OLYMPIA — Steven Charles Orr of Rochester has set a new record for the largest black rockfish caught in Washington state waters.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has verified the 10.72-pound fish that measured 26.15 inches and was caught May 15 near Ilwaco, Pacific County, while Orr was bait fishing with herring.
“I thought I had a ling cod,” Orr said. “It was like fighting a big king salmon, and when I got it up to the boat, it absolutely dwarfed a 6- to 7-pound sea bass we had onboard. It was definitely a fighter.”
The new record exceeded the previous black rockfish record by almost half a pound. That record was held by Joseph Eberling for a fish he caught in the Tacoma Narrows area of Puget Sound in 1980.
