At 10 years old, Teddy Wingfield already has a world record.
The Lookout Mountain School fourth-grader caught a 32-pound scamp off the coast of Atlantic Beach, N.C., on June 2, when he was still 9, and the International Game Fishing Association officially approved it as an all-tackle world record on Oct. 4. The previous scamp standard of 29 pounds, 10 ounces was set in 2000 out from Mobile, Ala.
A scamp is related to a grouper, and the average size is 8-10 pounds, with 12-15 considered big, according to Teddy’s father, Joseph Wingfield, who took him and younger brothers Wilder and Hank on the two-day trip with other family members.
Teddy’s big one – half his own weight – also was certified as a North Carolina record, naturally. It was the first fish reeled in during the outing.
“Captain Daniel said he thought it could be a state record and we should go back in right away [to start the certification procedure], but we said we wanted to catch more fish,” recalled Teddy, who’s enjoyed the family passion since he “could hold a fishing rod.”