USA: monster record striped bass

Fishing on the boat Bada Bing, Cary Wolfe landed a 74-pound striped bass, which should top the Virginia state record by a pound. The fish, caught off Cape Henry, is pending certification, but was weighed on certified scales at Long Bay Pointe Marina.
Wolfe was fishing with the boat captain, Tim Cannon, and his brother-in-law and first mate Richard White when the fish hit. After a very slow day of only a dogfish, they thought they might have a small tuna. 
After a brief battle, they realized they had a good fish, but did not know just how big it is.

USA: Potential leopard shark record landed

On December 31, a potential new International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record leopard shark Triakis semifasciata was landed by Maria de la Luz Johnson in San Diego Bay, California.
She used a dead surfperch as bait. The record catch measured 162.56 cm in length and weighed in at 44 lbs 7 oz.
The current/valid IGFA all-tackle record for this species is a 40 lbs 10 oz specimen that was caught in Oceanside (California) about 18 years ago.

GUATEMALA: Pacific Fin's billfish report

Here are a few highlights from the first 2 weeks of Jan 2012:

Jan 13 - 14 Joe Segobia, Robert Delaloye, Richard Rosencrans, Andrew Nugent, Michael Lovell, Lawrence & Jonathan Lunardi, Randall Villaire, James Vanalstine, Thomas Mooney, and Steven Sahinen arrived at Pacific Fins. In just 2 days fishing aboard Fortuna, Gypsy, and Maverick they raised 130 sailfish and released 85!

Jan 9 - 13 Martin and Richard Olsen arrived for some Guatemala sailfishing. Splitting time between Aquardiente and Fortuna they raised 55 sailfish and released 31. They also caught 1 350 lb. Blue marlin and 5 dorado.

Jan 7 - 11 Murat Iyriboz, his Turkish TV crew, and clients arrived at Pacific Fins. Joining Murat were Enver Eren, Gokhan Carmikhl, Olcay Argun, Mete Toner, Turan Mutlu, and Yagmur Dogan. Fishing on Gypsy and Maverick they raised 91 sailfish and released 57 on light tackle. They also caught TWO 450 lb. Black marlin and 2 dorado.

Jan 1 - 3 Tim Moody and Michele Jebeles arrived for 3 days fishing.
Aboard Gypsy they raised 26 sailfish and released 16 conventional. They also caught 2 dorado and raised 1 Marlin.

The Castillo group raised 7 sailfish and released 4 conventional on Jan 1. They also caught 1 25 lb dorado.

For additional information www.pacificfins.com.gt

IRELAND: Pike to 17lb 8oz for anglers on Blessington

Josie Mahon, Fisheries Inspector, was recently fishing at Blessington with colleagues from IFI. It was a bright January day and though the fishing was generally quiet Josie soon had reason to be high spirits. Fishing a mackerel deadbait she had a good run which turned into a powerful, dogged opponent. After an exciting tussle the fish was finally banked and weighed at 17lb 8oz. After a quick photo the fish was swiftly returned none the worse.



http://fishinginireland.info

IGFA: January 2012 Hot Cathces

The new year begins with eight hot new catches from around the world! A striped bass in New Jersey, USA leads this month's IGFA report, followed by more great catches from Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Japan, Panama, and California and Wyoming, USA. Many of these potential record-breaking fish are still in the water waiting for the next angler; five of January's featured fish were released alive and unharmed, and three were submitted for All-Tackle Length record consideration.

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 lb 12 oz) monster that he landed in 25 minutes after it hit the strip bait he was drifting with guide Jonathan Ebanks, and current record holder Charles Ebanks, whose current record stands at 72.89 kg (160 lb 11 oz).

Angler Maureen Klause of Ocean City, NJ, USA landed a striped bass (Morone saxatilis) while fishing the Delaware Bay, NJ, USA with Capt. Ricky Wheeler on Dec. 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 Length record fish for the necessary photos and measurements before releasing it alive. The current IGFA record is 89 cm.

Brazilian angler Fabricio Bigua was fishing Serra da Mesa Lake, Brazil with guide Fabricio B. de Camargos on Nov. 12, 2011 when he landed a potential All-Tackle record blue peacock (Cichla piquiti). Bigua was casting a Tmakatsu-Trainao lure when this 4.54 kg (10 lb 0 oz) fish hit. After a quick five mintue fight, Bigua was able to photograph, weigh, measure and release the fish alive. The current IGFA record is 4.02 kg (8 lb 13 oz).

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. The current IGFA record is 107 cm and is held by Estradere’s guide, Olivier Charpentier.

Far from his home in Thayne, Wyoming, USA, angler Doug Bull landed the potential men’s 10 kg (20 lb) line class great barracuda (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).

Angler Bob Gaines of Irvine, California, USA, landed a massive 111 cm Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) on Dec. 15, 2011 while fly casting on the Smith River, 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 in the boat. As with all potential 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.

On Nov. 11, 2011, Japanese angler Norifumi Yamamoto traveled from his hometown of Wakayama to fish the shoreline of Kushimoto, Japan in search of Japanese seabass (Suzuki) (Lateolabrax japonicus). Yamamoto was not disappointed, as he landed this impressive 8.65 kg (19 lb 1 oz) Suzuki while casting a Daiwa shiner. After a 25 minute battle from shore, Yamamoto had landed the potential new men’s 04 kg (8 lb) line class record. The current IGFA record is 8.25 kg (18 lb 3 oz).

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, Canada on Nov. 21, 2011. After a 15 minute fight, Tronel-Peyroz and guide Mary Thorpe quickly weighed the 18.63 kg (41 lb 1 oz) musky and released it alive. With the current record standing at 12.92 kg (28 lb 8 oz), Lalie’s fish easily qualifies for the potential new Female Junior record



www.igfa.org

ECUADOR: January 2012 marlin fishing report

La Niña effects have carried over into 2012 but signs are showing it may be slowing down. While fishing has not been as good as it should be at this point in a “normal” season it hasn't been terrible either. Boats out Salinas, Manta and Galapagos are reporting seeing and raising more numbers of marlin. The tuna fishing in Galapagos has been outstanding! The rains produced by warming water temperatures are not present in Ecuador yet. However rains coming from the Amazon basin have started and this should flush nutrients that will eventually bring more baitfish in a few weeks as well as larger predators. Water temperature has warmed up along the coast of Ecuador. Galapagos is still lagging behind averaging 74 F in most of the known marlin banks. As more of our boats head out we will have continuous reports coming in the next 6 months of our high fishing season.

San Cristobal,Galapagos Islands.

A mixture of rain and dirty green water began to cover most of the fishing areas near San Cristobal in January. This mix is probably the result of rainwater being pushed from mainland Ecuador as well as the Humboldt Current bringing nutrients from the South. This is not optimum for fishing but it usually does bring nutrients that eventually lead to the huge schools of sardines migrating to feed and spawn in Galapagos. Not far behind are usually the marlin! Waters have remained 73.5 to 74.3 F in most areas which is below what it should be for this time of the year.

January 8, 2012 Miguel, Lorena and Edmundo Armas along with their invited guest Micheal Ortega onboard the Big Fish headed out for Rosa Blanca to fish for tuna and striped marlin. While the stripeys were a no show the big eye tunas were on the bank and made for an exciting day catching tuna 35 to 50 lbs on light tackle. Seas were 3 foot average and water clarity was not the best.

January 9, 2012 again the same group of anglers headed to MacGowen Reef on the BIg Fish to try their luck at tunas and wahoo. The managed to catch enough tuna to eat and released over a dozen more big eyes averaging 30 lbs.

Jan 11, 2012 the Armas family and Michael Ortega headed out for Black Sheep Bank onboard the Big Fish. It was not long after they arrived that they began raising striped marlin. Miguel Armas went 2 for 4 bites and Michael Ortega still learning the art of hooking marlin went 0 for 4. There were schools of sardines present on the monitor and the seas were almost flat calm. Water color was clear. By the end of the fishing day they had raised 10 stripeys, had 8 bite and released 2. One of the stripeys was considered to be over 300lbs before it broke the line due to angler reported error or bird´s nest.

Jan 12, 2012 the Armas returned to Black Sheep only to find the water was green and murky. Currents had changed overnight and the bait was not there. The only fish caught was a dorado of around 20lbs. Calling it an early day they ran back to Punta Pitt to finish the day of with some tuna and wahoo fishing.

Jan 13, 2012 The Patricia captain by Yury Gutierrez Jr. reported fishing Bank 0-30 and raising 4 striped marlin and a very large blue estimated over 800 lbs which did not eat. The stripeys also refused baits and were very finicky. 10 big eyes averaging 40 lbs were caught

www.ecuagringo.com

THAILAND: Monster Mekong Catfish

Probably the biggest catfish ever caught by rod and reel. Here the story:
A retired naval officer landed an 18-stone fish using a tiny piece of sweetcorn as bait on a fishing trip.
Welshman David Kent, 54, battled the monstrous catfish for an hour while on holiday in Thailand with his wife Isabel.
David, of Tenby, had not caught anything in the lake in Krabi (Thailand) all day when the Giant Mekong Catfish had a nibble.

The species, which is threatened with extinction, holds the record for the largest freshwater fish in the world and has been seen to grow as large as 660lbs, or 300kg.
David’s, which was more than 7ft long, weighed a mere 260lbs – or 18-and-a-half stone.
David said: “The fish must have been hungry because it went for a tiny piece of corn.


“It was a good fight and at one point I had to get into the lake to keep up with it.“But after 55 minutes I managed to bring it towards the bank and into my net.”It took David and two men to support the creature for a photograph to prove it was not just another fishy tale.
Isabel, 51, missed the drama because she was sunning herself alongside an infinity pool at the couple’s hotel in the Krabi, Southern Thailand.
And the specimen fish will live to fight another day.
After being weighed and photographed it was gently returned to the water.



www.gillhamsfishingresorts.com

USA: Mako shark attacks a sailfish

A Sport Fishing Magazine has recently posted this amazing photo in one of its forum threads. The photo shows a shark that is breaching the water’s surface with a sailfish (Istiophorus spp.) in its mouth. The shark species is said to be either a mako or a great white shark. I would say it’s a mako shark.

USA: New walleye Illinois record

One of Illinois’ longest-standing fishing records was recently broken by a 15-year-old angler who caught a walleye weighing in at 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
Nick Tassoni of Rockford, Ill., started his fishing trip on the Pecatonica River with his father, Dave, at 5:30 a.m. Saturday. The two spent most of the cold January day trolling around the river for walleye.

www.outdoorlife.com

IRELAND: Biggest shark of last decade

The British media is saying this is the largest fish ever caught on rod and line in the waters of the British Isles. And it was caught by a 70-year old Swiss pensioner. It took Joe Waldis 35 minutes of almighty struggle to bring the 12’ 9” bluntnose six-gill shark to the side of his boat off the coast of County Clare in south-west Ireland, after it took his mackerel bait. This decisively smashes the record for the heaviest rod-caught fish in British or Irish waters, overtaking a 968 lb. bluefin tuna caught in 2001 (also off Ireland), and is more than double the weight of the heaviest rod-caught fish within the UK, a porbeagle shark of 507 lbs. taken off Orkney in 1993.

CHINA: Mysterious monster fish caught

In the morning of January 3, at a reservoir in Zhejiang, China, fishermen caught a big fish, which was 1.92m in length and weighing 104 kg (229 lb)! According to the fisherman who caught it, it’s the biggest fish he had ever seen in the past 60 years. It could be a black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)  http://amazingdata.com 

CANADA: 911 lb Bluefin Tuna World Record approved

New Zealand’s Eryn Jacobsen definitely had a goal in mind coming to Nova Scotia (Canada) with her fishing gear in hand.
Having already broken 10 big game fishing world records, Jacobson set her sights on the bluefin tuna and record number 11.
At around 2:10 p.m. Sept. 28, she returned to the wharf at Ballantyne’s Cove with a 911 pound catch.
Mission complete.
“Just fantastic, I’m blown away,” an ecstatic Jacobsen said as she climbed out of Zappa 1, the charter boat used for her record setting catch.
Jacobsen’s record is the women’s world record for largest tuna using a 50 pound test (24 kilogram) line. She obliterated the previous record of 518 pound set back in 1950.
Jacobsen received confirmation and congratulations from the Guinness records personnel shortly after the fish was officially weighed and recorded.

MEXICO: Picante Bluewater Sportfishing | Cabo Fishing Report

Daily Fishing Report: 
With the Striped Marlin bite continuing to improve our guys found the fish on the last day of the year. An impressive 28 Striped Marlin were released by the Picante fleet. In addition the in shore bite is picking up with lots of Sierra Mackerel & Red Snapper being caught. Our boat of the day is our fast 32' Cabo Express "Picante Express" with Captain Antonio "Nino" Romero at the helm. The Dobbs family had a day they won't soon forget releasing 4 Striped Marlin.
Total Daily Catch: 28 Striped Marlin, 4 Yellowfin Tuna, 15 Red Snapper, 7 Sierra Mackerel & 3 Dorado
Hotspots: Golden Gate Bank and inside from the Lighthouse to Migrino
Today's Top Boat: Picante Express
Captain: Antonio "Nino" Romero
Angler: The Dobbs Family

www.picantesportfishing.com

USA FLORIDA: massive tiger shark caught

LMR Tackle is reporting about the capture of a huge tiger shark in the Miami area.
According to the fishing report published on their website (date: 22nd November 2011), the tiger shark, which measured over 15 feet in length and weighed over half a ton, was caught by the charter boat ‘Striker-1′ in about 100 feet of water. The captain of this vessel is Mark ‘The Shark’ Quartiano.
The killing of this specimen might represent the last legal retention of a monster-sized tiger shark in the long history of sport-fishing in the state of Florida.
A few weeks ago, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has decided to prohibit the harvest of tiger sharks from state waters. The new measure also protects three species of hammerhead sharks and will go into effect on 1st January 2012
http://sharkyear.com

THAILAND: home of giant Siamese Carp

A claim has been made that the world's biggest carp has been caught in Thailand by a local fisherman named Kik. Kik, who works as a guide for mainly European sportsmen, said the monster carp was caught caught on a homemade rod and was too heavy for the angler's scales.
Kik belongs to the Jean-Francois Helias' Fishing Adventures team and was trying to catch a Mekong catfish.
Instead he hooked the Siamese Giant Carp, or Catlocarpio siamensis, which was one of five giant carp put into the lake 23 years ago. 
Since then, only one other has been caught but anglers will now surely be drawn to the Bung Sam Lan Lake to try and land one of the "biggies". Jean-Francois Helias said: "Kik was guiding an American client at the lake and took with him his own custom built rod. "He was planning to hook and play a Mekong giant catfish to test the rod. "But he hooked the catch of a lifetime that some anglers would sell their soul to the devil for. "The Siamese Giant Carp we estimated at weighing just over 120kg or 265 pounds. She may be a tiny bit bigger but to say 120kg is fine with us. 
"It is the biggest carp ever caught on rod and line in the history of sport fishing.
"It was a difficult fish to picture because it was so big and we had to call for help. And the fish kept slapping people with its tail. "It was raining heavily, but we managed to get it photographed."

www.anglingthailand.com

IRELAND: ISFC Annual Reports

This year (2011) the ISFC  (Irish Specimen Fish Cometee)  ratified almost 600 claims and four new Irish records were created. These figures compare favourably with
data for previous years.

In 2011 the ISFC received 674 claims; 587 were ratified, including four new records.
A total of 15 were rejected for non-compliance with the rules and a further 72 will be
queried further.


www.irish-trophy-fish.com