THAILAND: world record Catla Catla carp caught

To catch a Catla carp of a big size does not happen everyday. Last time we had a few good catches was at Ratchaburi lake around 2009. That very month, I set a first entry in the IGFA records list with a catch of a 15.17 kg fish. Three clients of us had also such a rare catch; each one in the 14.00 kilos mark. Since we had no capture.

It is obvious - at least for Ratchaburi - they bite best during the fresh season (December/January).  

This year, the Catla are again in a frenzy. Yesterday Dec. 29, we had 3 Catla carp catches: two over 14 kg, and a 18.77 kg currently pending homologation for the IGFA All Tackle record. To have caught three of them on the same day was truly amazing. It had never happened before.  

This morning Dec. 30, I had the chance to land a 4th one over 13.00 kilos.

Jean-Francois Helias
IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award
238 IGFA World Records       
www.anglingthailand.com       

CANADA: Huge sturgeon on Fraser River

Thomas Storch Jensen and Kim Hammerstrom were ready for yet another trip targeting Fraser River's huge sturgeon, but their expectations took a serious dip, when they were met with reports of difficult fishing upon their arrival to Chilliwack, Brithis Columbia - Canada- 

 However neither the Danish Vikings, the guide Yves nor the big fish took this too literally, and incredibly they managed to land 24 sturgeons on the first fishing day in the tributary Harrison River. That was the guide's best day ever on Harrison River! And the crazy fishing continued over the next two days, where numerous and large fish took their bait. On the fourth day fishing was tougher, but no tougher than Thomas and Kim landing the second biggest fish so far of the trip - 219 cm, while they also foul-hooked a couple of monsters up to 250 cm! One may still wonder how it is possible to foul-hook a fish on a bottom rig, but sturgeon have a habit of swimming towards the bottom when foraging, so it does happen. And a 250 cm sturgeon swimming sideways in the current must be hard work!

 In total the two doughty fishermen landed 65 sturgeon on the first four fishing days, so one does indeed understand Thomas writing to us from Canada: 'Kim and I are in fishing heaven!' Ten of the fish were over 6 feet, i.e. 180 cm, so it is likely that the second half of the trip started out with some very sore arms... The six largest sturgeon were between 200 and 220 cm. Tough fishing is apparently in the eye of the beholder. What a score; we look forward to hearing about the end result for all seven fishing days in BC.

www.getawaytours.eu

USA TEXAS: 37.2-pound catfish in Lake Worth

Two days after Lake Worth's record blue catfish was caught, a 6-year-old boy became the lake's new junior certified record holder with a 37.2-pounder.

Michael Jesse Littlejohn is barely bigger than the 40-inch fish he pulled in Wednesday, said his dad, Michael Littlejohn.

The catch marked the end of a day of fishing that saw the boy bring in gradually larger cats each time one hit his gizzard shad bait.

"We immediately got on the fish, and Michael Jesse soon landed an 18.5-pound blue cat," his father said.

A 21.5-pounder came next, followed by a 23.1-pound cat. About 25 minutes later, the record-breaker struck, Michael Littlejohn said.

"He fought the fish for a solid eight minutes, and Dad got him in the net," he said.

Adding to the excitement, Michael Littlejohn's girlfriend, Teri Sivils, got a fish on at the same time and reeled in a 33.5-pound blue cat.
www.star-telegram.com

USA: Illinois muski record of the year?

Ryan Stochl landed a muskie big enough to spook his 3-year-old on Oct. 30 — and eventually to earn Fish of the Year honors and inspire thoughts about records.

On seeing the 503/4-inch muskie with a girth of 23 inches Stochl caught from the Chain O’Lakes, district fisheries biologist Frank Jakubicek estimated her weight at 37.33 pounds from a conversion table.

He then quipped, ‘‘The Chain’s going to hold the state record shortly!’’
Stochl’s muskie was in that range. Matt Carmean caught the Illinois record — 38.5 pounds — on April 20, 2002, from the Kaskaskia River below the Lake Shelbyville dam. His muskie was also 503/4 inches.

‘‘I knew it would be close,’’ said Stochl, a substitute teacher and stay-at-home dad from Fox Lake. ‘‘I didn’t think it was worth the risk, but I did think about [getting it certified]. You know how fishing goes. They are not much different than politicians.’’

Because the fish deserved documenting, he put it in the 60-inch live well on his Tuffy boat. He then called his wife, Amanda, who was running errands with their son, Lincoln. They met at a dock. She took wonderful photos. Stochl hoped to have their son in the photos, but the big fish spooked him.
www.suntimes.com

RUSSIA: Kola Peninsula Umba River season report

Looking back on Umba 2011, the weekly number of big salmon logged in the books was really high and clearly indicates that we are on the right track with our long termed conservation plans for Umba. Our June weeks turned out really good both in numbers and size, and many of our guests managed to land there magic Twenty pounder Salmon.
In the six-week period from mid August until first of October we caught 71 Salmon between 15 Lbs and 19 Lbs and 45 Salmon between 20 Lbs and 30 Lbs – Every week during the entire season we were able to celebrate new members in our Twenty Pounds Club, and we even managed to recruit several “Double Members” and "Triple Members" to our exclusive club. TThis required of course many celebrations in vodka and a few hangovers the following day. sj@salmonjunkies.com

SCOTLAND: Record Atlantic Salmon landed

Sam Valentine netted a top award for this mammoth catch when he caught the biggest salmon in Scotland in a fishing competition.
The joiner, from Clayton-le-Woods, caught the 34.5lb whopper in the River Nith, near Dumfries.
And after safely returning the slippery fellow, Sam was handed Scotland’s most prestigious angling honour, the Savills Malloch Trophy, for his haul.
The trophy is awarded to the person who records the largest salmon caught on the fly “in a sportsmanlike manner” and returns it unharmed.
Sam said: “In 27 years of fly-fishing it has always been my ambition to catch a salmon of over 20lb.
“This ambition was well and truly achieved!
“I saw something huge breaking the surface of the water.
“It appeared almost like the back of a seal. Two casts later my line just stopped.
At first the fish seemed unaware that it was hooked.
“Then it took off and I had an epic battle of 45 minutes before eventually we were able to land it.
“After quickly weighing it, we returned it to the water and with a flash of the tail it swam off very strongly.”
Sam’s mammoth salmon was cast as the winner out of nine possible contenders at the Savills Malloch Trophy Committee meeting last week.
His entry, which fulfilled the relevant criteria including best evidence and careful handling, was after lengthy consideration endorsed as the winner for 2011. www.lep.co.uk

USA: Record Catfish on Lake Worth, Texas

The Lake Worth catfish record fell on Monday when 24-year-olds Tim McKneely and Mark Alexander hauled in this 72-pound blue catfish.
The massive fish broke the standing record, which was only 55 pounds, according to the Star-Telegram.
McKneely and Alexander were using shad on 65-pound test when the new record hit. After taking photos, they released the fish back into the lake. The Texas record is a 121.5-pound fish caught in Lake Texoma.

www.gofishn.com

ARGENTINA: Three-Eyed Fish Caught In Argentinian Lake

Last week Julian Zmutt caught a three-eyed fish reminiscent of Blinky the fish from a 1990 episode of The Simpsons entitled "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish." That long ago episode focused on Bart catching the unusual fish downstream from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.

In a scary coincidence, Zmutt landed his freaky mutation in an Argentinian lake where hot water from a nearby nuclear facility is pumped reports treehugger.com. Zmutt told media outlets that he didn’t notice the fish’s third eye until well after catching it. “As it was dark at that time we did not notice,” Zmutt said. “But then you looked at him with a flashlight and saw that he had a third eye.”

GUATEMALA: Hot action with Brad Philips

The action has been hot off Guatemala!! Up to 6 blues raised to a boat three days back withe evryone in the mix. We released 17 sailfish from 24 bites yesterday and 21 from 38 bites today. The current is pushing good water inshore and what looks like loads of sailfish on the way. We have a few days open prior to Christmas so come on down.....it's gonna get real good in the next little while!!!

Capt. Brad Philipps
www.guatbilladv.com
info@guatbilladv.com

ITALY: World record size pike caught!

This incredible world record size northern pike weighed in at 52 pounds (24kg) – just a few pounds shy of the world record pike! This is the kind of pike I dream about at night! All these fishes were caught in Italy on a belly boat. All fishes were released after the shot by angler Maurizio Rossini.

Here the Youtube video image collection of the big Italian monster northern pike!

ALASKA: Biggest halibut of the year

With her busy work schedule, Annette Gutierrez doesn’t get many free days. She works 12-hour days, seven days a week.

“We had a few days off and we almost never have days off so we decided to go fishing,” Gutierrez told the Fairbanks News-Miner.

Gutierrez had never gone fishing in her life. Not once, even though when she’s not working in Alaska she hails from the tiny southwestern New Mexico town of Gila, on the banks of the Gila River.

But that didn’t faze the fortunate 47-year-old first-timer, who caught a 335.7-pound halibut on July 2 that will likely win her the $15,000 top prize in the 2011 Valdez Halibut Derby.

Gutierrez joined her fiance, Steve Perkins, who works the same schedule as a heavy equipment operator, for a day on the water with Perkins’ hunting buddy, Mike Chambers, who owns a boat.

What the novice angler did was catch the second-biggest halibut ever caught in the 25-year history of the famous flatfish derby—discounting the 363.4-pounder that was disqualified last year because the angler who caught it, George Levasseur, had help reeling it in, a rule that has since been changed.

Gutierrez’s fish measured 87.5 inches in length, almost two feet taller than the 5-foot, 6-inch angler who hooked it. It weighed a whopping 142.3 pounds more than the fish it replaced atop the derby leader board.

“Oh my God, it was huge,” she said. “It was insane to get such a very big fish my first time.”

SPAIN: huge albino wels catfish

Great Britain’s The Sun newspaper reports that last week Chris Grimmer (left) landed the largest albino catfish ever (the paper cleverly nicknamed the monster Fin Kong). He caught the freak fish on the River Ebro in Spain. Who knew there was such a category? Albino catfish? Really? 

Grimmer’s spooky cat was 8 feet long and weighed 194 pounds. Grimmer told reporters that his 30-minute fight with the fish “was like trying to reel in a bus. I could hardly walk afterwards, but it was worth it."

   

I’m guessing he said “bus” because that catfish looks like a yellow school bus and not an albino. But then again, I didn’t know there was a category for pigment challenged fish in the first place, so what do I know?  

ICELAND: Angler's Record Halibut 485 pounds

This halibut, which tipped the scales at 485 pounds, is the largest ever caught by a sea angler.

Warning: The following contains place names that will be unpronounceable to most readers.  In fact, the author can’t pronounce them.

   

It was confirmed this week that a halibut caught by German angler Gunther Hansel off Bolungarvík in the West Fjords of Iceland in August is officially the largest halibut ever caught by a sea angler.

Hansel’s monster measured 2.5 meters (about 8.2 feet) and weighed almost 220 kilos (about 485 pounds). The previous record holders were Bosse Carlsson and Hans-Olov Nilsson, who took their 210 kilo (around 462 pounds) halibut off the coast of Norway in 2009.

   

The 70-year-old Hansel reportedly battled his catch for some two hours before bringing it on board with the help of five other men.

At the time, most of the crew of the chartered Jasmine ÍS-431 believed the fish to be the biggest taken in Iceland waters if not the world but their suspicion went unverified until this week. Hansel sold his catch for more than ISK 450,000 (USD 3,900) upon hitting the dock. He split the money with his friends on the boat.

www.outdoorlife.com

IGFA Hot Catches December 2011

What a month for breaking records! This month’s report shares the fish that may break a 13 year old standing record from France; the third All-Tackle record for a species set by the same man; and potential records for two of the most popular fresh and salt water species - northern pike and Atlantic sailfish. These catches in Angola, Argentina, Canada, Ecuador, France, Mexico and in Florida, USA are currently being reviewed by the IGFA World Record committee, and if approved will set a new bar for anglers around the world.

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 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, NJ, USA 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 this 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 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 Avon River.

Four-time tippet class record holder Kate Burke, of Tavernier, FL, USA, landed another potential record for a new (for her) species on October 21, 2011. With three tripletail and one Spanish mackerel records in the past two years, the 19.42kg (42 lb 13oz) cobia (Rachycentron canadum) she caught while fishing Lanark Village, Florida, USA with local captain W. Camp Walker would bring her 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 lb) tippet class record. The current IGFA record is 14.74 kg (32 lb 8 oz).

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 lb) line class record for Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). Weighing in at a whopping 60.9 kg (134 lb 4 oz), Moran needed one hour to best this potential record sail after it ate the skirted ballyhoo being trolled for bait. The current IGFA record is 55.2 kg (121 lb 11 oz) and was set by fellow Luandan Hakan Ekberg in February of 1996.

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 record for the men’s 2 kg (4 lb) line class for European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Fourrier needed 22 minutes to land the 6.16 kg (13 lb 9 oz) fish after it ate the Jackall Dart he was casting. The current IGFA record is 5.99 kg (13 lb 3 oz) and if approved, this will be Fourrier’s first fishing 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, CA, USA, challenged his own standing record for the species with a 11.2 kg (24 lb 11 oz) 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 lb 12 oz) and was set by Dr. Bogen in the same waters in March of 2008 – and before that with a 5.32 kg (11 lb 12 oz) catch in February of 2006.

Guayquil, Ecuador is well known for producing quality IGFA records for broomtail grouper, and more records for this species coming 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 lb 8 oz) Pacific snook (Centropomus spp.) in only 10 minutes to qualify for the potential new women’s 2 kg (4 lb) line class record. The current IGFA line-class record is vacant, but if approved, de Sola’s record will be the fifth world record set for the species this year.

www.igfa.org

ECUADOR: Manta Marlin Fishing Report December

The color of the water has remained dark blue and temperature has been a constant 73 F average. Winds have calmed down greatly making most days a very nice ride. Boats have been experiencing 2 to 8 striped marlin raises per day on average and a blue about every other day. Local artisanal fishermen troll on their 28 foot skiffs at 13-15 knots with teasers and switching to baits when the marlin show up. They have reported catching two granders in the last week. Exact details are not clear but this is a common occurrence as these people fish almost everyday and cover lots of ground. The international market price of marlin is higher than ever which sadly puts a demand on these wonderful fish. If you are thinking about fishing Manta don't hesitate to book.

The bite has not been as strong as it was last year but it has still been quite reliable.

info@ecuagringo.com

IGFA: 2012 edition of World Record Game Fishes

The most anticipated book of the sport fishing world is on its way! The 2012 edition of the IGFA's annual World Record Game Fishes book is due in mailboxes in early January and contains articles for the technique-minded, nostalgic, and record-seeking angler alike. This year's reference book offers new ideas for spinning tackle and big game fly methods, destination essays, a bit from the bosses of bass, a conservation update and of course - the revered review of records.

First, Alistair McGlashan talks nuts and bolts in Big Game Tactics with Spinning Tackle. Alongside Jerry Gibbs' No-Fail Billfish on Fly: Heavy Lifting Techniques, this year's publication will keep big game fans busy no matter their gear. The IGFA also takes an in-depth look at the research being done - and the need for more - to protect one of the most prized big game species, marlin, in IGFA Great Marlin Race: The Race is On!

But never fear, freshwater enthusiasts, this year's book offers plenty more than bluewater pieces. Pat Ford's exotic Chilean Patagonia: Puma Lodge, Yelcho Watershed offers a beautiful photo essay on a remote and world-class South American fishery. In Bass Brothers: Faces of the IGFA Hall of Fame, IGFA Hall of Fame honoree Mark Sosin interviews some of the biggest names in bass fishing history, including Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, Roland Martin, Johnny Morris and Ray Scott.

For those who live for the adventure of fishing in new locales, Matt Harris' Five Places to Fish Before You Die chronicles some of the most breath-taking destinations on the planet, along with essays describing his catches in each. IGFA Expedition: Costa Rica - The Zancudo Lodge focuses on one particular destination with more than 70 world records to its name, and to which the IGFA will be trekking later in 2012.

But finally, for die hard anglers of every persuasion, the back half of World Record Game Fishes is devoted completely to records. The top ten men, women, juniors, species, tackle and more are all covered, as well as every slam achieved and every record standing at the time of publication. This year's record printing will see the first time the striped bass record has been updated in 29 years and the debut of the massive 120 kg (262 lb 8 oz) convict grouper caught in Japan. Along with hundreds of other catches, these are what make the World Record Game Fishes book so coveted - it's all about the fishing.

www.igfa.org

AUSTRALIA: Black Marlin travels over 1200 miles in less than 1/2 a year!

Recapture of BF410578- On December 22nd, 2008 this black marlin was tagged off of the Gold Coast of Australia aboard the boat "Lucky Strike" by angler Nick Burke and Captain Ross McCubbin. Twenty minutes after hooking up to this black marlin on an artificial bait, the black marlin was estimated to be 60 inches long and weigh 65 pounds and the fish was tagged and released in excellent condition. On June 9, 2009 and after 169 days at large, this black marlin was recaptured off of Alotau, Papua New Guinea where it had grown to a length of 63 inches and had traveled more than 1200 miles from its original tagging location!! Check out the track of this amazing migration!

TBF hopes you all enjoy seeing where some of our tagged billfish have gone. TBF will now will be releasing periodic posts of our recapture track maps throughout the year on Facebook and here on our website. Please make sure you are Fan of TBF on Facebook. If you have any questions please let us know and keep on tagging! We would love to see and hear more of your tagging stories, contact us.

*please note the "push pin" is where the billfish was originally tagged and the "fishing icon" is where billfish was recaptured.

The Billfish Foundation:http://billfish.org

GUATEMALA: Casa Veja December report

2 & 3 Dec – The ILTTA winds down their 4 day fishing extravaganza with tremendous results:

If you were wondering were to catch a Pacific Sailfish, you may want to remember to add Guatemala to your list. 30 Boats fished all four days of this Tournament to release 1,169 Sailfish. That is a 39 fish average per boat!

This was a very tight Tournament with only one fish separating 1st (Canazo) and 2nd Place (Spindrift) in the boat division and there was a tie in the Angler Division with Carlos Barnes and Ricky Jaen both releasing 24 Sailfish.

BOAT FINAL
1st – Canazo – 54 Sailfish
2nd – Spindrift – 53 Sailfish
3rd – Release – 52 Sailfish
10th – Intensity – 44 Sailfish
16th – Makaira – 40 Sailfish
25th – Captain Hook – 27 Sailfish
26th – Rum Line – 22 Sailfish

TEAM FINAL
1st – Puerto Rico Light Tackle – 59 Sailfish
2nd – Guatemala 5 – 52 Sailfish
3rd – Guatemala 6 – 52 Sailfish

ANGLER FINAL
1st – Carlos Barnes – 24 Sailfish
2nd – Ricky Jaen – 24 Sailfish
 3rd – Rafael Martinez – 21 Sailfish 


www.casaviejalodge.com

BOTSWANA: Okawango fishing report

With the unusually high water flowing through the Okavango this season, the ubiquitous catfish runs took a while to get going. However, any shortfalls in September were certainly made up for in November.

The unseasonably high flow regime encountered during the early days of September became a highly contentious debate amongst those who frequent the lodges, camps and bars of the Okavango’s Panhandle. The main concern among the fluff chucking brigade – simply put – was that the high water was not conducive to fly fishing. Another concern was that the catfish runs would remain scattered throughout the inaccessible backwater channels. As with most things in life, the symmetry of nature’s balancing remains impressive. Towards the end of the season – when the catfish runs showed no sign of slowing down – we realized that a meager start was balanced out by a grand finale!  The old age adage of swings and roundabouts has never rung truer. The catfish phenomenon continued well into November and Tourette Fishing guests were treated to an epic run right in front of camp in the last week of the season!  This is an exceptional occurrence as these runs are usually well past Nxamaseri by mid November!

With the high water temperature from early to mid-November, the tigerfish surface feeding frenzies became a daily spectacle. During the early days of November, Richard, Malcolm and Peter experienced several afternoons of pure top water madness. Fishing downstream of the island through an area we call the flats, we experienced some of the most frenetic feeding frenzies of the season. The scene which unfolded before us, will remain deeply etched in the minds of all those who witnessed it. Shoals of various fish – mostly juvenile bream and silver catfish – were flushed from the reeds by a writhing mass of voracious catfish. The sight of several hundred – occasionally several thousand- catfish feeding in unison is a spectacle which would impress anyone.

The catfish run itself is a natural phenomenon which everyone – be they a fisher, aspiring naturalist or simply an outdoors person – should witness during their lifetime.

If the sight of big tigers smashing through shoals of fleeing baitfish doesn’t get your adrenaline pulsing through your system then nothing will. To remain calm and collected during a feeding frenzy requires an uncommon degree of discipline. All those skills one has learnt and meticulously honed over the years seem to be no use whatsoever and even the fishing die-hards seem to fumble and fall apart! In short, it becomes unadulterated chaos. Blistered fingers, sore arms, broken fly lines and bent hooks are merely part of what the Okavango tigerfish experience is all about.

Anyway, back to the action. After positioning ourselves upstream and slightly ahead of the run we managed several nice tigerfish up to 7 pounds. As the afternoon wore on, the feeding action intensified. At one point the sound of the feeding catfish was so impressive that we found ourselves shouting across the boat. As the run built up to a crescendo we noticed a plethora of baitfish were being driven out into the open water and were attempting to reach the sanctuary of the reeds on the opposite bank.  This is when the adrenaline spiked to unprecedented heights. As per usual, we concentrated our efforts close to the feeding catfish, however the larger tigerfish appeared to have lost interest in the catfish run and were now feeding out in the mid-channel several hundred yards downstream. At first it appeared that the feeding frenzies were haphazard, occurring randomly throughout the open water areas downstream of the actual run. Then we noticed that the fleeing ‘fodder fish’ running the gauntlet to the opposite bank were being swept downstream in a wide parabolic arc. The tigerfish quickly figured out where to hold station and let the food come to them. This was fast food at a whole new level. As soon as we figured out that there was in fact a clear feeding pattern, we immediately moved into position close to the opposite bank where most of the surface carnage appeared to be taking place. The result was an instantaneous success and culminated in both Richard and Keith remaining continuously connected to big tigerfish for the good part of an hour. Sipping well deserved sundowners and pleasantly exhausted, we took a moment to appreciate the success of our fortuitous discovery. Everyone unanimously agreed that afternoon epitomized why we go to such great lengths to fish. Very often it is not about the actual catching of fish but more importantly the experiences and memories created while we do it.

All in all the 2011 Okavango season was a huge success with a record number of double figure fish up to 16 lb landed!! According to Lionel Song, this is by far the most double figure fish landed in one season. Furthermore, the abundance of 7-9 pound fish encountered in the Okavango this past season suggests that next year has all the makings of a great season to come.

www.tourettefishing.com

CONGO: more about Goliath Tigerfish

One of the most feared predators lurking in the freshwaters of the Congo river in south Africa. Is the Goliath Tiger Fish. The two most common species and probably most recognizable in South Africa are the Goliath Tiger- Hydrocynus goliath- which tend to be the largest in the Cichlid family. These fish can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh almost 100 lbs! (45kg, for my people who use this unit of weight) That is one big fish! The Goliath Tiger Fish has a vicious reputation of traveling in packs, eating anything and everything in its path, dead or alive. It is one of the only freshwater fish that can effectively kill a predator its size, or even larger. The Goliath Tiger Fish is Africa's version of their South American counterparts, the Piranhas. They gain this reputation as their former are famous for their hunting techniques. They are territorial predators with gas chambers in their body, acting like sound receivers to detect vibrations. This enables them to detect any near by animals,and attack with rows of interlocking teeth, supported by a muscular body. Juvenile Goliath Tiger Fish are known to even attack large animals that stray too close to the waters edge. When an animal is named Goliath, you would imagine a fierce predator, with protruding rows of teeth, vivacious appetite for carcasses and anything it can get its jaws on. And you are correct! Actually, the Goliath Tiger Fish are known to attack any sick members inside the school of fish, and they are also isolated reports on attack of humans. The fish is not only a cannibal, but can also be classified as a potential man eater. The Tiger Fish is a member of the cichlid family of fish, with the differentiation amongst other members of the cichlid family being in its color, size, and overral ferociousness; the Goliath Tiger Fish being at the top of the group when it comes to size and pure viciousness, outclassing other African game fish in agility, speed, and power. Fisherman have a good dose of caution-and warranted respect for the Goliath Tigerfish, a monster so uniquely adapted to the Congo River and its environment, that it was recently described as an example of "evolution on steroids" by the National Geographic.