A Pennsylvania family sure has a fishing story to tell you about.  On July 6, sixteen members of the Redfield family from Doylestown, Pennsylvania hooked 1,372 mackerel in 90 minutes. The family fished aboard the Miss Boothbay during a Balmy Days Cruise in Boothbay Harbor.

The family boarded the vessel at 12:30 p.m. and Captain Al Dutremble proceeded to one of the many prime mackerel locations off Negro Island. The 14 family members along with two guests dropped their fishing lines, and the mackerel immediately started biting, according to Dutremble.

The catch is an unofficial record for the Miss Boothbay cruise, according to Dutremble. The family held the previous record of 563, set in 2014. Even though the Redfields shattered their own record, Dutremble believes their most recent catch is higher than they recorded.

“It was more like over 1,400 because the guy beside stopped counting after he caught 100 and he probably had over 150,” Dutremble said.

A family fishing cruise is nothing new for the Redfields. The Redfields’ 2014 catch broke the vessel’s previous record of 350. Ed Redfield, 81, has visited Boothbay Harbor since he was 11 years old. He and his wife brought their four children and several grandchildren to Boothbay Harbor this year. Redfield joked with Dutremble about setting another record during this year’s family fishing cruise.

Dutremble told him some records will never be broken.

“You can’t run a mile in no time; 563 was one of those unbreakable marks I thought,” Dutremble said. “But as soon as they dropped their lines, the fish started biting. And they had over 1,000 with 30 minutes left in the cruise.”

A big catch shouldn’t have been surprising to Dutremble. The fishing has been extremely good this year off Negro Island along with other prime locations — Squirrel Island, Tibbetts Cove, and Damariscove Island, according to Balmy Days Cruise officials. Dutremble credits this season’s good fishing to a large school of mackerel that entered the waters off Boothbay Harbor.

“I told the boss it really makes the captain look good, but all I did was shut the motor off, and let them go to town,” Dutremble said.

Ed Redfield said the family’s oversized fish catch was exciting, but the day’s biggest joy was spending time with his family. He said the family camaraderie and competition make it a special event each time.

“The thing that is nice is seeing our four children, their spouses, and grandchildren all having fun together. There is a lot of competition within our family which makes it special, too,” he said.

While fishermen are notorious for exaggerating the size and number of the catch, this story is no fishing tale, according to Dutremble. He witnessed the catch and only mackerel raised over the boat’s rail were counted. 

“They are a great family and very competitive fishermen. I witnessed the whole thing and it was amazing how many fish they all caught,” he said.

The Miss Boothbay, a former lobster boat, is a 33-foot fishing vessel. It’s used for Balmy Days Cruises’ “Fishing For Mackerel,” a two-hour cruise off the waters of Boothbay Harbor three times daily.

Dutremble has been one of the vessel’s two captains since 2009. He was assisted by his First Mate Hunter Crocker during the Redfields’ cruise.