Emerald Isle angler hooks a world record

Sara Cozart Moss got serious about fishing only a few years ago.

But she already has broken a world record.

The Emerald Isle resident caught a 7-pound, 4-ounce Spanish mackerel on 4-pound test monofilament near the Cape Lookout shoals on Oct. 13, breaking the International Game Fish Association's women's line-class world record.

Her husband, Clifton Moss, once held the state record for king mackerel and a world line-class record for the fish.

"I thought it would be fun for me to have one," she said.

Randy Gregory, an N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries biologist, said North Carolina is as good a place as any to hunt monster Spanish mackerel. The all-tackle world record, 13 pounds, was caught at Ocracoke Inlet in 1987.

The previous women's line-class word record was caught in Miami in 1996. It was 6 pounds, 12 ounces.

"But to find one that big, you have to go through a lot of fish," he said. "Usually, fish like this are caught when fishing for king mackerel. Big Spanish mackerel are not the easiest fish to target."

A 6-pound Spanish qualifies for an N.C. Saltwater Fishing Tournament citation, and about 100 citation Spanish are reported every year, Gregory said.

"To catch one on 4-pound test line is phenomenal," Gregory said. "It's pretty hard to do that. If they weren't [intentionally looking to break a record], they're pretty lucky."

In fact, the catch was premeditated.

Moss, 65, remarried four years ago, and Clifton Moss introduced her to offshore fishing. The couple has logged 1,000 hours on their 31-foot Fountain boat.

"It's another world out there," she said.

The day before, Clifton Moss had gotten into some big, citation Spanish at the George Summerlin Reef, and with a calm day forecasted, the couple figured they had a window of opportunity.

The IGFA has strict rules that must be followed for a fish to qualify: The length of leader is controlled; no treble hooks are allowed; only the fisherman can touch the line; there must be a witness; the fish must be weighed on a scale that has been certified in the past 12 months; and 50 feet of the fishing line used must be submitted for testing.

Switching to 4-pound test instead of the 20-pound test line that Clifton Moss had used the previous day added a challenge. She used live menhaden for bait.

"It's like sewing thread," Clifton Moss said. "It's like trying to pull a Volkswagen with a shoe string."

When the couple first got out at sea, the waters weren't very calm, making things tougher. Such light line can break when stretched by a rocking boat. Moss lost about 10 fish, but the seas calmed and she caught a 5-pounder before tying into the big one, which she fought for 43 minutes.

"I tried not to put too much tension on the line," Moss said. "I was very, very anxious. I was like, 'Please don't break the line; Please don't break the line.' It walked me around the boat."

Though Moss knew the fish was a pending world record, Clifton Moss broke the news to her on Christmas Day, giving her the letter from the IGFA, a plaque and the mounted fish as a Christmas present.

"I did cry," Sara Moss said, before reflecting. "It was an adventure."