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There’s a new state record for shortraker rockfish in Alaska, and at one point in time the fish in question was probably a world record. The catch was about as big as the species gets, and likely much older than the man who caught it. And as often happens, the angler who caught it was trying to catch a different species.

Keith DeGraff was fishing on July 28 with his fiancée Betsey Wilson and three friends in Prince William Sound, about 42 miles from Whittier, Alaska. The party fished from the Salmon Shark, a vessel rented from Whittier Marine Charters. On the first drift, two of the five anglers aboard had their fish.

“I decided to hit another bump, and sure enough, I hooked up,” he recalled. “I was immediately disappointed, because the way it was fighting, it felt like a halibut.” Not that there’s anything wrong with halibut, but they are readily available in relatively shallow water. DeGraff was fishing 1,000 feet deep, targeting black cod.

“When we got it to the surface, I saw it was the biggest rockfish I’d ever seen,” he said. “We hooted, we hollered, and then we headed on for other kinds of fishing.”

Typically with rockfish, you’ll see and feel what seem like head shakes from a halibut, DeGraff explained. “With a thousand feet of line out, it can be hard to tell,” he said. “This one pulled drag. I got it up about 75 feet and he took 40 feet. I’m fishing on pretty big gear, so for a fish to pull drag, I knew it was a decent size, which made me think it was a halibut between 30 and 35 pounds.”

One of 33 rockfish species in Alaska, shortraker dwell 500 to 1,500 feet deep among boulders along the state’s continental shelf. The previous state record was 39.1 pounds, caught in 2013, by Henry Liebman of Seattle. That fish was later estimated to be more than 60 years old. According to NOAA Fisheries, rockfish are thought to be the longest-lived fish in the northeast Pacific, maxing out at 120 years.

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record shortraker rockfish weighed 44.1 pounds and was caught by Angelo Sciubba in 2017 near Glacier Bay National Park, several hundred miles southeast of Whittier.

DeGraff’s fish weighed an unofficial 48 pounds at the remote lodge where his party was staying. Because he wouldn’t have access to a certified scale for three days, DeGraff bled the fish. “I wasn’t going to taint the meat for the sake of a record,” he said.    

His rockfish would not have qualified for an IGFA record anyway, because the rod was in a holder, and the IGFA requires rods to be held. But when DeGraff finally weighed it on a certified scale, with an Alaska Department of Fish and Game representative present, he got a reading of 42.4 pounds. Then, he received provisional paperwork establishing his new state record.

DeGraff caught the rockfish on a custom-built rod with an Avet 2-speed 3/0 reel spooled with 80-pound braid. The terminal tackle was three pounds of weight and an 18/0 circle hook tipped with pink salmon and herring. His rig was homemade, but the rest of the party was catching fish on lead jigs with J hooks and skirts from Kodiak Custom Fishing Tackle. That lure has accounted for most of DeGraff’s fish.

DeGraff isn’t an Alaska native, but he comes from a fishy place: Amityville, Long Island, New York. “I grew up on the Great South Bay,” he said. “I had a 13-foot Boston Whaler that caught more fish per inch of boat than most boats out there other than commercials.” DeGraff studied environmental science with concentrations in marine and fisheries biology at Stony Brook University. He moved to Anchorage and has been a for-hire charter captain since 2016.

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Colleen Enright was feeling good. She had just watched a certified scale at Ifish Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, display the number “23.06” — a weight that smashed the IGFA all-tackle world record for Pacific tripletail by more than 4 pounds. Then she saw another angler making his way toward the weigh station. It was Richard Perkins, and he had a monster tripletail, too.

“We saw Richard coming up the gangway, and I thought, ‘What is this guy up to?’” Enright said, managing a little laugh. “His fish was big, but it didn’t look any bigger than mine.”

Well, it was. Perkins’ fish registered 26.76 pounds, capping a remarkable, two-record-fish day at this modest fishing village located roughly at the midpoint of Costa Rica’s Pacific shoreline. The existing all-tackle record Pacific tripletail weighed 19 pounds and was caught by Michael Hughes Jr. in Boca Parrita, Costa Rica, in December of 2019.

Freshwater Anglers Gone Salty

Both Perkins and Enright are lifelong anglers with roots fishing freshwater. Perkins, a 70-year-old retired bank inspector with the FDIC, grew up in Louisville, Ky. He now lives in Clarksville, Tenn., not far from Barkley and Kentucky Lakes, where he fishes often from his 20-foot-long Lund.

A native Texan, Enright lives on Galveston Bay. When she’s not busy working as the president of KIES Solutions, a valve and instrumentation supplier for the gas and marine industry, the 45-year-old is often on the water.

In addition to their place in Texas, Enright and her husband, fishing guide Steve Hoyland, Jr., have a vacation home in Costa Rica near Quepos. They keep two boats, a large offshore Bertram and a 25-foot Boston Whaler, at Ifish Marina Pez Vela.

Colleen Enright’s Potential Record Tripletail

“We were leaving the next day and said, ‘Let’s get out on the water,’” said Enright, adding that it was not a surprising decision. “We fish every day.” The plan was to work inshore waters near a river mouth. In addition to her husband, Ruddy Zapata was on the Whaler as a mate. “We knew about tripletail but that’s not what we were after,” said Enright, who said their primary target was snook.

They were fishing with live bait, casting and drifting in the waves. Enright’s Shimano spinning reel was spooled with 20-pound-test Berkley ProSpec Chrome mono with a 60-pound Diamond Presentation fluorocarbon leader. Action was good.

“We had already caught a couple of really nice snook and were ready to head in,” Enright said. “But Ruddy said, ‘Let’s make one more pass.’” As so often happens, that final shot paid off and Enright was soon hooked up. The fish didn’t feel like another snook. As Enright fought the strong foe, which the trio figured was probably a jack crevalle, she was smiling.

“There were probably five or six other boats out there and I was the only girl,” she said. Fifteen minutes into the battle they got a look at the fish, which they could tell was a large tripletail. “My husband and Ruddy got really excited,” said Enright, who in turn got serious. “I said, ‘Let’s get this thing in the boat.’”

As soon as they did, they packed up quickly and rushed to the marina. Serendipitously, the marina was hosting the Costa Offshore World Championship tournament and had certified scales at the ready. “It worked out perfectly that the appropriate professionals were there,” Enright said. “I’m not a boaster, but it was pretty cool [to break the record].”

Richard Perkins’ Potential Record Tripletail

Still out on the water, Perkins was fishing with guide Riccardo Puliti aboard Puluti’s 27-foot center console. It was the first day of his fourth trip to Costa Rica.

“We try to fish every time we go,” Perkins said. “A friend who lives down there had been catching a lot of snook so that’s what we were going for.” Fishing the same area as Enright, and using a live sardine as bait, Perkins was soon tight to a strong fish. “When I hooked it, Riccardo said, ‘That’s not a snook,’” Perkins recalled.

It turned out to be a 20-plus-pound red snapper, which went into the fish box for dinner. The next pass produced another strong fish, a good-sized jack crevalle that Perkins released. Perkins then hooked what the men assumed was another snapper.

“It pulled more like a snapper,” Perkins said. “I would get it halfway to the boat and then it would take off and peel off a bunch of line.” Using a Shimano reel spooled with 50-pound-test line with a 40-pound leader, Perkins eventually got the fish close enough to see that it wasn’t a snapper.

“I had no idea,” Perkins said. “Riccardo told me, ‘It’s a tripletail,’ and I said ‘Great.’ I’d heard about tripletail but never caught one or even seen one live.” After boating the fish, Perkins lifted it. “I told Riccardo it was well over 20 pounds,” Perkins said.

Puliti, who has been guiding in the area for about a decade, said April is a good month for tripletail in the area. “A few boats had been catching them,” he said. “I was surprised by the size.”

Shortly thereafter the scales at the marina verified the weight and Perkins learned that his fish not only topped the existing all-tackle record, but also Enright’s record-breaker. “I wasn’t prepared for that,” he said. “It took a while for it to fully register.”

Two New Records Pending

Perkins said he was ambivalent about applying for the record, but decided to go through with it to help bring attention to both the marina and Puliti. Enright has her ducks in a row for an application, too, and almost assuredly will be approved for the women’s all-tackle record.

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Skill, experience, plus a wink and a smile from lady luck — all in varying degrees — help account for seven seemingly impossible catches in these series.

Understand at the outset that in most cases, these catches are made not simply by an angler, but by a team, experienced, practiced and dedicated to the goal of setting a world record on light line. With heavy line, the team becomes far less essential, as the angler goes it mostly alone and often spends a considerable time in the fight, man to fish.

It’s also evident that the big fish in these record catches had no time or no inclination to dive to depths. Try stopping 200 or 300 pounds of angry fish on a headlong deep dive with wispy six-pound line, and good luck with that. When that same fish chooses to stay on top, expending energy where a boat and team can pursue it, the chances of a gaff shot — whether lucky or expert or, often, some of each — go way up.

But is it sport fishing? Many would argue these catches are not made in the spirit of what sport fishing should be, though the anglers will point out that all angling rules established by the International Game Fish Association were followed. Describing how these catches were accomplished is what we do as journalists, but that does not mean we condone nor condemn them. We leave that decision for you, who read these. Our goal is primarily to answer the question that arises whenever record catches like these come up: How did they do that?

Yellowfin Tuna World Record

Yellowfin tuna — 64 pounds, 4 ounces

• Men’s 4-pound-line-class record
• Piñas Bay, Panama
• June 2011
• John E. Richardson from Bellville, Texas

The 4-Pound-Test Yellowfin Tuna World Record Explained

The summer of 2011 had been hot for yellowfin out of Piñas Bay, says John Richardson, who describes the action as “unbelievable. The tuna had been stacked up on the bait. So we spent the better part of a week trying to figure out how to catch one on [ultra] light tackle.” Richardson says the team determined that it was important to get the boat right on the bait ball. Then, the trick was to pitch a bait “to one side of the transom with the tuna head toward the boat [while it ate the bait]. Then, you had to hope for a tuna small enough to hold onto when it was leadered right away.”

Richardson says the mate had determined that they needed a tuna no larger than 80 to 100 pounds. The “the trick was to get the leader while the fish was still on top as it hopefully passed the other side of the transom.” They found that leadering green tuna in the 80-pound range was “like a street fight.” As skilled and experienced as the Panamanian mates were, the captain and the mates who’d come down on the 98-foot Hooker had to make it happen.

The team broke off more than 30 fish, the angler says, “before we got one to follow the plan.” Often the wispy line was snapped when other feeding tuna lumbered into it. The day they succeeded presented a good news-bad news scenario, with amazing numbers of tuna right on a massive bait ball, but two hours of broken lines left them deficient in tackle. “We ended up cutting our live-bait marlin rigs in half since we were out of hooks. We even quit tying Biminis, changing to the faster spider hitch. But we finally got lucky” with the record fish remaining on top, so they could grab the leader, stop the fish and put a gaff in it. “It was one of those times when luck, opportunity and experience all came together!”

Doug Olander is editor-at-large for Salt Water Sportsman magazine.

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Skill, experience, plus a wink and a smile from lady luck — all in varying degrees — help account for these seven seemingly impossible catches, all made legitimately per IGFA international angling rules. It’s worth noting at the outset that in most cases, these catches are made not simply by an angler, but by a team, experienced, practiced and dedicated to the goal of setting a world record on light line. With heavy line, the team becomes far less essential, as the angler goes it mostly alone and often spends a considerable time in the fight, man to fish.

But a good team is most often successful when their efforts include some good fortune. Without that luck, most light-line hookups end in failure — not surprising, given the odds.

Another factor in these successful catches has much to do with the nature of a fish’s fight. Quite simply, none of these big fish had time or simply the inclination to dive deep. Try stopping 200 or 300 pounds of angry fish on a headlong deep dive with wispy six-pound line, and good luck with that. But when that same fish chooses to stay on top, expending energy where a boat and team can pursue it, the chances of a gaff shot — whether lucky or expert or, often, some of each — go way up.

Some would argue any such fish caught in a minute or a few does not represent sport fishing. The anglers here and those with similar interests would surely counter that this is an extremely difficult team effort, wherein all rules and regulations pursuant to the IGFA are followed completely. One might argue that it is indeed not sport fishing as most anglers practice it; rather, this is a highly specialized (and particularly exciting) form of fishing, but fishing it is.

In any case, whatever one’s perspective, there’s no denying that these “one-minute catches” are remarkable.

Striped Marlin World Record

Striped marlin — 226 pounds, 8 ounces

• Women’s 6-pound-line-class record
• Herradura, Costa Rica
• February 2002
• Saundra McMurray from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

The 6-Pound-Test Striped Marlin World Record Explained

Fishing out of Los Sueños Resort with Capt. Tony Carrizosa, angler Saundra McMurray indicated in an affidavit of her catch to the IGFA, the 63-foot Stephanie Lee carried a full complement of mates — three in all and a friend who also served as a fourth mate. Her Shimano TLD was loaded with Sufix IGFA-rated 6-pound line.

“The fish came up on the right short teaser,” McMurray writes. “I picked up the rod and pitched back the bait, a circle-hook-rigged mackerel. The marlin hit the bait once and let go. He came back, hit the bait again.” She let  the fish run, then put the reel into gear. “As soon as we knew he was hooked up, Tony threw the boat into reverse, and I wound as fast as I could, the boat flying backwards toward the fish.” McMurray wound the line to the leader, which one of the mates grabbed, yelling “Caught fish!” At the same time, two mates put gaffs into the fish, even as the skipper was coming down (from the bridge) to add a third. Then the trio pulled the fish through the transom door.

Doug Olander is editor-at-large for Salt Water Sportsman magazine.

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Moray Eel

If you fish Florida reefs at night, don’t be surprised to pull up one of these most unwanted of nasties. I still recall from my boyhood seeing these mucousy nightmarish creatures come up now and then on the lines of anglers as they dropped cigar minnows into dark waters. “When you fish lots of bait and you use lots of weight,” Karl, the mate, would sing out ala Dean Martin, “that’s a moray!” Too true.

I also recall headboat lore that served as a great reminder to keep appendages well away from those snapping, snaggle-toothed jaws — stories of hapless anglers who hadn’t been careful. Even after the moray’s head was cut off, it still took pliers to pry apart the awful jaws, it was said. I didn’t want to even think about subsequent infection.

The IGFA has records for a surprising number of moray species, 30 in all. While some species are on the mini side, others get disturbingly hefty. The all-tackle record for the common green moray weighed in at 33 pounds, 8 ounces, caught at Marathon Key, in March, 1997.

Simply being cautious may not be enough to stay out of harm’s way, because morays will wrap their own bodies into a ball as you reel them up, and they curl upward on the leader when you pull them out of the water. You do not want to get bitten by one of these things, which are as evil and ill-tempered as they look. Powerful jaws and large teeth will create a bloody mess where they clamp down. The slimy mucous that coats a moray’s mouth contains painful crinotoxins and hemolytic toxins that destroy red blood cells. And the distinct likelihood of secondary infections will add to one’s worry, not to mention time in the emergency room. Little wonder that many anglers whack the leader with a knife and just re-rig.

None of this is to say you can’t eat these unpleasant fish. Apparently their meat is considered quite tasty, at least in some areas, such as Japan. But plenty of accounts from U.S. anglers are less enthusiastic, citing soft flesh and lots of bones. But even more off-putting is (or should be) the very real possibility of big morays being ciguatoxic. (Ciguatera can build up in predators that eat reef fish, rendering the meat very poisonous to humans, though the toxin will be tasteless, odorless and can’t be removed by freezing or cooking.)  Rewind to: Many anglers choose to whack the leader in two with a knife and just re-rig.

Stingrays

Three among the eight nasties here pose a double threat: They’ll mess you up if catch ‘em (and handle carelessly) or if you step on them. The stingray is one such.

That a stingray can really mess you up became abundantly clear from the tragic death of tv personality Steve Irwin in 2006, when the stinger of a 6½-foot short-tail stingray above which he was snorkeling in Australia pierced his abdomen and heart. And while other deaths from stingrays have occurred, odds are most angler encounters with their ghastly barb will be merely painful — but painful enough that the word “merely” would insult most victims.

The “stinger” on a ray, its tail spine, is a narrow, very sharp, flat, pointed affair — like a narrow knife — with a row of sharp, backward-facing barbs on each side. In other words: goes in easy, comes out hard (tearing flesh).

While many anglers have inadvertently stepped on a ray while wade-fishing and paid the price, others have gotten nailed while trying to unhook a ray. I would guess that’s more so with smaller rays, which can easily be held next to a boat or dropped onto the deck, or pulled onto a beach. Really big stingrays are probably most often (and most wisely) simply cut off at the leader.

And really big stingrays get huge. For example, the all-tackle world-record common southern stingray weighed in at 246 pounds (Galveston Bay in 1998). But that’s a mere pup compared to the freshwater rays of Southeast Asia, which can reach nearly 700 pounds, dwarfing men.

That said, a study of rays in Brazil revealed that smaller, younger rays had venom more potent and more capable of causing acute pain than older, larger rays, thanks to the presence of neuro-active peptides. (Older rays’ venom, on the other hand, was more likely to cause necrosis — blackening and destroying tissue.) Pick your poison.

But those pesky little rays that often grab baits (or get foul-hooked) can whip their tail around to ruin an angler’s day in the blink of an eye. One of the most common approaches to releasing smaller rays is to flip them over onto their back. That seems to make them a bit more docile for some reason, while also keeping their stinger pointed down and exposing the mouth, on the fish’s underside, to better remove a hook.

Still, given the zillions of encounters inshore anglers along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts have with common rays, a good number will be stung in a given year. Chances are that immediate relief won’t be available, since that involves the easiest, surest remedy: very hot water. That neutralizes stingray venom — as in fact it does most marine venoms. Beyond the swelling and pain, there is a very real risk of infection. Bad as all that is … it could be worse. You might catch one of several species of electric rays. Some can discharge more than 220 volts if you really piss them off. Ouch.

Toadfish

If gargoyles were fishes, they’d be toadfish. These unpleasant little critters are common in shallow coastal waters from Maine to Florida, and their aggressive feeding habits mean they’re frequently caught by anglers on small pieces of bait. This grinchiest of fishes with an angry visage twists and turns when caught, making it difficult to unhook. Woe to the careless finger that should end up in its exceptionally powerful jaws. If an oyster toadfish’s slightly venomous spines on its first dorsal fin or gill covers should pierce your skin, you won’t die, but you’ll be hurting for a while.

Oyster toads are abundant around rocks, rubble, wrecks, oyster reefs and debris. Even if you don’t catch one, you may still hear it: The species is well known for the loud foghorn-like sounds made by males at various times spring through fall, with special muscles that resonate against the swim bladder. And, yes, there is a world record for this nasty critter. That distinction is held by a 4-pound, 15-ounce monster toadfish from Ocracoke, North Carolina, in 1994.

The very similar Gulf toadfish lacks the venom in its spines, but is no less ugly and, for most anglers. annoying than the oyster toad. The fact is both species are edible and widely considered tasty. Seriously: You can find toadfish recipes online. The firm white meat is compared to lobster, rather like another,  bigger, ugly bottom fish, the monkfish.

Warnings from many websites suggest eating toadfish may be lethal since the flesh of some species contains tetrodotoxin, the same powerful poison found in puffers that is deadly if eaten. But that’s where the confusing world of common names for fishes makes for more confusion. The toadfishes in this case are species of puffers in the Indian or far Pacific oceans, and not what we, in North America, call toadfishes. So bon appetite, American toadfish connoisseurs.

It’s worth nothing that the small, bottom-dwelling northern stargazer resembles toadfish, though generally found in more northerly, cooler waters. Try not to catch one: it’s even nastier, with large spines above its pec fins producing venom that causes pain, swelling and can lead to shock, plus it contains organs that produce an electric current.

Nurse Shark

One might say a nurse shark fights as hard as an old boot, but one might also say that’s unfair to old boots. Not to be elitist, but the truth is few anglers want to hook a nurse shark. These benthic sharks so common in warm inshore waters of the Southeast basically just want to be left alone to sleep all day and roam the shallows at night for crustaceans and other slow-moving prey.

Few serious anglers will exhibit much excitement upon realizing they’ve hooked a nurse shark; only tourists and novice anglers might be thrilled at the idea of “shark fishing” for nurse sharks. Cranking a sluggish nursie to the boat isn’t much challenge; unhooking it can be more tricky. At some point, one has to acknowledge that these are, after all, sharks. Like any animal, docile can become nasty when threatened. That’s particularly true if pulled into a boat: a thrashing nurse shark with a snapping mouth can be more than fishermen planned on.

Nurse sharks can be as large as a man and a good bit larger. Case in point: The 263-pound, 12-ounce all-tackle IGFA world record from Port St. Joe, Florida, in 2007. At that size, particularly, the smart fisherman has no problem snipping the leader. Small nurse sharks offer a better chance at hook removal but even that can be tricky. Give a nurse the chance to clamp onto a body part and it may well hang around for a long time. Case in point, a woman bitten by a small nurse shark in South Florida in 2016 had to be driven to the hospital with the shark still attached.

Also, another bit of advice: Never kiss a nurse shark, tempting as that might be. One unfortunate fellow in 2013 off Key Largo, Florida, ended up needing 285 stitches to repair the damage to his face when the nurse shark returned his smooch with its own.

Fortunately, most anglers who catch nurse sharks stop at simply cursing them for wasting their time, destroying baits and damaging leaders; beating them to death seems a bit extreme. One commercial fisherman — yes, of course in Florida — was arrested a few years back after video footage was turned over to state officials showing him beating a nurse shark to death.

To avoid confusion, there is another nurse shark — a species known as the grey nurse in Australia, not to be confused with our own nursie. The grey nurse is unrelated, though it too is considered generally docile. But while the nurse shark’s small teeth barely show, the grey nurse shark sports one of the creepiest sets of dentures to stick out of the mouth of any shark species.

Pufferfish

Talk to inshore anglers who target redfish, trout and flounder on soft plastics about puffers. The word nuisance comes to mind, though at times “infuriating” would be more accurate. The boys at Berkley, who make Gulp! soft tails, must love them. That’s because in many places, at time, hordes of puffers wait to immediately bite off the bait behind the hook. At that point, you either pick up and move, and hope you can find a place that looks good but without the mob of blowfish, or you start casting hard lures (crankbaits). You can also throw tough TPE plastics such as those made by Z-Man. Still no guarantees, but they will survive the onslaught a bit longer.

But plenty of times, the little guys don’t stop when they’ve bitten off the bait, going after the jig or hook and whatever’s left on it, and you end up cranking in what feels like a Ziploc baggie filled with water. Then you have to take it off the hook while avoiding the cute little mouth with its little beaver-like teeth that can deliver a severe cut. They can be handled pretty easily as one might any small fish, though one popular approach calls for a wet towel to grasp the slippery fish. When they “blow up,” they’re not going to flop around, at least.

Fact is, these marine gadflies are delicious. With the opportunity at times to catch zillions, that could be good news. But it’s not. Flip side: many types of puffers in many areas carry toxins. That includes tetrodotoxin, named from the puffer family — Tetraodontidae — one of the world’s deadliest poisons, which takes up residence in a fish’s organs. That’s the source of fugu poisoning that, many years, kills dozens of diners in Japan — who eat it knowing the risk (is it that good?). A small number of specially trained chefs are licensed to prepare/cook the flesh to make it safe. Tetrodotoxin is also found in the deadly blue-ringed octopus of the Indo Pacific as well as in some species of poison-dart frogs in Costa Rica. The toxin kills by interfering with a human’s nervous system. There’s no known antidote.

Some puffers tested in Florida carried tetro. But more carried saxitoxin. While that may be somewhat less deadly than tetrodotoxin, it can be quite serious. Apparently saxitoxin wasn’t present in puffers in Florida until around the turn of this century, when puffers from eastern Florida’s Indian River estuary started making those who ate it very sick. Not all meat from various species of puffers around the U.S. is risky, but poisoning from puffers is so widespread that most fishermen release them — to gobble up more soft plastics.

Scorpionfish

Scorpaenidae is a huge family worldwide, with several hundred species in all, many found around the U.S. Those species range from the beautiful (lionfishes) to the interesting (scorpionfishes, including the California sculpin) to the truly hideous (stonefishes), and effects of the venom delivered by their spines vary, respectively, from unpleasantly painful to seriously painful to potentially deadly.

No matter what sort of scorpionfish an angler brings up, the crucial message is the same: Handle with care.

Lionfish are the least venomous in the group. Moreover, they’re among the species of scorpionfish that anglers might want to keep rather than get rid of right away, since they grow large enough to clean and offer superb filets. Releasing can be a challenge, with so many long spines sticking out from their bodies. But those who keep them often snap off those spines with pliers before filleting.

Many species of scorpionfishes (notably of the genus Scorpaena) are found around North America. All are laden with venomous spines, as many a careless angler has discovered — and lived to tell about it since envenomations from species of Scorpaena are rarely fatal, but involve extreme pain and may require weeks for victim to fully recover.

Most anglers are only too happy to unhook or cut off scorpionfish, but they’re actually fine eating. All of the Pacific Coast rockfishes (genus Sebastes), so popular as food fish belong to this family, and the California sculpin is popular for food among many recreational fishermen in the Golden State, who keep them — carefully. Most scorpionfish are modest in size: The California scorpionfish (sculpin) all-tackle record is a 4-pound, 6-ounce specimen from Cedros Island, Mexico, in 2006. The world record spotted scorpionfish common in the Southeast is 3 pounds, 14 ounces, caught in the Gulf of Mexico in 2015.

Then there’s the stonefish. Nasty to the Nth degree, scorpionfish of the genus Synanceia are frequently labeled as hideous, and with reason. Well named, the camouflaged bodies are barely discernible from an encrusted rock. Stonefish are less common and caught less often than scorpionfish, but when an angler does hook one, he has three sensible choices: cut the line, cut the line, or just cut the line. Stonefish are among the very most venomous fishes on earth. Their venom contains a strong neurotoxin and a cardiotoxin that act together to render many victims helpless.

Anglers wading in rocky/gravelly areas where they’re found can try to watch for stonefish but it can be nearly impossible. Their thick dorsal spines are hollow; pushing down on them — as would a foot (possibly even in a shoe) — forces venom out into the appendage. Then pain is immediate and from what survivors say — and many have survived stonefish encounters — beyond excruciating. Swelling may spread up an entire leg or arm within minutes followed by difficulty breathing, arrhythmia, paralysis and in some cases, death.

With all types of scorpionfish, treatment calls for immersion in the hottest water a victim can stand for 30 to 90 minutes. A hospital will treat symptoms and offer fluids and breathing support as necessary. If you’re going to impale yourself on a stonefish, do it in Australia, where hospitals are widely equipped with anti-venom that offers by far the best chance of survival and recovery.

Hagfish

Okay — disclaimer: The odds are you’ll never hook a hagfish. But if you happened to, you’d have the nastiest fish of them all.

These small, eel-like fish (of 76 species, none exceed about three feet — and, no, there is no IGFA world record for a hag!) live mostly in deep water around the world. They lack jaws (and eyes) and definitely won’t have a go at your speed jig. Rather, they rasp flesh off carcasses, often burrowing their way into said carcasses, then eating their way out.

If you were to snag one and bring it into a boat, it’s an experience that might require years of therapy to get over. Most of us would consider them pretty disgusting on the face of it, though some with a scientific bent might rather call them fascinating, but take them out of the water and you’ll find out why they’re also known as slime eels. Hagfish are noteworthy both for the amount of slime they produce and its qualities. In short, a hagfish can produce an unbelievable amount of slime. When tiny threads of its slime are released, each thread expands up to 10,000 times its original size. One small hagfish can create more than six gallons of slime. This slime spreads out and, with the mucin (mucous) it secretes, creates a network that water can barely pass through.

But don’t take my word for it. Type into a search engine “car covered in hagfish slime” and see what comes up. Ditto, type in “reeling in horrific hagfish — River Monsters.”

That said, if you did catch one, maybe you could sell it, if you were willing to fly to Korea with it. Turns out hagfish are a delicacy there, and there are now commercial fisheries for these nasty slimies in the Pacific Northwest. One man’s trash …

Alligators and Crocodiles

While you’re unlikely to hook a hagfish, the same can’t be said for anyone who fishes in gator country. No, these reptiles aren’t fish, but they can be pretty nasty if you poke a treble hook into their mouth.

From the Carolinas to Texas, anglers often share their fishing holes with the big lizards. Normally it’s a you-let-me-alone/I’ll-let-you-alone relationship. But alligators do have a propensity for chasing large, noisy surface lures. Often — fortunately — it’s the smaller specimens that are most aggressive, sometimes covering a considerable distance in a hurry to get their jaws on the hapless thing skittering away from them. Some anglers will mess with little gators when hooked boatside to try to get a lure back, but even that’s tricky with their thick skin, whipping tail, powerful legs with claws and, of course, those jaws lined with teeth.

By far the best advice to ensure you never have to deal with one of these nasty critters is simply to keep your lure away from them. Most of the time you can see ‘em tracking and rushing after a lure. Crank like crazy before they get too close and lunge (and avoid that temptation on a slow day to “just see if they really bite it”).

Fortunately, American anglers seldom have to deal with crocs, and never those of the saltwater variety found in Australia. That can’t be said for anglers like Peter Zeroni, a fishing writer/photographer who lives and fishes around Darwin. Lower rivers and estuaries there are ground zero for big, hungry and quite dangerous “salties,” as they call these monsters. Over many years, Zeroni or anglers with him, have unwittingly hooked a croc or two. Zeroni says if they’re under three feet long, it’s possible for one angler to hold them and another to remove treble hooks, though not easy and, besides, the lures are likely to pretty well damaged beyond repair at that point. “For bigger crocs on a hook, most fishos will rightly decide that losing an arm or worse isn’t a great idea, so they cut the leader.”

The post Eight Nasty Fish You Don’t Want to Catch appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

There’s a reason these records have remained for decades. Actually there may be a couple of reasons, but the main one is that these fish are just too big to beat. It’s hard to say that any are unequivocally the largest of their species that ever lived. But to remain as records for 40 or 50 years — or nearly a century — well, they’ve got to be pretty damned close.

Some records are not only monsters for their species, but have gotten protection from laws that mean they can’t be challenged according to IGFA rules. Species which by law can’t be removed from the water can’t be weighed on a certified scale on land (or an object grounded in the earth). So in some cases, bigger fish have been caught but released without any possibility of weight record consideration. Fortunately, the IGFA also keeps records for records by length, so any species can qualify for length records. The records listed here are strictly weight records.

All-Tackle Atlantic Salmon World Record

• Scientific name: Salmon salar
• Year: 1928
• Weight: 79 pounds, 2 ounces

The only IGFA record catch within spitting distance of celebrating its 100^th anniversary, this enormous Atlantic salmon came from the Tana River in Norway in January, 1928, for angler Henrik Hennriksen (reportedly a fishing guide, and undoubtedly a hardy sort to be fishing a Norwegian river in the dead of winter — which is when Atlantic salmon often continue to spawn in these large rivers). No other details of the catch are known. The Tana River flows into the Barents Sea, but fishing isn’t what it used to be. Hoping to halt a decline in salmon populations, the river has been closed by Norway and Finland to salmon fishing in 2021 and 2022.

Large adults that return to Atlantic rivers typically have spent four years at sea, but can remain in the ocean longer, feeding and growing. (And they can return in later years; unlike Pacific salmon, they live to return to sea after spawning.) It is likely this record had spent at least five years at sea.

Could this record be defeated? Apparently the species can get even larger, to wit one weighing 109 pounds reportedly caught in a net in the estuary of the Hope River, Scotland in 1960. NOAA Fisheries reports a specimen 105 pounds, 60 inches long, but offers no details.

All-Tackle Pacific Sailfish World Record

• Scientific name: Istiophorus platypterus
• Year: 1947
• Weight: 221 pounds

Just before mid-century last, angler Carl Stewart was fishing a mullet off Ecuador’s Isla Santa Cruz, when he landed what has remained for 75 years the all-tackle world-record Pacific sailfish.

In case you’re wondering, Pacific and Atlantic sailfishes are the very same species, though for many years they were listed as separate species. The IGFA separates them, perhaps in fairness because I. platypterus grows so much larger in the Pacific. (The all-tackle world record for the species in the Atlantic is a mere 142 pounds, 6 ounces.)

All-Tackle World Record Swordfish

• Scientific Name: Xiphias gladius
• Year: 1953
• Weight: 1,182 pounds

When Lou Marron learned in 1953 that commercial fishermen had been harpooning huge swordfish off the coast of Chile, he made plans to travel there to catch giant swords. Along with his wife, Genie — also an angling enthusiast, holder of world records and oh, by the way, a concert pianist who had played at Carnegie Hall — the business tycoon commissioned the boat Flying Heart III, out of Iquique and skippered by Eddie Wall. On May 7, the bonito that Wall was trolling behind the boat was inhaled by the swordfish that Marron had come for. Fishing a Black Palm rod and 12/0 Fin-Nor reel spooled with 39-thread Cortland Super Cutty linen line, Marron brought the fish boatside in just under two hours. The enormity of the fish was manifest and, once wired, it caused moderate damage to the boat’s hull before it could be subdued.

The 1,182-pound sword became then and remains today easily the largest sword ever landed on rod and reel, occupying both all-tackle and men’s 130-pound-line-class categories. The next-largest swordfish in the IGFA record system weighed 891.5 pounds (from New Zealand). But no swordfish taken by any angler anywhere has even come close to Marron’s record.

All-Tackle Black Marlin World Record

• Scientific name: Istiompax indica
• Year: 1953
• Weight: 1,560 pounds

In the early 1950s, the fishery in Cabo Blanco, Peru, began shaking up the fishing world, producing billfish of amazing size and granders in numbers. The newly formed Cabo Blanco Fishing Club brought some of the biggest names in the sport (yes, including Hemingway) to Talara, Peru, in DC4s, then over rugged roads to Cabo Blanco to try for huge marlin and swordfish, as well as XXL tunas and even man-sized Humboldt squid. By mid 1953, several grander marlin had been caught and Tom Bates’ 1,352 black in July of that year seemed insurmountable. Yet the next month, as Texas oilman Alfred Glassell trolled a 5-pound mackerel from the boat Petrel, skippered by Stirling Stuart, his bait was inhaled by what would prove to be the largest black marlin (or marlin of any species) ever caught on rod and reel. Like Lou Marron, Glassell favored the Fin-Nor 12/0 with 39-thread (130-pound) Ashaway line, tackle on which he fought the behemoth for an hour and 45 minutes.

Amazingly, a Warner Brothers film crew was out on the water that day looking for footage of a marlin that could look credible as Santiago’s monster for the movie version of The Old Man and the Sea. Clearly, they had come to the right place at the right time, as Glassell’s huge marlin performed for them, clearing the water fully 49 times during the fight.

At that time (in the 1950s, before the vast anchovy fishery was fished to death) and place (where huge predators gathered like nowhere else —and nowhere since) other catches actually came close to Glassell’s record, including a 1,540 and the 1,525 caught by New York public relations expert Kimberley Wiss — which remains the women’s 130-pound record to this day.

(For more on the amazing Cabo Blanco fishery, the likes of which has never been seen before or since, read the in-depth article, “The Greatest Big-Game Fishing the World Has Ever Known,” on sportfishingmag.com.)

All-Tackle Pacific Bigeye Tuna World Record

• Scientific name: Thunnus obesus
• Year: 1957
• Weight: 435 pounds

Yet another ostensibly unbeatable record from the phenomenal heyday of Peru’s Cabo Blanco fishery in the mid-1950s (see black marlin, above). At some point in the 65 years since this record was set, the original application form has been lost, leaving the IGFA with only the basic information. This is what we know: Dr. Russel Lee was fishing a bonito as bait off Cabo Blanco on April 17, 1957, when he hooked this immense bigeye on 39-thread linen line (equivalent, per the IGFA, with 130-pound mono) spooled onto an Ocean City 14/0 reel. The fish measured 7 feet, 9 inches in length. It’s unclear how much larger bigeye tuna may grow, but probably not much, which explains why this record has been on the books for so long.

All-Tackle White Shark World Record

• Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias
• Year: 1959
• Weight: 2,664 pounds

After the Second World War, fishing for white sharks the size of boats became an obsession with a fraternity of big-game anglers Down Under. By 1950, whites — known as white pointers in Australia — as large as 2,225 pounds had been weighed in. Port Lincoln, in the center of the continent’s southern coast, near Adelaide, was already known as a big-game-fishing destination, and it became ground zero for big-shark hunters.

One of the men determined to catch the world-record white pointer was Alf Dean, particularly upon hearing accounts of a massive white roaming Streaky Bay and nicknamed Barnacle Bill. Dean spent a night at anchor at the mouth of that bay, trailing a stream of whale oil to attract any whites around. In the middle of a dark 1951 night, banging against the hull meant the sharks had found them. In the lights, Dean could make out a white of typical size — and the other the biggest he’d ever seen. That was his new all-tackle record. In the morning, they put out the bait. The monster played its part and a mere hour and a half later, Dean and his team were towing it back to the dock where it weighed in at 2,333 pounds. He had his first record fish — and the first shark to exceed a ton.

Dean went on to catch more “tonner” whites over the next several years, with the angler at one point hunting an estimated 3,000-pounder. On April 4, 1959, off Ceduna (northwest of Port Lincoln), while drifting a chunk of porpoise (sorry, PETA, but this was a different era, different sensibilities) rigged onto two 18/0 Mustad hooks, Dean hooked what would be the all-tackle world record then and now, more than a half-century later. Fighting it with a Penn Senator 14/0 filled with Ashaway Dacron 130-pound line, Dean subdued the fish in just an hour. The shark measured nearly 17 feet, tip to tip, with an amazing 9 ½-foot girth.

Despite the frightening proportions of Dean’s record, white sharks get bigger. Much bigger. For example, Chris Fischer’s Ocearch shark-tagging operations have released several whites estimated at well over 4,000 pounds. A similarly large white was found off Japan in 2019 floating dead with a sea turtle stuck in its jaws. But though whites that dwarf even Dean’s monster are out there, the odds are good his record remains safe. Widespread laws make the retention of any white shark illegal, and of course estimated weights won’t cut it with IGFA rules.

All-Tackle Roosterfish World Record

• Scientific name: Nematistius pectoralis
• Year: 1960
• Weight: 114 pounds

La Paz, Baja California Sur, has long prided itself on its world-class roosterfish fishing. One ironclad example of that remains angler Abe Sackheim’s 114-pound rooster, the IGFA all-tackle world record, caught off La Paz on June 1, 1960. Sackheim was trolling when the fish struck; however, this is another of the IGFA’s “lost records,” so we can’t know if Sackheim was pulling a bait or a lure. We do know that he was fishing Ashaway Dacron, 9 thread (27 pound), on a Penn 250 reel, and his record fish measured 64 inches.

Could this longstanding record be defeated? That seems quite possible, since we know roosters get even larger. A particularly vivid case in point is the estimated 135-pounder caught, yes, out of La Paz in 2013. Apparently several experienced sportfishing captains in pangas at the fishing grounds saw the fish and agreed that it had to weigh at least 134. But angler Ron Burgess released the rooster alive, almost certainly a new all-tackle record, rather than bring it to weigh it officially.

Given the rooster’s extensive range, from northern Peru to Mexico, it is almost certain roosterfish larger than 114 pounds are out there, but sufficiently few and far between that Sackheim’s record continues to stand after more than 60 years.

All-Tackle Goliath Grouper World Record

• Scientific name: Epinephelus itajara
• Year: 1961
• Weight: 680 pounds

Way back in May, 1961, when angler Lynn Joyner caught this world record, no one had ever heard of “goliath grouper.” They were known as jewfish, a name which has mostly fallen out of usage since the American Fisheries Society officially renamed E. itajara as goliath grouper in 2001. And, back in 1961 — when, in many fisheries, it was anything goes – regulations and limits didn’t prevent an angler like young Joyner from hauling a jewfish to the scales to be weighed and awed over.

And his catch merited some awe, dragging the scale down to 680 pounds. The colossal grouper swallowed a Spanish mackerel that the angler used as bait off a Fernandina Beach pier in northern Florida. Joyner fished the Ice Dock on the Amelia River (where the Ocean Port Authority now resides). Using a Penn 67 with 80-pound line, the 130-pound angler fought the fish for an hour and a quarter. Once the Joyner and two friends had secured the fish on a rope, it was hauled out by a wrecker, and weighed on a Container Corporation of America scale.

It’s impossible to say there aren’t goliaths larger than 680 pounds swimming around in warm Atlantic and Caribbean waters. But in the U.S. Southeast, where sport fishermen are most likely to hook them, no giants will be weighed in since the species has been protected for decades after fishing and, particularly, spearfishing reduced their numbers dramatically. Since then the species has rebounded, enough that despite considerable controversy, Florida will in the spring of 2023 allow a limited harvest of up to 200 goliaths per year, but with a slot limit of 24 to 36 inches. For reference, Joyner’s world record measured more than seven feet. So the widespread protection of goliath grouper offers the 1961 record pretty good protection.

All-Tackle Giant Sea Bass World Record

• Scientific name: Stereolepis gigas
• Year: 1968
• Weight: 563 pounds, 8 ounces

Few details of this record exist any longer with the IGFA. We know that the angler, James McAdam, Jr., made the catch on Aug. 20, 1968, fishing near Southern California’s Anacapa Island. We know he used a Penn 114H reel and 80-pound line (though not what sort of line), and that he was fishing a bonito.

Much like the mighty goliath grouper, the slow-growing California titan S. gigas has taken a major hit from both commercial and sport fishermen. They have been a protected species in California since 1982. The species is found only along the Southern California and Baja coasts.

Giant sea bass remain legal to keep in Mexican waters (where, studies suggest, the species is thriving) during the past four decades, but no fish larger than McAdam’s record have shot it down, and it may well continue to endure. Apparently the species does grow even larger; there’s no documentation for that, but anecdotal reports suggest that fish more than 700 pounds have been caught. In his signature work, The Channel Islands, Charles F. Holder in 1910 tells of an 800-pounder taken in the Sea of Cortez.

All-Tackle Bonefish World Record

• Scientific name: Albula vulpes
• Year: 1971
• Weight: 16 pounds

Virginia Beach entrepreneur Jerry Lavenstein had been out with (now famous) Bimini guide Ansil Saunders enough to be a regular client. But this trip to Bimini in February, 1971, was a bit different since Lavenstein insisted he wanted to catch a world record bonefish. Saunders let him know that was a tall order, but off they went. He guided Lavenstein to three bonefish, the largest a five-pounder.

Next morning, the guide spotted something that caught his interest on a flat just 300 yards from the historic Bimini Big Game Club. Saunders poled cautiously toward a puff of mud until he spotted three big — very big — bonefish rooting in the mud as they searched for invertebrate morsels. He pointed them out to his angler, and Lavenstein managed to make a perfect cast, his live shrimp landing far enough beyond the bones to avoid spooking them. In short order, one had nailed the bait; the ensuing fight took 35 minutes, during which the bonefish twice stripped out more than 200 yards of eight-pound mono, nearly to the arbor knot.

Are there even bigger specimens of A. vulpes out there? Well, consider this. Saunders says the 16-pounder that Lavenstein caught that day was the smallest in that trio of fish.

Note that this 16-pounder is not the biggest bonefish of any kind ever landed. That distinction belongs to a Pacific species of Albula, an even longer-standing record. Caught surfcasting bait in deep water off a Zululand beach in South Africa in 1962, Brian Batchelor’s 19-pounder remains the biggest bonefish ever caught and registered with the IGFA.

All-Tackle Bluefish World Record

• Scientific name: Pomatomus saltatrix
• Year: 1972
• Weight: 31 pounds, 12 ounces

Jim Hussey, a Tarboro, North Carolina native, thought he had hooked a big striped bass. Hussey and a friend, James Simmons, were trolling Hatteras Inlet on Jan. 30, 1972. Hussey kept his Burke Jig-a-Doo Eel down in the strike zone amidst the powerful current using an eight-ounce sinker. After a 15-minute battle, with Hussey fighting the prize on a Penn 113H 4/0 filled with 30-pound Trilene mono, Simmons gaffed the huge blue. That turned out to be the only bluefish the angler caught that day, but what a bluefish. It proved to be the new world record, handily beating the 24 ½-pounder taken by Rita Mizelle, also in North Carolina waters — at Nags Head — the year before.

Thus far, there’s no evidence for larger bluefish, and the fact that this record has stood for 50 years suggests that blues don’t get much larger. But it’s a big world, and bluefish are relentless predators that swim temperate waters worldwide; they’re called tailor in Australia, and are rumored to grow to more than 40 pounds off western Africa. But if there’s a blue larger than 31 pounds, 12 ounces, it has yet to be caught and submitted for record status.

All-Tackle Black Drum World Record

• Scientific name: Pogonias cromis
• Year: 1975
• Weight: 113 pounds, 1 ounce

The time was wrong and the bait was wrong for this unlikeliest of record catches. While we can only guess what angler Gerald M. Townsend, of Ocean View, Delaware, had on his mind when he cast out a chunk of cut mullet off the beach at Cape Henlopen on Sept. 15, 1975, one might suppose it wasn’t black drum. After all, while Delaware Bay is indeed a well-known hot spot for monster blacks, that’s a May-June fishery. No one targets these fish in these waters in September. And while mullet is known to be a good bait, not so much for black drum. Anglers after blacks generally favor crabs or a gob of surf clams.

Yet, Townsend hooked the catch of his life and struggled to bring it to the beach for a half hour. He was fishing a Penn Squidder 140 with 25-pound Berkley Trilene mono.

Published references typically say black drum reach 120 pounds. Perhaps they do; but while there seems to be no evidence of any that size landed, a 1987 Virginia Institute of Marine Science report cites a 1928 reference listing a 66.3-kilogram (146.2-pound) black drum, so yeah, chances are a 120-pounder and then some is out there somewhere between the New England coast and Texas, the species’ range.

All-Tackle Dolphin World Record (dolphinfish, mahi, dorado)

• Scientific name: Coryphaena hippurus
• Year: 1976
• Weight: 87 pounds

Trolling a soft-plastic squid in the Papagayo Gulf, off the northern Costa Rica coast, on Sept. 25, 1976, Manuel Salazar hooked his huge dorado. He fought it to the boat with a Penn Senator 6/0 spooled with 50-pound mono. The mahi measured 69.5 inches in length. This is another lost record, so we have no details beyond this.

Thousands and thousands of mahi are caught annually around the world in tropical blue waters, yet none has threatened this record in nearly 50 years. But larger mahi have been caught. One notable: the somewhere-around-a-hundred-pounds dorado pulled aboard a Pisces Sportfishing charter out of Cabo San Lucas in 2015. Since it was fileted before it could be weighed on a certified scale, it could never be the world record. But a hanging spring scale the anglers used showed it to weigh 102 pounds. Scientists suggested a 94-pound weight based on the fish’s 66-inch length. Either way, it suggests that even after half a decade, Salazar’s 87-pound record might not be safe.

All-Tackle Albacore World Record

• Scientific name: Thunnus alalunga
• Year: 1977
• Weight: 88 pounds, 2 ounces

Not to be confused with “false albacore,” as little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus) are generally labeled by anglers off the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts, the true albacore tuna is a global nomad, found in all warm temperate seas. One area that has produced exceptionally large albacore (large for the species: albacore are one of the smaller tunas) is the Canary Islands, off Spain. These waters produced four all-tackle records for T. alalunga between 1973 and 1977, the last of these remaining the record to this day. That was taken by German angler Siegfried Dickemann while drifting a live mackerel on Nov. 19, 1977. The angler was likely after bigger game since he was using a 9/0 reel with 80-pound line.

It’s safe to say albacore do grow larger, at least a bit. In 1997, Don Giberson caught a 90-pound, 4-ounce albacore off Santa Cruz, California. That might have defeated Dickemann’s record but the fish was caught on a Zuker trolling lure with a standard double-hook rig that happened to be just out of compliance with IGFA rules for such two-hook rigs, and on that basis was disallowed as a record. The fish remains the California state record. There are reports of even large albacore taken in the Japanese tuna fishery, but those remain just that — reports.

All-Tackle Snook World Record

• Scientific name: Centropomus undecimalis
• Year: 1978
• Weight: 53 pounds, 10 ounces

Perhaps Gilbert Ponzi would have armed himself with a somewhat heavier outfit and line stronger than 15-pound test on that October day in 1978 had he any inkling that he would hook the largest snook ever recorded by the IGFA from the Atlantic. Ponzi cast a bucktail jig with his Ambassadeur baitcaster in Costa Rica’s Parismina River when the enormous snook struck. A challenging 45-minute battle ensued.

There may be snook larger than Ponzi’s record swimming around in Atlantic estuaries, but it seems debatable without much evidence of that. Are there larger snook elsewhere? Absolutely: the world-record Pacific black snook (Centropomus nigrescens), caught off Quepos, Costa Rica, in 2014, weighed in at a whopping 59 pounds, 8 ounces. The angler, Capt. Ward Michaels, fishing a live sardine, was well prepared with 65-pound Sufix line.

All-Tackle Bluefin Tuna World Record

• Scientific name: Thunnus thynnus
• Year: 1979
• Weight: 1,496 pounds

While grander bluefin aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, they’re not unheard of, and bluefin have been caught as large as 1,200 pounds. But only one tuna, ever, has weighed in at nearly 1,500 pounds. Ken Fraser’s gargantuan bluefin record has held from 1979 and is one record likely to endure.

Fraser, an IGFA representative, has devoted his life to the quest of giant bluefin (and caught several over 1,000 pounds). He was trolling a mackerel in Nova Scotia’s Aulds Cove, on the southwest end of Cape Breton Island, on Oct. 26, 1979, with Capt. Eric Samson aboard the 38-foot Lady and Misty, out of Port Hood, when he connected with the tuna of a lifetime. Fraser fished a Fenwick bent-butt rod and Penn International 14/0 with 130-pound line. Remarkably, he brought the fish to gaff in just 45 minutes.

As heavy as it was at weigh in, that tantalizing 1,500-pound mark might have been realized had the fish been weighed in right away, but it remained on deck nearly 10 hours before it hit the docks. At nearly 11 feet in length, the fish dwarfed its captor. The tuna’s girth was better than eight feet.

All-Tackle White Marlin World Record

• Scientific name: Kajikia albida
• Year: 1979
• Weight: 181 pounds, 14 ounces

To get an idea just how enormous a white marlin weighing nearly 182 pounds is for that species, consider that in the storied history of the White Marlin Open, a 99-pounder is the largest white taken to date. Whites, which occur from New England to Brazil and along most of western Africa are typically under a hundred pounds.

It became quickly obvious to angler Evandro Coser that the marlin he hooked off Vitoria, Brazil, on Dec. 8, 1979, wasn’t your average white. Coser was trolling a bait when the white hit. (Many details of this catch, including the actual bait and fighting time, are no longer available.) Fishing a Penn International 30 with 30-pound Ande mono, Coser brought to the boat a white marlin larger than anyone had ever seen. It measured nearly 10 feet in total length. Coser, by the way, continues to fish Brazil for marlin, recently with Capt. Shawn Wallace on the Majestic Marlin out of Canavieiras.

All-Tackle Chinese Seerfish World Record

• Scientific name: Scomberomorus sinensis
• Year: 1982
• Weight: 288 pounds, 12 ounces

Also known as Chinese mackerel, the seerfish is a close relative of the kingfish and Spanish mackerel so popular among U.S. anglers. Indeed, it’s the same genus, Scomberomorus, though found only in the Western Pacific — particularly the China Sea. But unlike puny kingfish, it grows to frightening proportions, by far the largest of all the mackerels. And it’s a really cool fish — swimming far up rivers into fresh water, reportedly as far as 185 miles up the Mekong River.

In profile, the seerfish resembles the dogfish tuna — enough that the angler who caught the longstanding all-tackle record on Oct. 6 , 1982, submitted it as a dogtooth tuna! But plenty of characteristics distinguish the seerfish, with its far smaller eye, curved tail, smaller teeth and the like, which the IGFA saw at a glance, correcting the species I.D.

These oversized mackerel are caught by anglers jigging or, like Boo-Il Oh, of Seoul, South Korea, trolling. Oh was using a live yellowtail as bait when the massive mackerel struck near South Korea’s Kwan-Tall Island. Fortunately, he was rigged for heavy running with 80-pound Gudebrod line on his Penn International 80 on a Fenwick bent-butt rod. Even so, a 52-minute fight ensued before Oh could get the eight-foot-long mackerel to the boat.

All-Tackle White Sturgeon World Record

• Scientific name: Acipenser transmontanus
• Year: 1983
• Weight: 468 pounds

Sometimes-deckhand and sturgeon enthusiast Joey Pallotta was after a big fish on the July day in 1983 when he headed out on his 18-foot boat with girlfriend Lisa Gifford. When something tapped the shrimp he was soaking in Northern California’s San Pablo Bay just south of the Benicia Bridge, Pallotta got his wish. That moment began a battle that lasted five hours, during which time the sturgeon jumped, even tailwalking like a marlin, and the angler — holding the rod at all times — hopped into a friend’s 26-foot boat. Pallotta had called his friend for help when he saw the size of the sturgeon.

“The fish surfaced immediately,” he said at the time, “and when I first saw it, I went into shock. Even if I could fight it, I didn’t think there was any way we could get it into [my] boat.” The angler used a Fenwick rod and Daiwa reel with 60-pound Stren.

Along with the Columbia River that divides Oregon and Washington, southern British Columbia’s Fraser River has become ground zero for monster white sturgeon. In 2021, anglers fishing with Sturgeon Slayers tagged and released a Fraser River fish taped out at 11 feet, 6 inches (fork length). Though no weight could be taken, for reference consider Pallotta’s 468-pounder that measured 8 feet, 6 inches; a sturgeon 11 ½ feet in length would likely weigh 800 to 900 pounds.

However, none of these behemoths will ever be weighed on a certified scale and submitted for a record, because laws throughout their range in North America forbid removing such giants from the water. (Far smaller fish are legal to harvest in some waters.) So, Joey Pallotta’s all-tackle record from 1983, thus far the largest freshwater fish taken on rod and reel, will continue to stand.

All-Tackle Red Drum World Record (redfish)

• Scientific name: Sciaenops ocellatus
• Year: 1984
• Weight: 94 pounds, 2 ounces

Although it’s the most recent record on this list, David Deuel’s 94-pound, 2-ounce red drum has remained entrenched as the biggest red drum ever caught on rod and reel for 38 years, suggesting there aren’t many bigger ones swimming around the Atlantic. The angler, then a scientist with the National Marine Fisheries Service and avid drum enthusiast, was fishing the fall run in the same area where anglers before him had also caught world-record redfish (to about 90 pounds, the all-tackle record Deuel’s catch defeated): the surf near Hatteras, North Carolina.

Specifically, the angler soaked his chunk of mullet at Avon on Nov. 7, 1984, to catch the beast, which he did after a 45-minute fight on a Daiwa SurfSpin rod and a Daiwa 7000C reel spooled with 17-pound Stren. At weigh-in, the fish measured three inches short of five feet, with a hefty 38-inch girth.

Editor’s Note: Anglers interested in supporting sport fishing worldwide should consider buying a membership to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Salt Water Sportsman is a strong supporter of the IGFA and their mission. IGFA members receive access to the IGFA World Record database, historical videos, a monthly International Angler digital publication, and discounts on tackle and charters from IGFA partners.

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Wahoo — the biggest, fastest and most prized of the mackerels is a global gamefish. This list shows just how worldwide are these pelagic nomads, caught in all tropical and warm-temperate oceans.

This list of nine outstanding world-record catches aren’t simply about size, though it does include all of the biggest wahoo in the International Game Fish Association record books, but also about quality, including some particularly impressive challenging light-line and tippet catches. This list reflects wahoo taken according to the IGFA’s standards. Certainly other large wahoo have been caught (for example a 182-pounder out of Cape Cod in 2016), but not entered with the IGFA or not taken per association rules.

A Bahamas Wahoo Record

9.  149 pounds; men’s 130-pound class

• Where: Cat Cay, Bahamas
• When: June, 1962
• Who: John Pirovano (Pasay City, Philippines)
• How: Trolling a mullet
• Tackle: Fin-Nor reel, Harnell curved-butt rod, Cortland Dacron
• Fight time: 15 minutes

This 155-Pound Wahoo Record is Tough to Beat

8.  155 pounds, 8 ounces; men’s 80-pound class

• Where: San Salvador, Bahamas
• When: 1990
• Who: William Bourne (Nepean, Ontario Canada)
• How: Trolling a Bob Schneider high-speed lure
• Tackle: Shimano 80-Wide reel, custom rod, Ande 80-pound mono
• Fight time: Unknown

Record Wahoo Caught on 6-Pound Test

7.  46 pounds, 4 ounces; women’s 6- lb class ( a 7-to-1 catch)

• Where: Kadavu Islands, Fiji
• When: 2010
• Who: Fiona Stallard (Perth, Western Australia)
• How: Trolling a Halco Laser Pro 160
• Tackle: Avet reel, custom rod, Maxima mono
• Fight time: 23 minutes

Trolling a Plug for A Record Wahoo

6.  60 pounds; men’s 4-lb class (a 15-to-1 catch)

• Where: Minerva Reef, Tonga
• When: 2014
• Who: Guy Jacobsen (Kaitaia, New Zealand) 
• How: Trolling a Rapala lure
• Tackle: Shimano Tyrnos reel, Daiwa rod, Moimoi mono
• Fight time: 25 minutes

A Wahoo Record on Fly Tackle

 5.  77 pounds, 2 ounces; men’s 16-pound-tippet class (on fly)

• Where: Banks Islands, Vanuatu
• When: 2006
• Who: David Long (Bilgola, NSW, Australia)
• How: Casting
• Tackle: Able reel, Sage 12-wt, Climax 16-pound tippet
• Fight time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Light Tackle, World Record Wahoo

4. 36 pounds, 9 ounces; men’s 2-pound class (better than an 18-to-1 catch)

• Where: Minerva Reef, Tonga
• When: 2013
• Who: Guy Jacobsen (Kaitaia, New Zealand)
• How: Trolling a Halco lure
• Tackle: Shimano Tyrnos reel, Daiwa rod, line not specified
• Fight time: 14 minutes

A Women’s Bahamas Wahoo Catch of a Lifetime

3. 153 pounds, 8 ounces; women’s 50-pound class

• Where: San Salvador, Bahamas
• When: 1996
• Who: Gabrielle Knapp (Stuart, Florida)
• How: Trolling a ballyhoo
• Tackle: Penn International 50, custom rod, Ande 50-pound mono
• Fight time: 15 minutes

A Wahoo Record in Mexico

2. 158 pounds, 8 ounces; men’s 50-pound class

• Where: Loreto, Baja Mexico
• When: 1996
• Who: Keith Winter (Capistrano Beach, California)
• How: Fly-lining a live mackerel
• Tackle: Daiwa 400H reel, Fenwick rod, Maxima 40-pound mono
• Fight time: 55 minutes

The Largest IGFA Verified Wahoo Ever Caught

1. 184 pounds; All-Tackle and Junior Angler

• Where: Cabo, Baja Mexico
• When: 2005
• Who: Sara Hayward (Nacogdoches, Texas)
• How: Trolling a Mean Joe Green high-speed lure
• Tackle: Shimano reel, Shakespeare Tidewater rod, 50-pound mono
• Fight time: 45 minutes
• Note: The angler who made this phenomenal catch, aboard a Minerva Fleet charter, was 15 at the time and had never caught a wahoo before. Her catch defeated the existing all-tackle record by more than 25 pounds.

Editor’s Note: Anglers interested in supporting sport fishing worldwide should consider buying a membership to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Salt Water Sportsman is a strong supporter of the IGFA and their mission. IGFA members receive access to the IGFA World Record database, historical videos, a monthly International Angler digital publication, and discounts on tackle and charters from IGFA partners.

The post Nine of the Greatest Wahoo Ever Caught appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

Two brothers from Louisiana filleted and ate a fish that they later realized was close to a world record.

Gary Birdsall, his brother Andre, and four other anglers were aboard Gary’s 31-foot Contender, the Delayed Gratification, after midnight on September 10. They were jigging for yellowfin and blackfin tuna with diamond jigs alongside an enormous floating oil rig, 120 miles off the coast of Louisiana, when Andre connected with the grouper on a glow-in-the-dark diamond jig, 100 feet down.

“He said it hit very hard, and he knew it was something different,” Gary recalled. “He said, ‘I have a grouper,’ and everyone was like, ‘yeah, right.’ Then we looked down and it was a grouper. It was like a shocking experience.”

Yellowmouth grouper live along rocky reefs in the Caribbean and tropical parts of the western Atlantic, usually in water less than 200 feet deep. The Birdsalls’ yellowmouth was in 4,400 feet of water, near the huge chains that tether the rig to the ocean floor.

“It was totally lost in the middle of the ocean, basically,” Gary said. “That grouper would have had to travel across 70 miles or so of open ocean from where you normally expect to find them. I can only assume it was a juvenile grouper that found its way around this rig and lived there all its life.”

Confusing Groupers

Gary initially misidentified Andre’s fish as a scamp, and thought it may have been in Louisiana’s Top 10 for the species. The state record is 25.6 pounds, caught in 1997 by an angler name Dean Blanchard.

On the home scale, the Birdsalls’ fish weighed about 19 pounds. “I thought, ‘Well, OK, it’s not a Top 10, so we’ll just clean it,’ and I did,” Gary said. Later, however, he showed a photo of the fish to a friend who knew better. It had the yellow lips common to scamp and yellowmouth, but did not have the scamp’s long tail rays. “He said, ‘I don’t think you realize what you’ve caught. You got a yellowmouth.’”

While both species have yellow on the corners and inside the mouth, it is more pronounced on the yellowmouth. Another distinguishing characteristic are the nostrils. In yellowmouth groupers, the front and rear nostrils are the same size. On scamp the rear nostril is larger than the front.

Louisiana doesn’t even have a state record for yellowmouth grouper, but there is a world record: 23 pounds, 3 ounces, caught on bait by Justin Quintal off Jacksonville, Florida, just last year.

“I started looking and I was like, ‘Oh man, this was definitely a yellowmouth,’” Birdsall said.
Needless to say, the yellowmouth was a chubby one, its flesh marbled with fat.

Actually, the yellowmouth wasn’t the only fish from that outing that may have set a new mark.

“I need to get better about keeping track of some of these records,” said Birdsall, 36, a lifelong Salt Water Sportsman reader. “I don’t have a picture of it, but I think we could have caught the world record bar jack on that same trip.” They estimated their jack at around seven pounds, very close to the world record fish caught in Brazil in 2012.

The post Angler Fillets Potential Record Fish appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

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Roosterfish, with their distinctive, tall, spiking dorsal fins and curved black/blue markings, fuel the imagination and spur the wanderlust in many anglers looking to travel and catch exotic, hard-fighting and often high-flying species. 

These predatory fish are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California to Peru, most commonly off Ecuador. They are favorites in many Central American fishing resorts.

Considered an inshore species, roosters are found in the surf, over sandy bottoms, and in moderate depths. According to the International Gamefish Association (IGFA), they’re not particularly far-ranging, with maximum movement estimated at about 300 miles.

The dorsal fins are usually retracted in a deep groove along the fish’s back but rise when the fish is excited, such as upon hook-up or when chasing smaller prey species. Those curved blue/black stripes originate from just behind the fish’s head with another sharply curved stripe behind the first dorsal fin and running along the flanks to the base of the tail.

Anglers catch them trolling, casting baits and lures, or fishing live bait, typically from a boat although they can sometimes be caught along the shoreline. Roosterfish are said to be tasty, giving them commercial value.

The IGFA maintains the records for the biggest roosterfish reported and verified. Photos are available for most world record catches but some, especially related to catches many decades ago, were not provided or retained. 

Roosterfish All-Tackle World Record

Abe Sackheim holds the world all-tackle record with a 114-pound behemoth of a roosterfish, caught June 1, 1960, off La Paz, Baja California, Mexico. Sackheim’s roosterfish was 64 inches long with a 33-inch girth. He was using a Miltcraft rod matched with a Penn 250 reel. The line was 9-thread Ashaway. He was trolling an unspecified bait. This fish is also the 30-pound line-class record holder.

All-Tackle Length World Record Roosterfish

Chuck Bahan was trolling a live bonito off Los Buzos, Cambutal, Panama, when his 53.54-inch world record fish hit. The catch came on Dec. 17, 2019. Bahan was equipped with a Star rod and Accurate reel spooled with 80-pound monofilament (brand not specified) line.

All-Tackle Length Fly World Record Roosterfish

The length record for fly fishing is held by Richard H. Rygg with a 51.97-inch roosterfish caught Aug. 9, 2021 off Cerralvo Island, Mexico. Rygg was wielding a Sage rod paired with a Hatch reel. The line was 20-pound Seaguar. The type of fly he was flinging is not specified.

Male Junior World Record Roosterfish – 82 Pounds, 9 Ounces

Juan Felipe Adum is the male junior world record holder with an 82-pound, 9-ounce fish caught Jan. 5, 2019, off Salinas, Ecuador. The rooster taped out at 54.33 inches long with a 34-inch girth. Adum was using a Penn rod and a Daiwa reel spooled with 30-pound Momoi line. He was trolling bait.

Female Junior World Record Roosterfish – 68 Pounds, 6 Ounces 

The female junior world record is held by Maya Thompson. She caught her 68-pound, 6-ounce roosterfish on Aug. 6, 2015, while fishing out of Tropic Star Lodge, Pinas Bay, Panama. Thompson’s fish was 52.25 inches long and had a chunky 36-inch girth. She was fishing with a Rods by Dru and Shimano reel setup. The line was 50-pound Momoi. She was trolling a bonita when the record fish bit.

Male 20-Pound Tippet Fly Fishing World Record Roosterfish

Phil “Pancho Villa” Arklin has the distinction of having the heaviest fly-caught roosterfish in the record books with a 20-pound tippet fish caught Aug. 16, 2005 off Isla Tortuga, Costa Rica. This 62-pound, 4-ounce brute slurped in a B.B. Runner. Arlin was using a custom-made fly rod matched with an Abel reel. The line was 10-kilogram Rio. The fish measured 51.5 inches long and had a 32-inch girth.

Male 80-Pound Line Class World Record Roosterfish

Only three roosterfish weighing more than 100 pounds are in the record books. The 80-pound line class record is held by Jeffrey Reinhardt, with a 105-pound, 13-ounce rooster caught June 27, 2008, off Zihuatanejo, Mexico. This fish was 58 inches long with a 36-inch girth. Reinhardt’s equipment included a St. Croix rod with a Shimano Stradic reel and 50-pound PowerPro line. He was casting a Yo-Zuri Surface Cruiser lure.

Female 20-Pound Line Class World Record Roosterfish

Anne Purkis caught an 88-pound, 2-ounce rooster to claim the female 20-pound line class record. Her fish was 58 inches long with a slender 31-inch girth. She was trolling a mullet off Palmas de Cortez, Baja California, Mexico, on May 27, 1982, when her record rooster decided to bite. She was using a Sabre HW 861C rod matched with a Daiwa 30H reel. The line was 20-pound Maxima.

Male 130-Pound Line Class World Record Roosterfish

Miguel Barrenechea holds the 130-pound line class record with a roosterfish that weighed in at an even 100 pounds. The fish was 54 inches long with a 32-inch girth. He caught the fish on Jan. 12, 1954, off Cabo Blanco, Peru. Barrenechea was using a Harnell rod with an Ocean City reel. The line was 39-thread Ashaway. He was fishing with a Sierra lure (precise lure not listed).

Female 30-Pound Line Class World Record Roosterfish

Lily Call owns the 30-pound line class record with a 99-pound roosterfish caught Nov. 30, 1954, while fishing off La Paz, Baja California, Mexico. The fish measured 59.50 inches long and sported a 35-inch girth. Call was using a custom-built rod teamed with an Ocean City reel. The line was 30-pound Gudebrod. She was trolling a Sierra Mackerel lure.

Editor’s Note: Anglers interested in supporting sport fishing worldwide should consider buying a membership to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Salt Water Sportsman is a strong supporter of the IGFA and their mission. IGFA members receive access to the IGFA World Record database, historical videos, a monthly International Angler digital publication, and discounts on tackle and charters from IGFA partners.

The post 10 Biggest Roosterfish Ever Caught appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

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White seabass, angler favorites from Baja California to Alaska, are known by a multitude of nicknames, including Catalina salmon, seatrout, king croaker or white weakfish. They are part of the croaker family and are prized for both their fighting ability and taste on the plate, although they don’t freeze well.

Anglers should key in on dolphins and porpoises feeding through big schools of baitfish, especially anchovies. A bird show usually accompanies the sea bass feeding frenzy. Below the surface, schools of adult white sea bass are often feeding on the same baitfish. A stealthy drift through the scene can result in powerful hookups.

Depending on the season and fishing conditions, white sea bass can be caught on live or freshly dead squid, sardines or mackerel. Jigging or casting feathers or small, flashy metal lures can also produce fish. Some seasoned fishermen shy against using bait that’s too lively, noting that white sea bass seem to prefer an easy meal.

According to the International Gamefish Association, white seabass are usually found near the mainland shore, usually over rocky or sandy bottom or around kelp forests. While they can be found in waters up to 400 feet deep, they seem to prefer depths under 200 feet or less.

They have large mouths with a slightly protruding lower jaw with no barbels on the chin. They have two dorsal fins, and their pectoral fins have a black spot at the base. Their lifespan ranges from 12 to 20 years. Adults are steel blue to gray on the upper portion of their bodies and silvery with golden below.

Here is a look at 11 of the biggest white sea bass, as recorded in the IGFA record books.

All-Tackle World Record – 83 Pounds, 12 Ounces

Lyal Baumgardner is the all-tackle world record holder with an 83-pound, 12-ounce white sea bass. It was 65.50 inches long with a 34-inch girth. Baumgardner caught the fish March 31, 1953, while fishing off San Felipe, Mexico. He was using a Sila-Flex rod with an Ocean City 107 reel. The line was 12-thread Rainbeau Surf. He was drifting a sardine. This catch is also the record in the Male 30-Pound Line Class category.

All-Tackle Length World Record – 35.83 Inches

The all-tackle record for length is held by Timothy Humphrey with a 35.83-inch fish. Humphrey caught the fish June 2, 2013, off Santa Barbara Island, California. He was using a Seeker rod, Daiwa reel and 65-pound PowerPro line. He was bait fishing with live squid.

Female Junior World Record – 57 Pounds, 6 Ounces

Kale’a Patricia Woodard reigns as female junior world record holder with a 57-pound, 6-ounce white sea bass. Her fish measured 54 inches with a 26-inch girth. She was bait fishing with a squid off Punta Colonett, Baja California, Mexico, on June 18, 2014, when the fish bit. She was using a Calstar rod with an Okuma reel spooled with 40-pound Izorline.

Male Junior World Record – 59 Pounds

In the male junior division, Shane Aviano is the record holder with a 59-pounder that also measured 59 inches. The fish had a 34-inch girth. Aviano caught the fish June 21, 2002, off Imperial Beach, California. He was using a Seeker rod and a Shimano Corsair 400 reel. The line was 15-pound Ande. He was casting a Slammer Jig.

Male 16-Pound Tippet Fly Fishing World Record – 38 Pounds, 9 Ounces

Unsurprisingly, given the fish’s propensity to feed well down in the water column, there are many vacant records in the fly-fishing categories for white seabass. Angler Stan Pleskunas has the 16-pound tippet record with a 38-pound, 9-ounce fish. It taped out at 49 inches long with a 25-inch girth. Pleskunas caught the fish on Sept. 9, 2001, off Monterey, California. He was using a G. Loomis rod with a Ross Saltwater III reel loaded with 15-pound P-Line. He was fishing with a Stan’s Squid fly.

Male 50-Pound Line Class World Record – 79 Pounds

A more recent record was set April 24, 2021 in the male 50-pound line class. Angler Frank Bruder’s 79-pound white sea bass was caught off Corona Del Mar, California. The fish was 58.27 inches long with a 33-inch girth. Bruder was wielding a Phoenix reel paired with a Shimano reel. The line brand is not specified in the records. He was using live bait.

Male 16-Pound Line Class World Record – 78 Pounds

David Sternberg is the male 16-pound line class record holder with a 78-pounder caught April 4, 2002, off Monterey, California. Sternberg’s fish was 62 inches long with a 32-inch girth. The gear included a Shakespeare Ugly Stik, Daiwa S027LC reel and 12-pound Maxima line. He was drifting a squid.

Female 50-Pound Line Class World Record – 67 Pounds, 4 Ounces

Taylor Kingsmill’s 67-pound, 4-ounce white seabass nails down the female 50-pound line class record.
Her 58.50-inch-long fish (girth not recorded) came off Dana Point, California, on April 25, 2018. She was using a Shimano rod and reel combo with 50-pound line. She mixed things up, pairing a spoon with a live mackerel to catch the fish.

Female 30-Pound Line Class World Record – 62 Pounds

A 62-pound fish is the world record in the female 30-pound line class category. Mrs. D.W. Jackson caught the white sea bass on Dec. 6, 1951, while fishing off Malibu, California. The fish was 57 inches long with a 28-inch girth. Jackson was using a Harnell hollow glass rod and a Penn #250 reel spooled with 36-pound Golden Dot line. She caught the fish on a live sardine.

Male 6-Pound Line Class World Record – 56 Pounds, 3 Ounces

Vick L. Sommers holds both the 6-pound and 8-pound line class world records. His 6-pound line class record fish was a 56-pound, 3-ounce catch on June 15, 2015, off Newport Beach, California. It measured 55 inches long and had a 29-inch girth. Sommers’ tools included a Phoenix rod, Daiwa reel and Ande 6-pound line. Sommers’ 8-pound record white seabass, caught in June 2012 off Newport Beach, weighed 66 pounds, 14 ounces

Male Smallfry World Record – 54 Pounds, 13 Ounces

Gavin Simmons holds the male world smallfry record with a 54-pound, 13-ounce fish caught July 3, 2009, off Point Mesquite, Baja, Mexico. Simmons’ fish was 56 inches long and had a 28-inch girth. He used a Seeker rod with a Shimano TR 2000 reel. The line was 25-pound P-Line. He was bait fishing with a squid.

Editor’s Note: Anglers interested in supporting sport fishing worldwide should consider buying a membership to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Salt Water Sportsman is a strong supporter of the IGFA and their mission. IGFA members receive access to the IGFA World Record database, historical videos, a monthly International Angler digital publication, and discounts on tackle and charters from IGFA partners.

The post Top 10 White Seabass Records appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.