Fisherman reels in giant 58-pound bass in Raritan Bay

[RAMMFISH66]

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, New Jersey (WABC) -- A Pennsylvania man made quite the catch while fishing in New Jersey this weekend.

John Callahan was fishing in the Raritan Bay from the shore on Sunday when he finally caught his first nibble after three hours.

It took him nearly 30 minutes to reel in his catch, but he was rewarded with a 58-pound bass on the other end of his line.

Employees from Julian's Biat & Tackle said it was a once-in-a-lifetime catch using fresh bunker chunk as bait.

A fish that size should have photographed and released, NOT taken home!!!!
That is my two cents....see ya all later, RAMMIE

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by RAMMFISH66

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, New Jersey (WABC) -- A Pennsylvania man made quite the catch while fishing in New Jersey this weekend.

John Callahan was fishing in the Raritan Bay from the shore on Sunday when he finally caught his first nibble after three hours.

It took him nearly 30 minutes to reel in his catch, but he was rewarded with a 58-pound bass on the other end of his line.

Employees from Julian's Biat & Tackle said it was a once-in-a-lifetime catch using fresh bunker chunk as bait.

A fish that size should have photographed and released, NOT taken home!!!!
That is my two cents....see ya all later, RAMMIE

I understand where you are coming from, but the guy is from Pa.. Might be his only striper in years,,, Lots and lots of locals fish stripers several times a week when they are within reach and take home every one they can keep all season long.
Its easier to release fish for another day when a person might be seeing a dozen more in a few days or a week. I am not a "fish hungry" type and release a lot of big fish I catch, but like the angler in question I probably would have kept that one, cleaned it, kept some and gave some away.. Might never see another because they aren't something that I have easy access to... Gotta give the guy the benefit of the doubt.... bob

[RAMMFISH66]

Sounds reasonable..I do a lot of releasing too only keeping what I might eat within the week...I also release a lot of fish since I usually fish at least 3 days a week...gonna hit Cliffwood Beach tomorrow for the incoming/outgoing tides...still to early to hit sandy Hook...see ya all alter, RAMMIE

[Honger]

Originally Posted by RAMMFISH66

A fish that size should have photographed and released, NOT taken home!!!!

why?

[WhaleFart]

hell of a fish from shore none the less! shame it was kept, that thing probably tasted like an old boot. to his their own, some people dont get or appreciate the whole C&R thing, id feel kind of shameful/guilty killing a fish that old which clearly is reproducing the population.

[Irish Jigger]

https://patch.com/new-jersey/middlet...ntic-highlands

[JIMMY L]

A big old fish like that, fighting for 30 minutes, then getting beached and unhooked probably would be impossible to resuscitate. Too bad because the table quality is poor.

[BugEye Chris]

I agree old fish Long fight low chance of successful
Release. Congrats on a great catch from the beach.
Definitely a fish of a lifetime. And for the holier than thou
Criowd who want to beat this guy up go screw
Easy to say you would release a 50 plus bass before you are
Looking at one and thinking just how big is it

[NoLimit]

Originally Posted by WhaleFart

hell of a fish from shore none the less! shame it was kept, that thing probably tasted like an old boot. to his their own, some people dont get or appreciate the whole C&R thing, id feel kind of shameful/guilty killing a fish that old which clearly is reproducing the population.

The big ones taste just fine. Old fish die of old age if you don’t eat them

[Chris G]

Let the poor bastard have his 2 minutes of fame. Jeesh.

If that fish was caught and harvested by a few other guys on here there would be cyber high five's and ass slaps all around. Hahaha.