OLYMPIA - A King County angler– and recently retired regional director for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)– has set a new record for the biggest Pacific sanddab caught in state waters, fishery managers confirmed today.
Bob Everitt of Kirkland didn't waste any time making a name for himself in the fishing world after his retirement. Retired for one day after a 37-year career at WDFW, Everitt caught one of the biggest, little fish around on July 1 at Jefferson head in Puget Sound.
"We were mooching deep, looking for salmon, and two sanddabs hit the two hooks on my line," said Everitt, who was the director of regional operations in northern Puget Sound. "These are small fish, and I thought about shaking them off," he added.
But, Danny Garrett, Everitt's fishing partner and a WDFW biologist, took a second look and noted that one of the fish might be a record, which was later confirmed at a certified scale in Bothell.
Everitt's sanddab weighed in at 1.22 lb. and measured 14 inches.
Juan Valero of Seattle set the previous record of 1 lb. and 12.5 inches on May 25 while fishing near Possession Point in Puget Sound.
"I had a fun day and a fun career, and if I had any advice for anglers, it would be to get out there and fish often," said Everitt. "You never know what you might catch."
A Pacific sanddab is a small, left-eyed, flatfish that prefers sand or mud bottoms. Most weigh less than a third of a pound.
WDFW has created a YouTube video on fishing, prepping and cooking flatfish that is available at https://www.youtube.com/thewdfw.
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