David Ashman sets North Carolina cubera snapper record

David Ashman of Mohnton, Pennsylvania, has set a new North Carolina state record for the cubera snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus). The fish, caught on July 31 off Cape Hatteras, weighed 85 pounds.

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries, the specimen measured just over 56 inches in total length with a girth of 40 inches. Ashman landed the fish while aboard the head boat Miss Hatteras using squid as bait. This catch surpasses the previous state record of 58 pounds, 8 ounces, which was set by Thomas Madsen in 2022.