Here a fishing report from top fishing guide Jean Francois Helias from Thailand:
www.anglingthailand.com
"Richard Hart, a dedicated fly angler living in Orlando, Florida, has been a
faithful return client of ours for years. We’ve done together numerous trips
around Thailand, as well as two snakehead expeditions in the Malaysian jungle.
Being the dedicated fly angler he is, he deserves the numerous various fish
species catches he had on each of his past trips, including two big size giant
snakehead taken on the fly in the wild which are nothing but a supreme
achievement. Very few freshwater fly anglers worldwide can say they have
succeeded in that particular extreme challenge.
This year, he
arrived in Bangkok at the very end of August, with the intention to fish with us
as much as he could, this for three months, all over the country. One of his
main goals being to try breaking one of the current IGFA fly world records, and
if possible one from the snakehead spp. category; the giant snakehead being one
of his favorite fish targets. He got close to achieve that task for the 16lb
tippet class at the beginning of October but his capture was not big enough
though to retire the 5.40 kg existing record.
70 days after his
arrival in Thailand (almost half of it fly fishing), after a serious amount of
broken tippets and lost flies through his quest for a record, Richard’s
unequalled dedication got finally rewarded with one yesterday Nov. 6, 2013. End
of the afternoon at the Ratchaburi lake, he nailed on a silver deceiver an
alligator gar weighing 9.81 kg on our certified scales. It took him 30 minutes
to tame that toothy predator on a light 6 lb Rio tippet, on a G.Loomis
Streamdance 6 wt Cross Current coupled with a big size Tibor Billy Pate Tarpon
(so he could have plenty of backing to play any big fish).
Speaking about
Tibor reels, for the anecdote Richard is like me an unconditional Tibor reels
fan. We both love and respect the Ted Juracsik family with whom we have a great
relationship, and who have kindly supported us. Big up Ted and Marianne! The
only difference between Richard and I when it comes to fly rods is he uses both
brands G.Loomis and Sage. I personally use exclusively the Sage fly rods!
Once homologated,
that 9.81 kg Alligator Gar catch will retire the current 7.28 kg record which is
held ….by yours truly. As a pro guide, there is nothing as pleasing to me than
having the clients whom I’m guiding breaking my own records. I feel very good
about it for having done a good job.
It is the second
IGFA world record for Richard Hart, who previously held the all tackle record
for the eye-spot barb (hampala dispar). A record catch on conventional gear
which I also guided him to, in the wild in the northeast of Thailand. He is
returning to the USA at the end of November. Until then, he still has many more
days fishing with us this month. Who knows? With a bit of luck, he may get a hat
trick of records which I truly feel he would deserve big time for all the
efforts he is putting in his fishing quest."
Jean-Francois
Helias
IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award
IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award
268 IGFA World
Records
