The all-tackle world records for two popular species lead off the IGFA Hot Catches report for August. International Game Fish Association World Records Coordinator Jack Vitek updates us with those and eight other recent recreational fish catches from Mongolia, South Africa, Netherlands, Ecuador, Bolivia and across the U.S., now before the world records committee reviewing potential new records.
A huge blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) was Greg Bernal’s goal on June 20 while fishing the Missouri River, out of North County, Missouri, USA and he indeed landed one, with an impressive 58.97 kg (130 lb 0 oz) specimen. The monster catfish that Bernal, of Florissant, Mo., caught qualifies for a new IGFA all-tackle record. It took him 20 minutes to land using an Asian carp to entice the catfish. The current IGFA record is 56.24 kg (124 lb 0 oz) caught five years ago by Timothy Pruitt from the Mississippi River near Alton, Ill.
Less than a year ago Michigan’s Tom Healy made headlines in the fishing world by catching a new IGFA World Record brown trout weighing (18.8 kg) 41 lb 7 oz. And this past July 16, Roger Hellen of Franksville, Wisc., USA stirred a great deal of talk after landing an equally big brown trout (Salmo trutta) weighing 18.82 kg (41 lb 8 oz). Hellen was fishing Lake Michigan, off the Wisconsin coastline trolling a Fishlander spoon when the monster hit it taking him 30 minutes to land. Though Hellen’s fish is one ounce heavier than the current all-tackle record set by Healy on Sept. 8, 2009, according to IGFA World Record requirements, to replace a record fish weighing 11.33 kg (25 lbs) or more, the replacement must weigh at least one half of 1 percent more than the existing record. Bottom-line, Healy and Hellen might be sharing an IGFA World Record tie for their two fish.
Guided by her uncle while fishing out of Key West, Fla., USA, on June 3, smallfry angler Brielle Bennett of Cinnaminson, N.J., USA, landed an African pompano (Alectis ciliaris) weighing 5.7 kg (12 lb 9 oz) to qualify for the female-smallfry record. The uncle Brian Bennett said Brielle needed eight minutes to land her potential record catch after the fish hit her live pinfish. The current IGFA record in the junior division is vacant.
While flyfishing the Ur River in Mongolia on June 7, Marles H. Frankman of Golden Valley, Minn., USA, guided by Ganpurev Enebish, landed a 21.55 kg (47 lb 8 oz) taimen (Hucho taimen). The exciting fish took 30 minutes to land after hitting Mrs. Frankman’s Dairiki streamer fly to qualify her for the 8 kg (16 lb) tippet record. Frankman released the fish after documenting and photographing it. The current IGFA record is 12.7 kg (28 lb 0 oz) pulled from Mongolia’s Eg River in 2001.
