Man catches Maryland record-breaking swordfish off Ocean City

BALTIMORE -- A Calvert County man caught a state record-breaking 393-pound swordfish off the coast of Ocean City, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said Friday. 

The agency said Jeff Jacobs was getting ready to return to shore after an eight-hour fishing trip when his line started tugging. 

The fish "jumped out of the water and looked like a Volkswagen," Jacobs told the DNR. 

The agency said Jacobs fought for five and a half hours to pull the huge fish on board. 

 "Giving up wasn't an option," Jacobs said. "When we saw it we all knew it was a state record."

The swordfish is more than 90 pounds larger than the previous record, set in 2021 by Jake Bertonazzi of New Jersey.

Jacobs was awarded a plaque as the new state record holder for the Atlantic Division