Texas coastal waters are home to some remarkable fishing records, many of which are unlikely to ever be broken. Here are five that we think will probably never be surpassed.
Snook
Weight: 57.50 pounds
Date Caught: May 1, 1937
Location: Gulf of Mexico
The state record snook caught by Louis Rawalt has stood for nearly 90 years. This massive fish’s size is extraordinary for the species, and given the changes in fishing practices and regulations, it’s improbable that such a large snook will be caught again in Texas waters.
Sand Seatrout (Sand Trout)
Weight: 6.25 pounds
Date Caught: Feb. 26, 1972
Location: Gulf of Mexico
The sand seatrout caught by Dennis Herrick is another long-standing record. These fish are generally far smaller, and this ecord has not been approached since.
Silver Seatrout (Silver or Gulf Trout)
Weight: 6.91 pounds
Date Caught: Feb. 28. 1992
Location: Gulf of Mexico
Gerry Tompkin’s record gulf seatrout has remained unbeaten for over five decades. Similar to the silver seatrout, the likelihood of catching a gulf seatrout of this size today is slim due to overfishing pressures from shrimping bycatch.
Sand Tiger Shark
Weight: 520 pounds
Date Caught: April 4, 1976
Location: Gulf of Mexico
The 520-pound sand tiger shark caught by Joey Vermuelem is a big sand tiger no doubt. But these sharks are extremely rare in Texas waters now so the chances of one that size ever being caught a next to zero.
Atlantic Croaker
Weight: 5.75 pounds
Date Caught: April 24, 2002
Location: Gulf of Mexico
Paul Straw’s record Atlantic croaker is a testament to an era when larger fish were more commonly encountered. Changes in fishing pressures have made it increasingly difficult to find such large croakers, making this record hard to surpass
(Texas Parks & Wildlife Department).