Finnish angler Jasmin Vataja landed an impressive 6.04 kg (13 lb 5 oz) zander (Sander lucioperca) on October 21st while fishing with local guide Kari Hokkanen in Airisto, Finland. Vataja was trolling a Rapala plug when the fish hit, and needed 20 minutes to subdue the potential 8 kg (16 lb) line class record. The current IGFA record is 3.64 kg (8 lb 8 oz).
James Schmid, of Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, caught a potential new All-Tackle Length record Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) on August 15th while fishing the Nanook River in Nunavut, Canada. Schmid was casting a pink bunny fly when he came tight on a beautifully colored 88 cm char that took him close to 10 minutes to land. After some quick photos and measurements were taken, Schmid released the fish alive. The current IGFA record is 86 cm.
While fishing Bluewater Lake, in his home state of New Mexico, USA, angler Thomas W. Murphey caught an 8.33 kg (18 lb 5 oz) tiger muskellunge (Esox masquinongy x Esox lucius) on October 27th, which could potentially earn him the new 4 kg (8 lb) tippet class record. Murphey needed 10 minutes to land the toothy fish after it nailed the clouser fly he was casting from his kayak. Prepared with a sling and certified scale, Murphey was able to release the fish alive after all the proper documentation. The current IGFA record is 5.02 kg (11 lb 1 oz).
On August 30th, Canada’s Ann Marie Lake produced a potential All-Tackle Length record brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) for American angler Michael J. Sadar, who hooked the fish while casting a mouse pattern fly. After a 10 minute fight, Sadar successfully landed, measured and released the beautiful 58 cm brooky, which bests the current record of 55 cm.
Angler Doug Borries of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA, bested an enormous 12.05 kg (26 lb 9 oz) red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) on fly while casting a Puglisi squid pattern on October 13th with Capt. Robert McDaniel. Once hooked up, Borries needed 15 minutes to pull the fish from the northern Gulf of Mexico. If approved, Borries’ fish would easily become the men’s 8 kg (16 lb) tippet class record and the heaviest red snapper caught on fly rod ever submitted to the IGFA. The current IGFA record is 7.43 kg (12 lb 6 oz).
Aussie angler Candace Williams landed the potential new women’s 3 kg (6 lb) line class record golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus) while fishing out of Dampier, Australia on September 12th. Williams needed 35 minutes to subdue the 9.22 kg (20 lb 5 oz) brute, after it engulfed a live mullet she was using for bait. The current IGFA record stands at 6.6 kg (14 lb 8 oz).
While trolling off the island of Tonga on October 31st, Kiwi angler Guy Jacobsen accomplished the seemingly impossible by catching a 16.33 kg (36 lb 0 oz) wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) on only 1 kg (2 lb) tackle! This potential men’s 1 kg (2 lb) line class record, which exceeds the existing claim by more than 15 kg (30 lb), hit a lipless Halco lure and put up a 14 minute fight before it was subdued. Congratulations to Guy Jacobsen, Capt. John Batterton and the crew of the Hookin’ Bull on a great catch!
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