The bite turned on for three ambitious freshwater anglers in this month’s edition of IGFA Hot Catches. These potential world records from Australia, Canada, and French Guiana have just arrived at IGFA headquarters and are awaiting review by the World Record committee. Check out the latest contenders for trahira, barramundi, and bull trout world records!
Aussie angler Mark Hope is no
stranger to catching record class barramundi (Latescalcarifer). In fact,
he currently holds six line class records on barramundi and has recently
submitted two more potential record claims for the species: the 37 kg (80 lb)
line class record and an All-Tackle Length record. Hope’s potential 37 kg (80
lb) line class record, a 27.6 kg (60 lb 13 oz) fish, was landed on September 2nd
while he was fishing Australia’s Lake Tinaroo. Hope was trolling a Z-Man
Swimmer behind his kayak when the fish hit and he then needed 10 minutes to
land it. The record for this line class currently stands at 26.8 kg (59 lb 1
oz). Four days later on September 6th, Hope was again trolling
antother Z-man in Tinaroo Swimmer when he landed a potential All-Tackle Length
record fish. Once the fish was subdued, Hope took the necessary measurements
and photos and then released his fish alive. With the current record at 127 cm,
Hope’s 130 cm barra qualifies him for the potential new All-Tackle Length
record.
French angler Richard Commergnat landed a
94 cm trahira (Hopliasspp.) on July 13, 2012 while casting a plug on the Sinnamary
River in French Guiana. Commergnat landed the fish in 3 minutes, and after
properly documenting his catch he released it alive. With the current record
standing at 91 cm, Commergnat’s fish qualifies him for the potential new
All-Tackle Length record.
Junior angler Lauren N. Dunn of Danville, California,
USA, landed a gorgeous bull trout (Salvelinusconfluentus)
on August 20th while fishing the
picturesque Wigwam River in British Columbia, Canada. Dunn caught the fish
while casting a bucktail jig and needed 5 minutes to land her potentail Female
Junior record fish, which weighed in at 4.65
kg (10 lb 4 oz). The current IGFA record is vacant.
The IGFA World Records
committee has a full plate of records to review this month, including these six
saltwater highlights. Anglers in Australia and both coasts of the United States
are certainly eager to hear word of the potential new black grouper, Atlantic
snook, Pacific halibut, and southern bluefin tuna records, but one more record
application may be drawing a bit more attention: Guy Yocom’s record application
for the yellowfin tuna he caught off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Read
on for details of this month’s saltwater IGFA Hot Catches!
Angler Bill McGraw of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, USA, landed a beautiful 19.96 kg (44 lb) black
grouper (Mycteropercabonaci)
on August 11th while targeting yellowtail snapper off Key West,
Florida, USA with Capt. Brian Bennett. After eating a chunk of
bonito, McGraw fought the grouper for 15 minutes before it was boated. The fish
qualifies McGraw for the potential new men’s 8 kg (16 lb) line class record, as
the current record stands at 10.77 kg (23 lb 12 oz).
Angler Kathleen J. Rounds recently traveled north
from her home in southern California to target some giant Pacific halibut off
the coast of Alaska. Guided by Capt. John Davis, Rounds landed a 103.42 kg
(228 lb) Pacific halibut (Hippoglossusstenolepis) on September 6th off Gustavus, Alaska. Rounds
needed 40 minutes to land the fish after it ate the live cod she was usuing for
bait. Using 25 lb line, this fish qualifies Rounds for the potential new
women’s 15 kg (30 lb) line class record, which currently statnds at 97.18 kg
(214 lb 14 oz).
From his home in Padbury, Western
Australia, angler Craig Radford traveled across the continent
of Australia to catch the southern bluefin tuna (Thunnusmaccoyii) bite off the
coast of Narooma, New South Wales. The trip was certainly worth it, as Radford
landed a potential new men’s 10 kg (20 lb) tippet class record fish on June 27th.
Craig was casting a deceiver fly with Capt.
Benn Boulton, when he hooked into a 26 kg (57 lb 5 oz) fish that he subdued
in an impressive nine minutes. The current IGFA record is 25 kg (55 lb 1 oz).
Every September and October, south Florida
anglers enjoy great fishing as the mullet schools make their way south along
the coast. South Florida anglers Martini Arostegui and Paul Adams both took advantage of the
great snook bite, and now have two potential All-Tackle Length records. Fishing
the St. Lucie River with Capt. Mike
Holliday on September 8th, Arostegui landed a 101 cm Atlantic
snook (Centropomusspp.)
after it inhaled the live mullet he was soaking. Five days later on September
13th, Paul Adams pulled a 104 cm monster snook from the Jupiter Inlet after it
ate a live pinfish and took Adams on a 30 minute fight. Both fish were properly
measured and released alive, qualifying them both for All-Tackle Length
records.
On Friday, September 28,
the IGFA received Guy Yocom’s record
application for the 193.68 kg (427 lb) yellowfin tuna (Thunnusalbacares)
he caught on September 18 while fishing aboard his boat El Suertudo off the coast of Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico. Yocom fought the big tunay 50 minutes to land it after it
ate the chunked tuna he was using for bait. Once the fish was boated, Capt. Greg DiStefano measured the fish
and decided it was close enough to call it a day. Back at the docks in
Cabo, Yocom’s fish was officially weighed on an IWS Scalemasterconfirming the
accurate reading of 193.68 kg (427 lb). Yocom’s fish qualifies for both the
potential new All-Tackle record and men’s 60 kg (130 lb) line class record;
both of which currently belong to Mike Livingston, who caught a 183.7 kg (405
lb) yellowfin on November 30, 2010 while fishing off of Magdalena Bay, Mexico.