A 558-pound Swordfish Could Topple Maryland's State Record

A four-man crew fishing out of Ocean City, Maryland, boated a 558-pound swordfish after a three-hour fight. If certified, the catch would shatter the previous state record by more than 150 pounds.

By Matt HaeffnerNovember 13, 2026

(Left to right) Captain Keith Jacobs, Joe Spayd, Blaine Beyer, and Captain Jake Kinzie pose with their pending Maryland state record North Atlantic swordfish. *(Photo courtesy of Capt. Keith Jacobs)*

Offshore fishermen sailing out of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland have been treated to an exceptionally strong swordfish bite this fall. For several weeks now, boats traveling to the edge of the continental shelf have returned with large swords, destined to be steaked and thrown on the grill. Earlier this week, the 4-man crew of the Way Out—a 28-foot McKee Craft Freedom that sails out of Ocean City, Maryland—returned to port with a swordfish that could crush the 4-year-old Maryland state record.

On Wednesday, November 11, Captain Jake Kinzie, owner of Way Out, set out on a roughly 60-mile journey to Poorman’s Canyon with friends Captain Keith Jacobs, Joe Spayd, and Blaine Beyer in an effort to cash in on the epic swordfish bite.

“Jake and I have been fishing together for 25 years,” said Jacobs in an interview. “We knew there was a weather window to head offshore and we wanted a piece of the action.”

According to Jacobs, they hooked the fish at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday after it ate an octopus tentacle provided by Shannon Ehinger, owner of 353 Custom Tackle in West Ocean City.

“The fish took the bait at 1,000 feet and we fought it for 3 hours on a JPR Rods custom build paired with a Daiwa Seaborg that was spooled with 80-pound PowerPro,” Jacobs said. “During those 3 hours, the fish never aired out, it just stayed deep for the entire fight, so we didn’t get eyes on it until the last few minutes,” he added. “The sun was down by the time we boated it.”

Kinzie, Jacobs, Spayd, and Beyer hauled the fish back to Ocean City, MD, where it was weighed by Steve Hadley, a member of the Ocean City Marlin Club, on a 1,000-pound electronic scale.

Captain Jake Kinzie poses with the 558-pound fish that filled the bow of his 28-foot center console. *(Photo courtesy of Capt. Keith Jacobs)*

It was a long 60-mile-plus trip back to Ocean City with a trophy broadbill taking up most of the 28-foot center console’s real estate. *(Photo courtesy of Capt. Keith Jacobs)*

“It’s pretty remarkable,” said Jacobs regarding the timing of their catch. “There was a 510-pound swordfish caught the same day we were out, and there was a 519-pound fish caught about two weeks ago.”

The catch has not yet been verified as the official Maryland state record for North Atlantic (broadbill) swordfish. However, if certified by Maryland DNR, the Way Out‘s 558-pound fish will surpass the former state record—a 393-pound sword caught in September of 2022 by Jeff Jacobs— by a whopping 165 pounds.

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Matt Haeffner

Matt Haeffner grew up on Long Island, NY, where he fished on party boats, his kayak, and the South Shore & North Fork beaches for bluefish, striped bass, fluke, and more. With a decade of experience as a kayak instructor, fishing retail specialist, and editor, he is well-versed in the tackle and techniques that apply to the Northeast's fisheries. For 12 months a year, he enjoys surfcasting, wading, and kayak fishing on Cape Cod, MA, and beyond.

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