LUNKER OF A LURE: Sandestin reels in World's Largest Lure at Baytowne Marina (PHOTOS and VIDEO)

The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village has a new hook to lure in visitors — three huge treble hooks attached to a 355.2-pound lure to be exact.

The SS Spitfire Mercantile at Baytowne Marina in Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort unveiled the World’s Largest Fishing Lure Wednesday morning, wowing the crowd of about 100.

In from New York City, Amanda Mochan of Guinness World Records was at the bayside ceremony to authenticate the 10-foot, 10-inch, 355.2-pound Flatliner lure.

To set a world record for oversized items, it has to be at least 10 times larger than the original, Mochan said.

“This is actually 24 times larger than the original,” she said looking at the huge lure hanging outside the Mercantile. “It also has to function as a regular lure and be made of the same material,” she added.

Cutting the official ribbon and boat line to the new lure were both Kitty Whitney from the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce and Shane Moody from the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce as well as Mark Davis, the creator of the lure.

“Not only did you set a new record, you set an incredibly high bar for someone else,” said Scott Rossman of WJHG Chanel 7 out of Panama City Beach, who served as MC for the ceremony.

An impressive sight, the lure features a pink dotted side, silver back, colorful orange bottom and three sets of treble hooks. The lure is fashioned after a 5½ inch Flatliner lure made by local legend David Partridge, owner of Flatliner Lures.

Davis and a team of nine took more than 10 months to plan and build the giant lure. Davis was inspired to create the World’s Largest Fishing Lure after he and his wife Mary Ellen talked about doing something that would draw people to the area.

“She said it really needed to be something nautical, a lure,” Davis said. “We just kind of took it from there.”

The humongous lure, like the original, is made of poplar wood. “I enjoy working with wood,“ Davis said. The group used 1x6s and 1x8s to make the lure. “It took us 3 ½ to 4 months just to glue the boards back together” in order to get the right look.

When Partridge made the original lure about seven years ago, “I had about six to eights hours in it,” he said. “I also caught five bass with it the first time out,” one that weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces, Patridge said.

“This one’s got some battle scars,” he added.

As for the gigantic lure, “it was built to catch a lot of attention,” Patridge said.

And attention it got Wednesday morning as people were already walking up to have their photos made with the lunker of a lure.

The lure has already grown in popularity with a drink named after it, “The Flatliner,” which is available at Sandestin’s Baytowne Marina Bar and Grill, where visitors can meet resident parrots Gilligan and Maryann and celebrate sunset each day.

The lure, designed to bring attention to the natural beauty of the area and to inspire people young and old to enjoy the thrill of fishing, is on permanent display beside the SS Spitfire Mercantile.

Each day, SS Spitfire Mercantile sells pounds of bait and tackle to aspiring anglers hoping to snag the “big one” in the Choctawhatchee Bay or the emerald gulf waters, or participate in the catch and release program at one of Sandestin’s dozens of freshwater ponds.