Author: IGFA

August 2011 White Sea Bass 8 Pound World Record Veteran angler Tom Pfleger of Newport Beach, California, USA recently submitted another line class record for white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis). Currently holding the men’s 01 kg (2 lb) – 03 kg (6 lb) line class records – Pfleger’s newest submission of a 25.85 kg (57 lb 0 oz) catch aims to replace Jimmy Decker’s current 04 kg (8 lb) line class record of 23.63 kg (52 lb 1 oz). Pfleger landed his most recent seabass while fishing south of the border in Ensenada, Mexico on June 22, 2011. Forty five minutes…

For the second time in the past few months, a Japanese angler has submitted an All-Tackle record claim for a large, unique species of grouper. The most recent submission, from angler Takayuki Shibayama of Osaka, Japan, is for the appropriately named potato grouper (Epinephelus tukula). Fishing with guide Takashi Nakazato on June 4, 2011 off Miyako Island, Japan, Shibayama battled this bottom-dwelling monster for seven and a half hours after it inhaled the live snapper he was using for bait. After the strenuous battle, Shibayama’s potential All-Tackle record fish tipped the scales at 77.85 kg (171 lb 0 oz). The…

Angler Carlos Moran was fishing off his home town of Luanda, Angola with Dr. Iain Nicholson on November 12, 2011 when he hooked into a fish of a lifetime and the potential new men’s 15 kg (30-pound) line class record for Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). Weighing in at a whopping 60.9 kg (134 pounds, 4 ounces), Moran needed one hour to best this potential world-record sail after it ate the skirted ballyhoo being trolled for bait. The current IGFA record is 55.2 kg (121 pounds, 11 ounces) and was set by fellow Luandan Hakan Ekberg in February of 1996.

December 2011 Female 16 Pound Tippet Cobia Record Four-time tippet class IGFA world-record holder Kate Burke, of Tavernier, Florida, landed another potential record for a new (for her) species on October 21, 2011. With three tripletail and one Spanish mackerel record landed in the past two years, the 19.42kg (42-cobia, 13-ounce) cobia (Rachycentron canadum) she caught while fishing Lanark Village, Florida, with local captain W. Camp Walker would bring her world record total to five. After the cobia ate Burke’s WCW pilchard pattern fly, it took the experienced angler five grueling hours to land this potential women’s 8 kg (16-pound)…

Angler Bob Gaines of Irvine, California, landed a massive 111 cm Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) on December 15, 2011 while fly-fishing on the Smith River in California with guide Andy Martin. After the fish ate a well-presented orange shrimp fly, Gaines fought the salmon for 40 minutes before finally bringing it to the boat. As with all potential IGFA All-Tackle Length records, the fish was released alive after the necessary photos and measurements were taken. The current IGFA record stands at 84 cm.

Female World Record Pacific Snook Guayquil, Ecuador is well known for producing quality IGFA records for broomtail grouper, and more records for this species come from Guayaquil than anywhere else in the world. However, Guayquil native Veronica Martinez de Sola had snook on her mind when she went fishing in Isla Puna, Ecuador on November 19, 2011. Using a live shrimp for bait, de Sola landed this beautiful 2.49 kg (5-pound, 8-ounce) Pacific snook (Centropomus spp.) in only 10 minutes to qualify for the potential new women’s 2 kg (4-pound) line class record. The current IGFA line-class record is vacant,…

French angler Guillaume Fourrier of Belleville-Sur-Mer, France was fishing off Dieppe, France with local guide Emile Couvrevr on November 15, 2011 when he may have broken the 13-year-old standing IGFA record for the men’s 2 kg (4-pound) line class record for European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Fourrier needed 22 minutes to land the 6.16 kg (13-pound, 9-ounce) fish after it ate the Jackall Dart he was casting. The current IGFA record is 5.99 kg (13 pounds, 3 ounces) and if approved, this will be Fourrier’s first world record fish.

Gulf Coney World Record Dr. George Bogen is aiming to break the All-Tackle record for gulf coney (Epinephelus acanthistius) for a third time! While bottom fishing off San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on October 22, 2011, Dr. Bogen, of Los Angeles, California, challenged his own standing record for the species with a 11.2 kg (24-pound, 11-ounce) catch. Bogen was fishing with frozen squid, and needed 8 minutes to land the new potential All-Tackle record fish. The current IGFA record is 5.78 kg (12 pounds, 12 ounces) and was set by Dr. Bogen in the same waters in March of 2008…

Fishing the Uruguay River in Concordia, Argentina on November 7, 2011, Lithuanian angler Darius Petrauskas landed this massive dorado (Salminus brasiliensis) while casting a Lindy MG Spinnerbait. Petrauskas was fishing with local guide Enzo Rico when the massive fish hit, and the angler needed 15 minutes to bring the dorado to the boat. The 97 cm dorado qualifies for the potential new IGFA All-Tackle Length record which currently stands at 93 cm. As required with every All-Tackle Length record, the dorado was released alive after being photographed and measured.

Angler Mark “Doc” Hatton of West Milford, New Jersey, recently took a trip to Canada to target some of the fantastic northern pike fishing the country has to offer. Hatton did not leave disappointed. Fishing with guide Chad Beck on September 26, 2011, Hatton landed and released a huge northern pike (Esox lucius) while casting an Eppinger Husky on the Taltson River, NW Territories, Canada. Measuring 118 cm, Hatton’s monster pike qualifies for the potential new IGFA All-Tackle Length record. The current IGFA record is 90 cm and was set three months prior by Stan Nabozny in the United Kingdom’s…

Brazilian angler Fabricio Bigua was fishing Serra da Mesa Lake in Brazil with guide Fabricio B. de Camargos on November 12, 2011 when he landed a potential IGFA All-Tackle record blue peacock bass (Cichla piquiti). Bigua was casting a Tmakatsu-Trainao lure when this 4.54 kg (10-pound) fish hit. After a quick 5-mintue fight, Bigua was able to photograph, weigh, measure and release the fish alive. The current IGFA record is 4.02 kg (8 pounds, 13 ounces).

The Cayman Islands have produced another potential All-Tackle record escolar (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum)! This time it was local angler Emil Terry who boated the potential record fish — a 78.81 kg (173 pound, 12 ounce) monster that he landed in 25 minutes after it hit a strip bait he was drifting while fishing with guide Jonathan Ebanks, and current record holder Charles Ebanks, whose current record stands at 72.89 kg (160 pounds, 11 ounces).

Japanese sea bass line class record – Suzuki 8 pound Record On November 11, 2011, Japanese angler Norifumi Yamamoto traveled from his hometown of Wakayama to fish the shoreline of Kushimoto, Japan in search of Japanese sea bass (Suzuki) (Lateolabrax japonicus). Yamamoto was not disappointed, as he landed this impressive 8.65 kg (19-pound, 1-ounce) Suzuki while casting a Daiwa shiner. After a 25-minute battle from shore, Yamamoto landed the potential new men’s 4 kg (8-pound) Japanese sea bass line class record. The current IGFA record is 8.25 kg (18 pounds, 3 ounces). More IGFA News and Records on BD Outdoors

January 2012 Female Junior Angler Muskellunge Junior angler Lalie Tronel-Peyroz of Saint Sauveur, Canada landed a huge muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) while trolling a Depth Raider on the St. Lawrence River in Canada on November 21, 2011. After a 15-minute fight, Tronel-Peyroz and guide Mary Thorpe quickly weighed the 18.63 kg (41-pound, 1-ounce) musky and released it alive. With the current IGFA record standing at 12.92 kg (28 pounds, 8 ounces), Lalie’s fish easily qualifies as the potential new Female Junior Record muskie. More IGFA News and Records on BD Outdoors

Striped Bass Release Record Angler Maureen Klause of Ocean City, New Jersey, landed a striped bass (Morone saxatilis) while fishing the Delaware Bay, with Capt. Ricky Wheeler on December 4, 2011. Klause was fishing the bottom with a bunker (menhaden) head when the 108 cm striper hit. After a 12-minute fight, Klause and Capt. Ricky boated the potential All-Tackle record length striped bass for the necessary photos and measurements before releasing it alive. The current IGFA record is 89 cm. More IGFA News and Records on BD Outdoors

20 pound line Record Barracuda Far from his home in Thayne, Wyoming, USA, angler Doug Bull landed the potential men’s 10 kg (20 lb) line class great barracuda record (Sphyraena barracuda) while fishing Holmes Reef, Australia on Dec. 1, 2011. Guided by Martin DeBanks and drifting cut skipjack, Bull needed only 5 minutes to land the 29.94 kg (66 lb 0 oz) ‘cuda. The current IGFA record stands at 29.5 kg (65 lb 0 oz). 20 lb Line Class Record for Barracuda

French angler Jean Paul Estradere was casting topwater plugs off the coast of Isla Coiba, Panama on Nov. 25, 2011 when a massive 115 cm Pacific cubera snapper (Lutjanus novemfasciatus) exploded on his Sebile Splasher. With the help of local guide Olivier Charpentier, Estradere was able to boat this potential All-Tackle Length record fish in 10 minutes. After a few quick photos and measurements, the toothy snapper was released alive to fight another day. Cubera Snapper Release Record The current IGFA record is 107 cm and is held by Estradere’s guide, Olivier Charpentier. Cubera Snapper Release Record

The fifth fish tagged in the IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR) has become the first fish to shed it’s pop-up satellite tag. The fish traveled 419 nautical miles since it was caught by angler Norman Pichardo during the San Juan International Billfish Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The tag popped up just off the coast of Venezuela, near the Las Aves archipelago. Although this is the first tag to pop up during the IGMR, the marlin has already taught anglers more than just where the fish went. “The marlin came up tailwrapped and really brown — it had been…

From snakeheads to black grouper, the International Game Fish Association saw some nice fish come over the rail in October and nine anglers are awaiting approval for their potential world-record catches. When angler Matt Snyder of Osprey, Florida, dropped down a live grunt while bottom fishing in the Gulf of Mexico on September 16, 2011, he was hoping to bring up one of the many bottomfish found in this area. He was certainly not expecting the massive 105-pound black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) pictured above, that took him 12 minutes to pull up from the bottom. If approved, Snyder’s giant black…

While river monsters and commercial crab boats are the flavor of the month in reality television, the International Game Fish Association is preparing for its 13th annual recognition of six anglers as IGFA Hall of Fame Inductees who have dedicated a lifetime to truly exceptional fishing. The 2011 IGFA Hall of Fame class includes conservationists, boat designers, industry leaders and some of the best sportsmen to ever cast a line. This year’s nominees include: John R. Chibnall A life member of New Zealand’s Bay of Islands Swordfish Club, John Chibnall has held every position including President and Chairman. For more…