Elberta High School student may have just reeled in a record-breaking fish

Editor’s Note: We have corrected this article to clarify the certification process.

ELBERTA, Ala. ( WKRG ) — An Elberta High School student may have reeled in a record-breaking snook Tuesday while fishing along Soldiers Creek.

17-year-old Gardner Love, a junior at EHS, caught a 27-inch, 7-pound snook, which may have beaten the previous Alabama record by 2 pounds.

The Alabama Marine Resources division in Gulf Shores certified the fish as a snook.

As for the potential record?

“The process to declare it a state record is more detailed than that,” Col. Scott Bannon, director of Alabama’s Marine Resources Division, tells News 5. “I review the submission and then send to a state record fish committee.

“They have 15 days to provide comments before I declare it a state record. Then I forward to the Commisioner of Department of Conservation and ultimately to the Governor.”

Gardner’s parents told News 5 that he loves to fish and often goes into the Gulf to reel in Blue Marlin for tournaments.

This is a developing story. News 5 will update this article as more information becomes available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.