Record-breaking amberjack caught in Gulf in fisherman's 'rush of a lifetime'

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A record-breaking amberjack, weighing more than an average-sized supermodel, has been caught in the Gulf off the coast of Biloxi.

Fishermen fought with the massive 126 pound catch for 30 minutes -- much longer than usual for that type of fish -- before hauling it aboard charter boat the Lovin' Life.

"He knew right when he hooked it he had a big one, he could feel it," Captain Chris Denton said of the lucky fisherman. "I thought it was a big grouper, its mouth was so big," Denton said.

The fish was caught March 22 by Don Wheeler from Laurel, Miss., in an area of the Gulf known as Horseshoes Rigs, where there is a salt dome under water between the oil rigs, a popular spot for sport fishermen.

The group of 11 on the boat had switched their bait, loading up the hook with an 8lb Spanish mackeral they'd just caught on the hook, when the action started.

"It wasn't down (near the bottom) very long and the rod bent over,'' Wheeler told gulflive.com. ''Then it was on and the rush of a lifetime began. At first, I thought I had a big shark. The fish went down like it was headed for Cuba."

Don Wheeler of Laurel, Miss. holds up his record breaking catch, a 125lb 8oz Greater Amberjack. Don Wheeler of Laurel, Miss. holds up his record breaking catch, a 125lb 8oz Greater Amberjack. Photo: Al Jones/Gulflive.com Photo: Al Jones/Gulflive.com Image 1 of / 78 Caption Close Record-breaking amberjack caught in Gulf in fisherman's 'rush of a lifetime' 1 / 78 Back to Gallery

Wheeler, a medical salesman and high school friend of the boat's owner, said he was hanging on for dear life for the half-hour struggle.

"Basically, I was holding on to the rod because the fish was putting a tremendous strain on my arms, back and legs. Amberjacks tend to pull like a donkey and I did my best to hold on. But my adrenaline was too high to quit."

Eventually, the greater amberjack came to the surface and the crew pulled it aboard with two fishing gaffs, then it was back to shore for the weigh-in.

"We knew the record was 124 pounds, 4 ounces," said Captain Chris Denton. "But we didn't know how big ours was 'til we weighed it."

When the certified scale back at Biloxi Marina showed 125.8 pounds Wheeler knew he had a record breaker.

"Everybody just started going crazy!" said Denton. "He'll have his name in the record books, and it was caught with our bait."

"It's one of those incidents that almost looks fake when you see it," said Al Jones of Gulflive.com who rushed down to cover the catch, "It was almost as tall as Don who caught it!" said Jones.

Wheeler said he cant put into words how he feels about the chance to be in the Mississippi state record books.

The Texas state record for a greater amberjack is a 121-pound monster caught in the Gulf in 2005 on a jig/cigar minnow. The International Game Fish Association lists the world record greater amberjack as a 156 pound, 13 ounce fish caught in 2010 in Japan.

To become the official state record the fish now has to be certified by Mississippi's Marine Resources Commission who immediately sent out an expert to photograph and verify the amberjack's size.

The commission will vote Wheeler and his fish into the record books April 15, bumping off the 124.4 lound catch by Mike Jimerson back in 2012.

That is, unless someone else catches a bigger one between now and then.

As for the fish, Denton said it fed quite a few people.

"Oh, we ate him," the captain said, noting that Wheeler did have a taxidermist come to take pictures for a replica to hang on the wall.