Cobia — 109 lb (2006)
Species: Cobia
Species reference image — not the record catch.
Confirmed against an official or primary source as of the date shown.
Directly confirmed via VMRC's own per-record announcement page, which also states the tournament win. The tournament's own official existence was separately confirmed via Virginia's state tourism authority listing.
Virginia Saltwater State Record
- Recognizing authority
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission
- Record program
- Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament
- Status
- Current
- Certification date
- 2006-06-10
- Predecessor record
- Cobia — 104 lb 8 oz (2002) — do not treat as current; see its own page for its status.
Official sources: Virginia Marine Resources Commission — State Record Cobia Announcement (2006) (weight, angler, date, location, vessel, method); Virginia Marine Resources Commission — Saltwater Gamefish State Records (current index) (confirms cobia's current record status)
Sources last checked 2026-08-09.
Tournament Record
- Recognizing authority
- Hampton Creek Cobia Tournament
- Record program
- 11th Annual Hampton Creek Cobia Tournament
- Status
- Current
- Certification date
- 2006-06-10
Official source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission — State Record Cobia Announcement (2006) (VMRC's own announcement states this catch also won the 11th Annual Hampton Creek Cobia Tournament)
Sources last checked 2026-08-09.
- Weight
- 109 lb
- Length
- 69.5 inches
- Girth
- 33.25 inches
- Angler
- Joseph F. Berberich II
- Catch date
- 2006-06-10
- Catch location
- York Spit, Chesapeake Bay
A specific named place, as published by the source below — not a precise coordinate. - Vessel
- Sea Berb
- Method / tackle
- Anchored and chumming with ground menhaden; fight lasted approximately twenty minutes
Hampton Roads connection
- Caught in or near Hampton Roads waters: Caught at York Spit, Chesapeake Bay — within the Bay waters this guide covers.
Berberich, of Hayes, Virginia (Gloucester County — not itself Hampton Roads), was fishing with his wife and two regular fishing partners. This same catch also won the 11th Annual Hampton Creek Cobia Tournament, so it's modeled here as one physical catch carrying two separate, independently sourced classifications rather than two records.
This page cites an existing official authority's own determination — it is not itself a certifying body. Always confirm current status directly with the authority linked above before relying on it, since records can be broken or updated at any time. How record certification works →