Georgia angler catches 400-pound goliath grouper off St. Simons Island

Caption

Seth Silverstein and Robert Turybury pose next to a goliath grouper that Turybury caught along the beach of St. Simons Island on June 7.

Credit: Courtesy of Robert Turybury

When Robert Turybury and his friend Seth Silverstein set out to celebrate Turybury's first wedding anniversary by fishing for sharks off St. Simons Island, they had no idea they were about to encounter something much larger and more powerful than anything they'd ever imagined.

Turybury, a Brunswick resident, and Silverstein, who lives on St. Simons Island, deployed a fishing drone on June 7 to drop their bait roughly 300 yards from the beach.

"After about an hour, that reel took off and the fun began," Silverstein recalled, watching his friend's fishing rod bend under the strain of something massive.

What followed was a grueling solo effort by Turybury, who reeled in a massive 400-pound goliath grouper without any electric or motorized assistance, slowly dragging it an estimated 400 to 450 yards to shore.

"It's just basically straight work," Turybury said. "I have never experienced anything that has a strength like that does."

The encounter showcased the raw power of Atlantic goliath groupers, which can grow to lengths of 8 feet and weigh up to 800 pounds, making them the largest grouper species in the Atlantic Ocean, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Although not listed under the Endangered Species Act, goliath groupers are under federal protection, meaning Turybury and Silverstein's adventure had to end with a quick photo opportunity while the fish remained in the water before they released their catch back into the ocean.