December 01, 2012

IGFA: Hot Catches News November

Here the last IGFA Hot Catches News of November:


While fishing Lake Bellaire, Michigan, USA on October 13, 2012, local angler Joe Seeberger landed an enormous muskellunge (Esoxmasquinongy) on only 4 kg (8 lb) line! Seeberger was trolling a sucker minnow from a 17 foot Ranger, when the massive 26.31 kg (58 lb 0 oz) musky nailed his line. After a grueling two hour fight, Seeberger finally landed the fish – a potential new 4 kg (8 lb) line class record. The current record stands at 18.4 kg (40 lb 12 oz).


Angler Thomas Olivo traveled from his home in Bozeman, Montana, USA to experience the legendary fall salmon run in the appropriately named Salmon River, just outside of Pulaski, New York, USA. While casting a black streamer fly on September 19th, Olivo hooked into a beautiful coho salmon (Oncorhynchuskisutch) that took him 20 minutes to land. Before the fish was safely released to swim another day, it tipped Olivo’s portable scale at a whopping 15.42 kg (34 lb 0 oz).  Olivio’s catch potentially qualifies him for both the new All-Tackle record, which stands at 15.08 kg (33 lb 4 oz), as well as the 8 kg (16 lb) tippet class record, which is currently 9.75 kg (21 lb 8 oz). In the record application review process, the IGFA will be working with ichthyologists to ensure this catch is properly identified as a pure coho, rather than a coho-Chinook hybrid.


Angler Esteban Blanco Morales landed this unique species, a giant hawkfish (Cirrhitusrivulatus), while casting a diving plug off Cuajiniquil, Costa Rica on March 24, 2012. After a quick three minute fight, Morales had the fish boated and was on his way back to the docks to weigh and identify his mystery catch. Back at the docks, the fish weighed in at 4.3 kg (9 lb 7 oz), which qualifies him for the potential new All-Tackle record. The current IGFA record stands at 4.16 kg (9 lb 3 oz).


Female angler Isabel Sola Martinez, was fishing her home town of Guayaquil, Ecuador on October 28, 2012 when she landed a 5.67 kg (12 lb 8 oz) Pacific snook (Centropomus spp.) while casting a live shrimp on a jig. Isabel landed her potential women’s 24 kg (50 lb) line class record in five minutes, and released the fish alive after a quick weighing. The current IGFA record is 2.04 kg (4 lb 8 oz).


Angler Dotty Ballantyne, of Bozeman, Montana, USA, recently traveled to Venice, Louisiana, USA to experience the legendary fall red drum (Sciaenopsocellatus) bite. While casting a custom shrimp fly on November 9, 2012 with Capt. David Mangum, Ballantyne landed a redfish that took her 15 minutes to subdue. The fish weighed in at 12.7 kg (28 lb 0 oz) and was released alive. Ballantyne’s catch qualifies her for the potential new women’s 8 kg (16 lb) tippet class record, as the existing record stands at 12.02 kg (26 lb 8 oz).


On August 14, 2012, British angler Sarah Elizabeth McLean, landed a 114 kg (251 lb 5 oz) Atlantic bigeye tuna (Thunnusobesus) while fishing with Capt. David Abreu out of Funchal, Portugal. McLean’s fish ate a trolled Draggin Eyes Abalone Head lure, and put up a tough fight that lasted two hours and 40 minutes. This catch qualifies McLean for the potential new Female-Junior record, with the current record standing at 53.98 kg (119 lb 0 oz)

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