Texan breaks records with humongous catch in Gulf

Joey Beaver, of Victoria, broke the state record for Red Snapper caught in saltwater with a catch of 40-pounds and 38.75 inches on June 1, 2014. Joey Beaver, of Victoria, broke the state record for Red Snapper caught in saltwater with a catch of 40-pounds and 38.75 inches on June 1, 2014. Photo: Courtesy, Joey Beaver Photo: Courtesy, Joey Beaver Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Texan breaks records with humongous catch in Gulf 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO - A South Texas man reeled in the largest red snapper ever recorded off the Texas coast.

Joey Beaver, of Victoria, bagged a 40-inch, 38.75 pound red snapper about five miles off the coast of Port O'Connor, a small fishing community between Corpus Christi and Galveston, in the Gulf of Mexico on June 1.

"I thought it was a shark or something the way it was pulling," said Beaver, 28. "When I got it on the boat after about 20 minutes, it was crazy, everybody on the boat was going nuts."

Beaver's catch beat two state records for red snapper, including the State Rod and Reel Record and the Water Body Record, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The previous record was held by Jack Brumby, who in 1998 caught a 38.13 pound red snapper.

"At first, I didn't think it was big enough" to beat the record, said Beaver, who used squid as bait and a Penn reel. "I think my wife is more happy about it than I am."

He has been fishing since he was 4. Beaver was with his father-in-law and captain, Russel Cady; brother-in-law, Johnmichael Caraway; and Cady's friends Jason Jones and Darren Drake, he told the Victoria Advocate.

The group fished for another hour after he reeled in the huge fish and then headed to the Fishing Center, which has the official state scales for the region, he said.

"A big group of people came around the boat and were taking pictures," he said.

Beaver said one filet fed his family of four and his friend's family of four and he still has another filet in the freezer.

Red snapper is one of the most valuable fish in the gulf and wild-caught whole red snapper currently sells for $10.99 per pound at Central Market in San Antonio. Beaver's record catch could have sold for $426, based on these figures.

The world record for red snapper, weighing 50 lbs. and 4 oz., was caught in the Gulf of Mexico off the Lousiana coast by Doc Kennedy in 1996, according to the International Game Fish Association.

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