful outdoors is the best part.”

Lone Star Outdoor News called Dewey “one of the best panfish anglers in the state.”

Dewey has more than 100 current records, many which are river and stream records, registered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Some of his records include redbreast sunfish, blue tilapia and Rio Grande cichlid for the San Antonio River, the bluegill and cichlid record for the Comal River and the largemouth bass, redear sunfish and bluegill records for the Guadalupe River.

Dewey still lives in Universal City, where he served for more than 30 years as a police officer.

“You’d be surprised at the beauty you can find in the inner city (of San Antonio) and the quality and size of the fish,” Dewey said. “I wouldn’t eat the fish, but I know people who have, and they’re just as healthy as you or me.”

Source: MySA.com