|| |—| || |Sklar caught this 52-pound striper in the surf at Assateague Island. Photo: Courtesy of Allen Sklar| Allen Sklar had been fishing the Assateague Island surf eight to ten hours a day, four days a week, only to watch his buddies pull in big striped bass, one after another, while he settled for sharks and skates. In May, though, Sklar got his due when a 50-pound striped bass took his bait and bolted. After a couple hard runs, Sklar finally worked the striper onto the beach. “I just stood there wondering if my heart could beat any faster,” Sklar said. “My head was spinning.” When the striped bass broke the 52-pound mark on his friend’s Boga Grip, Sklar decided to take the fish to a certified scale in Ocean City. There, the fish tipped the scale at 52 pounds, 14.4 ounces six ounces heavier than the current Maryland striped bass record in the “ocean” category. As for the pending-record holder: “Life is fine right at the moment.”
