The monster black drum that Alistair Bremner caught very likely was a world record — at more than 122 pounds, 4 feet long and nearly as big around.
But he couldn't legally keep that big a fish, so he couldn't certify the catch. He had to toss it back.
That's not all. Minutes earlier, boat-mate Adam Kirby had caught another drum almost as big and that might have been a record too.
Bremner, Kirby and Jimbo Maass caught black drum left and right during their outing in December that were about 3 feet long, along with a slew of red drum and black bass, said Kirby, of Pawleys Island, who captained the trip.
You couldn't beat it for a windy winter day in rocking seas and ripping tide off the Georgetown Jetties.
"It was pretty wild," Kirby said.
It was also pretty rare. Nearly all the most desirable sought-after offshore catches — including tasty bass and bigger, meatier drum — are being fished to the point where the fish can't keep up, according to federal surveys.
Few anglers have trophy days like Bremner, Kirby and Maass did in waters that historically have brought back holds full of monster-sized fish.
That's why the restrictions are in place. And it's about to get tougher.
Red drum, one of South Carolina's most sought after coastal sports fish, is limited to three per angler per trip. The S.C. Legislature is moving into final debate on a bill to reduce that catch from three to two per angler per trip, and limit that to six per boat.
Black drum has a "keeper" size limit of no larger than 27 inches. The black bass catch had been suspended for the year after a federally imposed catch limit had been reached.
The offshore catch has been tightly regulated for years based on federal regulator surveys that suggest nearly every sought-after species is being overfished.
That conflicts somewhat with anecdotal evidence from anglers that suggests there's still "tons of them out there," as Kirby said.
Nearly 213,000 people now hold recreational South Carolina saltwater fishing licenses, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
More recreational anglers are out there every year, according to observers. Regulation is a huge sea change underway in the state.
"In my childhood, in my culture, being able to catch seafood was something we depended on," said Rep. Michael Rivers, D-Beaufort, who grew up with the Gullah traditions on St. Helena Island. He is one of the few vocal opponents of the red drum legislation.
"There are too many limits already," he said. "It's unfair to the little guy. Everybody's got to eat."
Kirby, owner of two Pawleys Island restaurants, supports catch restrictions.
"Honestly, I'm all about it. There's no reason for anybody to be pulling that many fish out of the water," he said.
Come back with the photo instead of the fish, he said. It doesn't get in the way of a good day's fishing.
"That drum was fighting like a grouper, trying to get back down in the rocks," he said. "I knew it was a monster."
