A 73-pound striped bass caught off the Virginia coast last month is now officially the saltwater state record.

The Virginia Beach Saltwater Fishing Tournament recently approved Fred Barnes' Jan. 23 catch, boated while Barnes was trolling with friends near the 4A bouy near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

The fish easily eclipsed the 68 pound, 1 ounce striper caught by Clay Armstrong in 2006 south of Rudee Inlet.

Lewis Gillingham, director of the state-run state fishing tournament, said Barnes' striper ranks as one of the heaviest caught by rod and reel along the Atlantic seaboard. Fewer than a half-dozen stripers over 70 pounds have ever been caught by anglers along the East coast.

And Barnes' striper, which was 52 inches long with a girth of 31 1 2 inches, had potential to be even heavier. read more