CAPE VERDE: last report from Capt Zak Conde

Hello to all from the paradise of the atlantic blue marlin. 

sorry for the delay, but i had long days with lots of action and moving from island to island and spending nights on the mothership itoma for two days with john and his team.

16-04-2012 second day for john in sao nicolau island. 1 for 3, a 300lbs. we pull the hooks off one around 800lbs, a beautiful fish. nice conditions, but not so many around.

17-04-2012 zero, yes a day with no fish. sometimes its true - no fish today.

18-04-2012 0 for 1, pull the hooks off one around 500lbs.

19-04-2012 a great day and a bad day, 5 for 14 bites. our friend john had no luck on the pitch and on lures on his turn. its bad fishing, no luck this day. we hook up fish on bait and lures - 350, 300, 200, 400 and 275lbs. we lost two nice fish on this day. fishing out of sao vicente, fantastic weather and lots of action for all the fleet.

20-04-2012 another great day, 650, 550 and a 250lbs, all on lures. makaira and andy moyes lures have been doing all the work. they are fantastic lures.

21-04-2012 last day for john, bob and wendy. 2 for 2, a nice 600lbs and a 200lbs blue marlin. they had a great time again, john this time had not most luck but this is the way fishing goes. thank you to all for been again on this part of the world.

22-04-2012 welcome to our first time anglers from denmark, claus and his friends just started the best way with a fantastic day - 6 for 7, a 700, 600, 400, 350, 300 and a 250lbs. what a day, and we lost the biggest fish of the day just under the boat. two fish on baits the rest on lures. for the first time anglers they did an excellent work.

23-04-2012 another zero day after a fantastic day. all boats having a great time.

24-04-2012 2 for 3, another good day for amelia and the team. a 350 and a 300 lbs.

25-04-2012 the last day for our vikings - friends, a 600 and a 450 to finish four days of marlin fishing. fantastic job for our anglers.

thank you to all and hope to see you guys one day again at the cape verde or at the azores. 

tomorrow we will start with our long term friends, peter gurd and harry. we will move to sao nicolau for a couple of days. 

this season is full and next year we have four weeks left. last week of february, last one of june and the first two of july. if you like to fish on any of this dates its better to book now. 

regards to all

capt. zak conde  www.marlincapeverde.com

AUSTRALIA: one of the biggest mako shark ever landed

A monster mako shark dragged on to a boat by five stunned Victorian fishermen could be the biggest caught in Australia. But the amateur anglers cannot claim the record because they didn’t lure the big fish according to guidelines.Instead, the quintet of friends have been branded crazy for putting themselves in danger.
“They’re nuts. I would never do it. No bloody way in the world. They are killing machines,” he said.
Sean Heinemann and his crew admitted they were out of their depth when they hooked the biggest catch of their lives on Monday.
He said the 3.3m shark circled the boat and “eyed off” the crew during a tough two-hour fight about 4km south-east of Green Cape near Eden.
The shark was estimated to weigh between 450kg and 530kg.

Herald Sun

USA: Islamorada new sailfish record with 47 sailfish

Capt. Scott Stanczyk aboard the Catch 22 with mates Hunter and Gunner, along with the party from the UK, consisting of Bernie Forshaw, Roger Wikberg, Kevan Lee, and Steve Smith, combined for 47 sailfish releases on 4-25-12! The previous record at the marina was 24 releases, which was almost doubled today! Capt. Scott has been fishing over 30 years and this is a day that will go down in the history books. They weren't the only ones to have great fishing either. Capt. George on the Reel McCoy set his personal best as a captain today releasing 22 sailfish and keeping 2 cobias including a fat 56 lber! Capt. Nick Stanczyk on the BNM also set his personal best record as a Captain putting his anglers on 18 sailfish releases and keeping 3 cobias up to 36 lbs. These days are few and far between, and only a few lucky charters may experience something like this in their lifetime. CONGRATS!!! The last few days the reef fishing for yellowtail snapper has been pretty good, with quite a few nice fish over 2 lbs, and a couple over 4 lbs. The dolphin have been scarce the last couple days with the north wind, but hopefully will show back up when it swings back to the east. The amberjacks have been good too, which are always fun for a big pull.

 http://www.budnmarysblog.com/

Al happened during the 24th Baileys Harbor brown trout Tournament.  In what some are calling a single tournament record, two anglers brought in 31-plus-pound trout to the scales. In the end, Jim Dequaine took the more than $1,500 prize back for landing a 31.9-pound brown trout. This to the chagrin of Ryan Tanck who just missed the prize with his 31.2-pounder.
The tournament is to support the Baileys Harbor Community Association, and is held in the waters in Door and Kewanuee Counties in Wisconsin, including Washington Island, no more than 5 miles offshore in Lake Michigan.

www.baileysharbor.com

ARGENTINA: 22 lb rainbow from Jurassic Lake

Yesterday, while doing a video shoot on Jurassic Lake (lake Strobel), our head guide Juan Pablo Marcheletti caught in new waters this great female fish that measured 38 inches and weighted 24 pounds!

The good thing was that we could fish new waters for this video because we opened up a new trail to go with our atv´s! So now we guess this new area will become popular pretty fast!!! 

Estancia Laguna Verde

estancia_lagunaverde@hotmail.com

IRELAND: sea trout of Lough Currane

Lough Currane’s first specimen sea trout of the year was caught yesterday on the troll, by renowned local angler Mr. Jim Sayers. The fish weighed 3.970kg, so congratulations to Jim on a cracker of a sea trout and great to see Lough Currane keeping its reputation of the greatest sea trout fishery in Ireland.
Staying with the Sea Trout Mr. Mark Knowles of the UK, fishing with his Gillie Mr. Dominic McGillicuddy, caught a 2.5lbs on the fly which he sportingly put back. Wind NW fresh to strong with heavy Showers throughout the day.

Web: www.salmonandseatrout.com

ARGENTINA: report from Rio Grande

From Roxton: We understood from the guides and from Alejandro Menendez Behety that it was one of the best weeks La Villa has ever had; it was certainly the best that we have had! The six of us caught 104 fish in total, with 48 of those fish over 15 pounds, and 20 of the 48 over 20 pounds! Keith Howman had 2 fish over 20 pounds, my husband Mel Holzman had 3 over 20 pounds of which the largest were 24 and 25 pounds, Jean Howman had 5 fish over 20 pounds of which the largest were 26 and 27 pounds, and I was thrilled to have 4 fish over 20 pounds of which the largest was 29 pounds! Both of the other fisherman with us, Jack Meredith and William Hughes, had fish over 20 pounds as well.

www.roxtons.com

MEXICO: Cabo San Lucas Report

From Pisces Sportfishing: Marlin were about the only game in town this week and with few anglers and few boats going out, the catch rates hovered at sixty percent. The weather has not stabilized, meaning some days it would be baking hot, then the next breezy and fresh, which caused the water temperature to drop several degrees this week. Catches of striped marlin remained consistent up until the 19thk when they dropped considerably, with the only remarkable catch taking place on that day, for “Tracy Ann” who did remarkably well to release five striped marlin ranging in size from 100 to 150 lbs for John Staub, Ed Cain, John Courson, Mogen Smeel and Jack Matthews, a group of guys from Arizona, Texas, Illnois and Calgary. All of their marlin took bait, ballyhoo and jurelito between Cabeza de Ballena and Lands’ End, three and a half miles offshore. April 17th was a good day too, when “Bill Collector” released three at the 11.50 spot and Chileno for Charlie Keeny and Mike Weinsz from Canton, Ohio. This same day “Tracy Ann” had three at the 11.50 spot for Lance Kozak, Rick Mully and Rick Carson from Alberta, Canada. The only other boat with a triple fish day was “C Rod” on the 15th with three fish between 130 and 145 lbs also at the 11.50 spot for Guy Schweppe & Leah Poporich from Austin Texas. These fish took a combination of caballito and ballyhoo. David Wanderer & Brett Walker from Bozeman, Montana, were not far behind them though, as they released two striped marlin, one actually on a Petrolero lure, one of the only marlin caught on artificial bait this week and the other on live bait aboard “Attitude Adjustment”. Pisces anglers caught 28 striped marlin this week, with all but one released.
We caught just one dorado this week and no tuna. Inshore there were just a few roosters and sierra, but then again most boats were off in search of marlin so it’s not to say that there was no small game action. Up the Pacific coast a little we did hear of some boats doing well on yellowtail up to 35 lbs, which is great eating by the way.

www.piscessportfishing.com

GUATEMALA: last report from Casa Veja

Greetings from Guatemala…Yes, the fishing is off the hook here!!! 30 to 70 raises a day for sometime now on the Casa Vieja boats and a bunch of Blue Marlin thrown in the mix as well. I just got back from the Miami Boat Show and entertained the Kennedy group from Calgary, Canada aboard the Rum Line for a few days of fly-fishing. We raised 124 sails and got 61 of them to bite the chicken feathers. Here’s some highlights of the releases you definitely want to check out. If you’re not on your way down here, you need to be!!! See you soon!…and much more to come Chris Sheeder.

www.casaviejalodge.com

USA: new 66 lb NC striped bass record

Seventeen-year-old Tyler Shields of Murphy, North Carolina, thought he was fishing for largemouth bass when he visited Hiwassee Lake on March 31. What he boated instead was a 66-pound striped bass that shattered the state’s freshwater record—and topped by 2 pounds the North Carolina saltwater striper record as well.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: 800 pound tiger shark

In the Dominican Republic a Tiger shark ( Galeocerdo cuvier ) said to be ca. 800 pounds in weight was landed. According to the source, fishermen captured this specimenin the waters of Las Terrenas in the Samaná Province.

USA: 18.2-pound record largmouth bass

Dan Hoover landed an 18.2-pound fish, and, if certified, the fish should take the lake record from the current 17.375-pounder. “Perris is known for big bass, and has kicked out a lot of teen bass over the years on swimbaits and other big bait methods.”

RODRIGUES: fishing report from Rod Fishing Club

06 and 07 March  2012 - Black Marlin Team

Yann and his crew Steeve and Mario, and Sophie his sister, took advantage of a two days nice weather window (after several cyclonic depressions) in order to make a 34 hours  “tests” trip on the Eastern Bank. We wanted to test two new settings. Marlins’ Boulevard has honoured once again his reputation with a blue marlin of 120kg and some beautiful yellowfin tunas between 20 and 30 kg. Two more black marlins about 140 kg and 160 kg welcomed the arrival of the Black Marlin on the Bank. After quite a good night sleeping, at 7.30 AM, we embarked a fourth marlin of 120 kg. A fifth unhooked at 9.30 AM. This “tests” trip then confirmed the efficiency of the new marlin setting (4 out of 5) and the necessity to carry on the research concerning the second one.

10 to 13 March 2012  - The Royal Safari Team
This team which came straight out of Russia first went for a one day trip, to get used to the boat, the crew and the usual fish of Rodrigues, including a beautiful marlin of 180 kg. From 8.00 AM the following day, they leave for a 46 hour trip on the Eastern Bank, by a tonic sea. Beautiful yellowfin tunas, wahoos, dorados and doggies, including one of 71 kg, the 175th over 50 kg of the club, and another marlin about 100 kg came to complete this trip.

 15 and 28 March  2012- Thierry
For his 7th year, Thierry wanted to fish on his own. He wanted to catch a marlin…so he caught beautiful yellowfin tunas between 18 and 20 kg, doggies (of 43 kg for the biggest) and rainbow runners. For the marlin… let’s meet on the 28th!
On the 28th March, with a fully formed but passable sea, Thierry warmed up with about twenty pieces of fish: beautiful yellowfin tunas, wahoos, dorados, skipjack tunas… but no marlin still! See you next year Thierry!

  
17 to 26 March  2012– The A Team (from the East of France)

For the 6th time, Jean Charles and Freddy came with Gérard, Patrick, Jean Luc and their wives. The first day with Evelyne and Véronique, with a rough sea, enabled them to catch the usual panel of Rodrigues’ fish, including a doggy of 42 kg. On the eastern Bank, the 5 men caught beautiful yellowfin tunas and nice skipjack tunas about 15 kg. For the last 34 hour trip around Rodrigues, Jean Charles and Patrick had fun with yellowfin tunas over 20 kg, wahoos, dorados and a black marlin of 130 kg. As usual, good mood was as high as the rodriguan sea.

www.rodfishingclub.com

GREAT BRITAIN: record breme broken again

On Friday, a carp angler landed the largest common bream in the history of Britain, which incredibly, is believed to be the same fish that broke the record in 2005 and again in 2009.
Simon Lavin, who caught a 20-pound, 2-ounce bream from a gravel pit in southern Britain last year, held the official British record, but with Scot Crook’s unintended catch of the trip, Lavin’s record was left in the dust.
Crook’s improbable bream weighed in at a staggering 23 pounds even – the heaviest weight ever recorded in Britain, officially or unofficial.


http://therockyriver.com

USA: Colorado record strieped bass broken

A Longmont High School junior caught what appears to be a state-record-breaking striped bass at McIntosh Lake on Friday evening. He reeled in a fish that tipped the scales at 31 pounds, 8.4 ounces when weighed as a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer looked on.

"I just got lucky," 18-year-old Isaac Sprecher said. The bass measured 41 inches long and 26 inches in diameter.


www.denverpost.com

ARGENTINA: la Zona dorado fishing report

 

A group of 4 avid fishermen returned to very low water conditons on the Uruguay River to battle with the monster golden dorado of La Zona. After months of preparation we had the right lures, big golden Doctor Spoons. The catch was totally a dream with 11 dorado exceeding the magical 40lbs mark including a record 3 monster over 50lbs with the largest at 55lbs land by Cole Lundquist. La Zona is a section of the Uruguay River boarding on Argentina/Uruguay. In the zone there is only allowed 4 boats on specific days of the week and specific times. Here, near the Salto Grande Dam swim some of largest concentration of monster dorado on this earth. The battle put on the dorado is tremendous with many broken lures, snapped leaders, bent hooks, broken rods, and stripped out gears on reels.

www.adventuretravelalliance.com

USA: Gorgia a 22 pound 4 ounce largemounth bass

Georgia is home to one of the most famous bass ever caught, the George Perry, 22-pound, 4-ounce bass landed in Montgomery Lake is still recognized as the largest largemouth ever landed, but there is a bass in Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area that’s gaining on it.
During a Georgia Department of Natural Resources survey, officials found a 13-pound, 4-ounce bass in 106-acre lake located in Bleckley and Pulaski counties.

USA: flathead catfish record for Flint river in Georgia

Tiff Thompson was fishing the river in Sumpter County, Ga. around 11:00 p.m. on Friday, April 13 when he landed a 43 pounder, the largest he’s ever seen come out of the Flint on a rod and reel. Thompson started doing some research and talking to friends, and he found out that he had bested the river’s record by about two pounds.

USA: big yellow catfish of 76 pound caught

A Kenefick resident caught the biggest fish of his life on April 15 when he brought a 76-pound yellow catfish out of the Trinity River.

James Pruett, is a life-time resident of Liberty County. He lives in a riverside home in the Simmons Bottom area and fishes several times each week with his wife Misty.

“He took about 30 minutes to land,” said Pruett. “I was pretty excited. I was fishing by myself. When I got him, the tip of the boat went in a little bit and water got in the boat. I bear-hugged him to bring him in.

AUSTRALIA: barramundi bites hot in North Australia

According to the Lodge's latest newsletter, visiting groups have been enjoying quality barra fishing with numbers of over metre sized fish encountered.  One group that includes regular Arnhemland visitor Rob Danby, currently visiting the Lodge for 6 nights/5 days, reportedly caught more than 500 barra in their first two days.
The group also experienced some good bluewater action with Spanish mackerel, trevally and queenfish currently on the chew. Some solid black jewies have also been aggressively biting barra lures. Successive groups have been landing 100s of barra and there were several metre-plus barra amongst them. Rick and Lynne Bronson were guests at the Lodge - Rick's solid 107cm barra is the biggest so far landed this month.

www.barralodge.com.au

MEXICO: 2000 lb withe shark

Two Mexican commercial fishermen on the waters of the Gulf of California were shocked on Sunday when they realized they had nearly 20 feet of nature’s most ferocious predator caught in their nets— nets that were designed to catch slightly smaller fish. According to local information, the great white was just under 20 feet in length and weighed about 2,000 pounds.

Fortunately for the fishermen, whose full names are not yet know but have been referred to as Guadalupe and Baltazar, the great white was already dead.

“We were amazed and immediately realized we had a huge, dead, great white shark, and then we thought what are we going to do?” Said Guadalupe in an interview with Pisces Sportfishing.

It took over an hour for the fishermen to haul the carcass to shore because their boat was powered by a simple, 75-horsepower outboard motor and, at 22 feet, their boat was barely longer than the shark they were hauling.

It took 50 people just to drag the beast onto the shore.

“Guadalupe and Baltazar swore they had never seen a fish this big before in their lives,” the Pisces blog stated. “Even though on March 13 of this year, some of their fellow fishermen had also caught a great white, which had weighed 990 pounds.”

The shark was hauled in off the coast of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. The Mexican Department of Environmental Protection is now investigating the death of the animal.

MEXICO: Yellowfin tuna enormous, 427.9 pounds

Robert Pedigo has caught what's believed to be the heaviest yellowfin tuna ever landed on rod and reel, weighing 427.9 pounds.
However, the catch will not be submitted to the International Game Fish Assn. for world record consideration because the deckhand assisted in the catch, which was made last Thursday off Puerto Vallarta aboard the sportfisher Journeyman.
"Yes, this fish is not going to be a world record because I touched the rod while Robert fought the fish," Danny Osuna, a local captain who was handling deck duties, told Phil Friedman Outdoors. "We never thought this fish was going to go over 400-pounds."
The fish was not weighed until Sunday when Journeyman pulled into the Mexican resort city after an eight-day excursion to an area known as the Lower Banks.
The current all-tackle world record yellowfin is a 405-pound specimen caught in Mexican waters last November by Mike Livingston aboard the Vagabond, which runs from San Diego.
Livingston's fish erased from the record book a 388-pound, 12-ounce yellowfin caught in 1977.

www.petethomasoutdoors.com

USA: Hawaii state record big eye tuna

For angler Troy Kincaid — the waters of Hawaii were recently the scene of an epic struggle between him and a 231-pound bigeye tuna.
After 45 minutes, the 29-year-old was able to reel the fish in. The catch, that came on March 24, broke Hawaii’s state record for bigeye tuna — set in 1996 — by three pounds.
“It was a battle,” Kincaid says. “I had to hold on to stay inside the boat, because I’m in a little strap that hooks up to the rod, so the fish could probably take you overboard.

www.calgaryherald.com

IRELAND: The Biggest Fish of the Season so far on April 14!!

Jim Shanahan from Castletownroche was fishing an upper beat & phoned me to ask if he could switch to another upstream beat.
I suggested that he came down to a lower beat as I had heard that it was quiet above.
He arrived on Ballinaroone with his 11 yr old son James & within 15 minutes James had hooked & lost a fish on a Toby.
Jim caught the Biggest Fish of the Season a few moments later - 12.4lb on Flying C at the Road Pool.

The river is once again fining off into super fly order after the flood last week which took it
to the highest level since February 23, though there looks to be more rain coming from Monday to Wednesday.
Just had a report of good numbers of fresh fish moving on the upper river yesterday,
so our upper beats should start fishing in earnest in the coming days

Ian &  Glenda

Blackwater Lodge & Salmon Fishery

Upper Ballyduff

County Waterford

Ireland

info@ireland-salmon-fishing.net

NEW ZEALAND: 891-pound swordfish landed

The IGFA has just posted what may be a new record for their books.
If reports are to be believed, the 80-pound test record may be broken with an 891-pound swordfish landed on Tuesday, April 10. The IGFA is still waiting for a world record application, but if everything is certified, it would set the record by 78 pounds, which was set nine years ago.

www.igfa.org

USA: 240-pound, 125-year-old sturgeon tagged

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has tagged a 125-year-old sturgeon that's bigger than a linebacker. Officials found the over 7-foot-3-inch long, 240-pound female on the Wolf River near Shawano on Tuesday. DNR sturgeon biologist Ron Bruch says she's the largest they've tagged on the Lake Winnebago system since they started the tagging program in 1950s.

 www.hrtnews.com

ITALY: massive huge wels catfish of 218 lb

The anglers hooked the huge catfish on the River Po in Italy, but when the creature from the deep took their bait it started to ‘run’ with it.
The men leapt from the bank into a motorised dinghy, but were powerless to act as the Wels catfish pulled them along for an hour.
After taking them one mile the exhausted beast gave up and the fishermen — German anglers Stefan Seuss, 31, Uli Schuppler and Patrick Nimz (of Team Black Cat )— were able to guide it into the shallows.
After it was caught the fish weighed in at a mighty 218lbs and measured 7ft 8ins.
The fish was more than 30lbs off the official world record for a Wels catfish.
That was caught in the same river in 2010 by Roberto Godi and weighed in at 250lbs 3ozs.
After capturing their catch on film the men returned it safe and well back to the water.

IGFA HOT CATCHES APRIL 2012

Catfish fans, take note: a 32 year old record, and the oldest current standing record for blue catfish (Ictalurusfurcatus), is being challenged! Two young female anglers are also making waves with potential records this month, along with catches from Argentina, Colombia, Mauritius, and the Florida Keys, North Carolina, and Tennessee in the United States. Read on for updates on the hottest record applications we have received at IGFA headquarters this month.

French angler Marie Edwige Madeleine Foret,recently traveled to the island of Mauritius to target some of the great pelagic species found along the island nation. The young angler was not disappointed as she landed a 9.5 kg (20 lb 15 oz) dogtooth tuna (Gymnosardaunicolor) while fishing with local guide Yann Colas on Feb. 15, 2012. Marie needed only 6 minutes to land this potential new Female Junior record after it nailed the Mann’s Magnum lure they were trolling. The current IGFA record, set in April 2004 in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, is 2 kg (4 lb 6 oz).

IGFA Representative Peter F. Binaski of Costa Mesa, California, USA, landed a beautiful 7.7 kg (17 lb) dorado (Salminusbrasiliensis) to qualify for the potential 4 kg (8 lb) tippet class record. Binaski, who currently holds this tippet-class record as well as the 3 kg (6 lb) and 6 kg (12 lb) records for the species, was fishing with local guide ElbioBordon in Concordia, Argentina on Jan. 6, 2012 when his fish ate a well-presented deceiver fly. After a tense 17 minute fight, Binaski landed the fish and quickly released it after completing the necessary documentation. Binaski’s current IGFA record stands at 6.58 kg (14 lb 8 oz). 

Judging by this new record submission for bonnethead shark (Sphyrnatiburo), angler Dotty Ballantyne has been taking advantage of the rich fishing grounds in Key West. Fishing with local captain Doug Kilpatrick on Mar. 14, 2012, Dotty was able to coax a 4.2 kg (9 lb 4 oz) bonnethead to eat a custom baitfish fly. After a 10 minute fight over the flats, Ballantyne was able to successfully catch and release the new potential 3 kg (6 lb) tippet class record. If approved, this will be the 90^th tippet-class record for the fly fishing aficionado, 27 of which have been for species of sharks. The current IGFA record is 3.18 kg (7 lb) and was set in McClellanville, South Carolina, USA late last year.

Angler Joshua D. Lee drove south from his hometown of Manassas, Virginia, USA to do some surf fishing on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina on Mar. 23, 2012. Soaking a fresh chunk of mullet, Lee was able to entice a hearty 110 cm red drum (Sciaenopsocellatus) to bite. After fighting the fish for 13 minutes, Lee was able to land and properly document the fish before releasing it alive, potentially earning him a new All-Tackle Length record. The current IGFA record is 107 cm and was set on Fisherman’s Island, Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA, but seven line class records for this species have also been set along Lee’s hunting ground on Ocracoke.

Smallfry angler Brielle Bennett brought up a black grouper (Mycteropercabonaci) while fishing off Key West, Florida, USA on Mar. 24, 2012 with her uncle, Captain Brian Bennett. The young angler, who took first place in the Female Smallfry division of world records last year, needed 10 minutes to land the 17.24 kg (38 lb) black after it ate the live goggle eye she had on the bottom. After bringing the fish aboard for a quick picture and documentation, this potential new Female Smallfry record – Bennett’s first of the year – was released to swim another day. Less than half the size of Bennett’s catch, the current IGFA record stands at 6.35 kg (14).

Angler Raymond Heredia Orosco of Highland, Indiana, USA, recently traveled to Colombia for a change of scenery and to do some freshwater fishing. Fishing in a private pond outside of Caicedonia, Colombia on Mar. 7, 2012, Raymond landed a huge tambaqui (Colossomamacropomum) after it ate guayaba fruit, and took him for a 17 minute fight. Weighing a whopping 16.78 kg (37 lb) before it was released alive,Orosco’s fish easily qualifies for the potential new 3 kg (6 lb) line class record.  The current IGFA record was set nearly twelve years ago with a 9.97 kg (22 lb) catch made in the Teles Pires River in Brazil.

Angler Eric Maurer was fishing the Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee when he landed a potential 37 kg (80 lb) line class record for blue catfish (Ictalurusfurcatus) – a species for which he has already achieved five world records from the same location, but most on 60 kg (130 lb) line class. Maurer was fishing with cut skipjack herring on Mar. 15, 2012 when the 37.65 kg (83 lb) monster hit and after a 15 minute fight, Maurer had the fish subdued. He quickly took the necessary measurements and photos before releasing the fish alive. The current IGFA record stands at 36.28 kg (80 lb) and was set in 1980 – making it the oldest record still standing for the species.

www.igfa.org

IRELAND: Courtmacsherry Angling News

 The beautiful weather we have been experiencing of late has been great for fishing both offshore and in the Estuary.In the bay we have had good catches of Pollack,medium cod, coalfish Ling,Bull huss,Ray,conger and the mackerel making a show but scattered.
The inshore wrecks have produced some good fish lately with a near Specimen Ling for Christy Lane last Saturday and several fish in the 12 to 116lb range,Pollack to Specimen size with a few decent whiting and Haddock.
In the Estuary ,anglers have reported good Flounder and an angler fishing on the Lady Patricia last Sunday showed me a picture of a beautiful 11lb Bass caught in Courtmacsherry Estuary a few weeks ago.The fish was caught at Low tide with  lugworm in no more than 3 feet of water from the wall above Flaxfort strand.Plenty of feed marking in the Bay so prospects looking good for over the Easter.

http://www.courtmacsherryangling.ie/

USA: 124-Pound Catfish caught in Missouri

Brent Nickless caught a huge blue catfish on the Mississippi River near Herculaneum, and his brother, Mark, sent us the pictures.
He was using a trot line, baited with Asian carp.
Mark said the fish weighs 124 pounds. The Missouri Department of Conservation says if that's true, it'll be a new record.

USA: Alabama Blue Catfish State Record Shattered with 120 Pound fish

Not long after dark on the night of March 9, 2012, John Nichols caught a record-breaking 120 pound blue catfish in the Holt Reservoir in Alabama. In an interview with Tuscaloosanews.com, he said, “I was looking for eight or ten this size to eat,” as he held his hands about 18 inches apart. Instead, he managed to reel in a single fish that will likely keep him fed for quite some time.
Nichols had help from his friend Robbie Tierce who helped net the fish. He caught it using a chicken gizzard as bait on a 40 pound fishing line.
Michael Holley, the district fisheries biologist in Eastaboga, said that catfish in that size range are extremely uncommon. Holley estimates that only about three percent of the total catfish population reach a weight in the range of 50 to 100 pounds.

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

GABON: Explorary fishing trip by Tourette

Bucket List Destination. This term is frequently used these days, and it seems everyone has such a bucket, filled with imaginary experiences that they hope one day will come true. I have never physically created such a list, but I suppose that subconsciously everyone does create a secret list of things they would like to do before they are wheeled to the big fish pond in the sky.

Together with Gabon pioneer, Ed Truter,  this exploratory trip had been meticulously planned, and after a years delay, finally became a reality in late February this year. It is thanks to this expert planning and Ed’s valuable local knowledge that made the trip the success it was.
It quickly became apparent that the trick with fishing Gabon is having a game plan. You need to structure your day around what the tide is doing, and wake up each day with a detailed plan of how your are going to structure your fishing around the tidal movement.

Our over all plan was pretty basic. We would need to be at the mouth of the huge lagoon everyday as the tide was reaching low. This was around mid day for us, which meant that we would have to spend the first half of the day, occupying our time fishing in the estuary itself. There was three main ways that we did this. Firstly, we would spend time fishing the extensive mangrove systems for juvenile cuberra snapper. Although these fish were not big, they certainly provided endless entertainment. The approach was simple, we would fish with either light tackle or fly, and on both disciplines we would fish with a surface lure, a popper or stick bait. First step would be to set up a drift on the boat, where would be able to make numerous casts at a stretch of mangroves. During this drift, we would constantly be casting the surface lures as tight to the structure as possible, with a perfect cast literally bouncing off the mangroves trunks. After a couple of slow twitches, if the lure landed close enough, the water would explode as a small cuberra attacked the presented lure. Although the fish were only between 500grams and about 2 kg’s, they provided endless surface action that was always enjoyed by all. The best part of the fishing, was that your cast had to be dead accurate, keeping ones attention focused.

The majority of time in the estuary system was spent fishing for Barracuda, and Jacks. The Jacks would only be targeted when you saw evidence of them exploding out of the water chasing herrings. The boiling fish always gave them selves away, so it was never a guess as to whether they were around or not. Here buck tail jigs and fly is the most affective, and almost every cast yields a strike.

Once the tide was right and it was time to head to the mouth, this is when the real action began. The reason why we fished the mouth from the low, was that on the outgoing tide the tidal push is just too strong, and the fishing is marginal. Once the tide reaches low, and the tide first starts to turn, it creates a lull in the strong current. In this lull the fish become hugely aggressive, and what we experienced there, on a daily basis, was without a doubt the best shore based/rock and surf fishing I have ever experienced. The fishing entailed fishing solely with artificials, namely bucktail jigs, spoons and surface poppers, such as chisel nosed plugs and rooster poppers. This session would generally last about 4 hours, and everyday it would get to the point where we were too tired to fish. Jacks, too numerous to mention and giant African threadfin created the majority of the fish. Both these species are incredibly strong, and the battles played out on that isolated beach were at times titanic. Some huge great threadfin were landed, with the largest being between 25 and 30 kilos. What was astounding is that these were still considered small, and  for this reason we cant wait to take the next groups back to Gabon to chase the bigger specimens of threadfin. We also had chances to cast at tarpon rolling in the surf, as well as at big cuberra snapper. A few of these taught us a lesson, but we did manage some great fish.
We are in the fortunate position to be able to visit many new destinations. We constantly have our ear to the ground, on the look out for the unique and pristine locations to offer our clientel. The reality of these expeditions is that many of them fail to match up to the our pre exploratory expectations. Gabon was most definitely not one of these trips. It lived up to everything we expected and more. It wasn’t only the unbelievable quality of the fishing, but the overall experience of being in a place that is so remote and pristine. It is precisely this combination of an untouched and world class fishery and pristine natural environment that make Gabon such a world class venue.

www.tourettefishing.com

IRELAND: a 222 pound skate record

While fishing with Capt Hamish Currie, Andy Logan landed a 8-foot long, 6-foot wide, 222-pound common skate, the biggest ever caught in the Irish Sea and only 5 pounds off the British record.
According to the Daily Mail, the fish slammed the bait, and nearly got away.
“I placed my rod in the holder on the boat and normally you have a bit of time to get to it when something bites,” said Logan. “But this one just bent the rod in half and nearly pulled it off the boat. When I got the rod out of the holder the sheer force of the skate pulled me right across the boat. “I was on my knees at the back of the boat and gripped on to the bar to make sure I didn’t fall in.”
The crew had to pull the anchor up because the fish was taking all of the line. It then dragged the boat along for two miles towards Scotland.
Hamish and Logan were fishing near Rathlin Island when the record skate hit. And Hamish had to put his 37-foot boat in reverse to help get this guy on board his Predator Fishing charter boat. It took more than an hour to hook the fish, land it, take a few pictures, and release it back into the Irish Sea.

www.predatorireland.com