A giant Amazon catfish way over the IGFA world record has been landed during an exploratory trip to Bolivia with adventure holiday operator www.Amazon-Angler.com .
The ‘Jau’ catfish was estimated by experienced Amazon guide Steve Townson at around 170lb after it was landed by one of his guests, Martin Content, on a trip to virgin water that had never been fished with rod and line before.
The current IGFA All-Tackle record for the species stands at 109lb, a fish caught by Russell Jenson in 2004 from the Urariquera River in Brazil.
Said Steve: “There are always a few things that can go wrong on new trips to virgin waters like this. Water too high; water too low. Stories exaggerated. Travel hick-ups.
“However, this is an incredible destination offered by no-one else and the trip went like clockwork from the start.
“Martin’s Jau was just massive. I have fished the Amazon over 200 times and never seen a Jau even close to these proportions. It was miles over the world record – somewhere in the 160-180lb bracket.
“Our guests had an incredible time, with loads of big catfish and arapaima, many huge fish lost too, and lots of broken lines and even broken rods. This is a destination that we are definitely coming back to next year, with trips being organised from July to November 2018.”
Martin’s huge Jau was quickly returned, and he will not be claiming a new world record.
Anyone interested in travelling to Bolivia with Steve can contact him at steve@amazon-angler.com
Source: www.worldwidefishingadventures.com