Louis J. Varela caught and released this impressive 82 cm cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) on March 12th while fishing the famed Pyramid Lake, located in Nevada, USA. Varela’s potential All-Tackle Length cutthroat crushed a black jig that he was casting, and put up a tough five minute fight. Once landed, the fish was quickly measured, photographed and released alive. The current IGFA record is 77 cm.
Fly angler Richard Hart braved the rugged jungles of Suriname to hunt the notorious trahira (Hoplias spp.), appropriately nicknamed wolfish due to their intimidating dentition. On March 12th, while fishing the Kabalebo River with a local guide, Hart caught and released this 8.62 kg (19 lb) trahira that could earn him the new men’s 6 kg (12 lb) tippet class record. Hart was casting an Enrico Puglisi baitfish pattern fly, and needed 10 minutes to subdue the fish. The current record stands at 6.35 kg (14 lb).
Angler Matthew T. Allen caught this impressive 7.63 kg (16 lb 13 oz) channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) on January 25th, while casting a Bladerunner spoon in Clearlake, California, USA. Allen needed only 2 minutes to subdue the big channel cat, which he quickly weighed and documented on shore, before releasing the fish alive. If approved, the catch will earn Allen the new men’s 15 kg (30 lb) line class record, which currently stands at 2.92 kg (6 lb 7 oz).