April Hot Catches from the IGFA World Records Department

Each month the International Game Fish Association's highlights selected documented fish catches made from across the globe and submitted for world records. IGFA world records coordinator Rebecca Wright provided the following information on these 14 recent submissions now before the world records review committee:

An IGFA world fly fishing record that has been held for over 27 years by Cory Wells, the leader of the internationally famous hit recording rock group Three Dog Night, may be on the verge of being broken. While fly fishing Beaver Creek, on Bull Shoals Lake in Missouri, USA, Michael Bryan Kyle of nearby Springfield, landed a white bass (Morone chysops) on March 26 weighing 1.7 kg (3 lb 12 oz) using a Duane Doty clouser minnow on 4 kg (8 lb) class tippet. Wells caught his 3 lb 8 oz white bass fly fishing Lake Nacimiento, Calif in 1981. Ironically veteran fishing writer Wayne Shaw of the San Luis Obispo (Calif) Tribune was in the midst of writing a feature on Wells and the long standing world record from the local lake. Wells has been a member of the IGFA for over 30 years and held other fly records. (Photo: white bass -- 08040000)

A number of ladies have been tackling IGFA world records. On holiday fishing Barra do Kwanza, Angola, young angler Lydia Nicolson of Brombrough Wirra, United Kingdom, guided by Cam Nicolson, and using a live sardine for bait, took 20 minutes to land a 46.6 kg (102 lb 11 oz) tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) on Dec. 28, 2007. She has sent her documentation to the IGFA in the female smallfry class category to potentially beat the current record of 86 lb caught in Laguan, San Jose, Carolina, Puerto Rico, Nov. 2005. (Photo: tarpon – 08030051)

Fly fishing for heavier game than the fish found in her home waters of Bozeman, Mont., USA, Dotty Ballantyne, landed a California yellowtail (Seriola lalandi dorslis) off Loreto, Mexico while being guided by Abel Davis. The fish weighed 11.34 kg (25 lb 0 oz) on 8 kg (16 lb) class tippet and took 28 minutes to land. The current women's tippet class record is 8 lb 6 oz recorded in the IGFA records books from the waters of Uncle Sam Band, Baja California in January 2005. (Photo: California yellowtail – 08030053)

DeSoto, Kan. USA angler Joan Vandergriff, guided by Betsy Bullard, while fishing Golfito, Costa Rica, landed a Pacific snook (Centropomus spp.) in 25 minutes on February 13, 2008, weighing 14.23 kg (31 lb 6 oz) on 4 kg (8 lb) class line. The current IGFA women's line class record is 8 lb 8 oz, caught in Isla Coiba, Panama in June 2005. (Photo: Pacific snook – 08030027)

A month later also at Golfito, Costa Rica, Betsy Bullard, now the angler and guided by Abraham Concepcion, landed a Pacific snook (Centropomus spp.) on March 14 weighing 16.98 kg (37 lb 7 oz) on 6 kg (12 lb) class line. She used live threadfin for bait and took 10 minutes to land the fish. The IGFA women's line class record currently stands at 7 lb 9 oz caught in the Galapagos of Ecuador in January 2004. (Photo: Pacific snook – 08030054)

Hoping to beat here own 110 lb whaler shark (Carcharhinidae family) IGFA line class world record set last year on the aptly named Shark River of Flamingo in the Everglades of Florida, USA, Rebecca Wright, Hollywood, Fla., may have more than doubled it. Using a live blue runner for bait she hooked up for a 35 minute fight on 60 kg (130 lb) class line finally bringing her quarry in to weigh-in at 109.34 kg (241 lb 1 oz). Guided by Capt. Jay Wright Jr. she now has over 100 records. (Photo: whaler shark – 08020059)

Using her guide Capt. Tim Klein's TK Special fly, Islamorada, Fla., USA angler Diana A. Rudolph, landed a bonefish (Albula spp.) from her hometown waters January 15, weighing 5.24 kg (11 lb 9 oz). It took the multi-record holder 10 minutes to bring in the trophy fish on 10 kg (20 lb) tippet class. She's hoping to break the current IGFA women's record of 11 lb 2 oz from March, 2002 caught in the same area. (Photo: bonefish – 08030042)

Ms. Jodie L. Johnson, Peterborough, N.H., USA, fly fishing the warm waters of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, this past December 13, landed an almaco jack, (Atlantic) (Seriola rivoliana) weighing 2.04 kg (4 lb 8 oz). Guided by Andrew Parsons she fought the fish for eight minutes using a Clouser fly tied on 3 kg (6 lb) class tippet. She's hoping to beat her own current IGFA women's 2 lb record for the specie, caught last year in the Bahamas. (Photo: almaco jack – 08030001)

Fishing his home waters of Key West, Fla., USA, Tim Coleman, guided by Capt. Al Golinski, landed a gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) on Feb. 23, which weighed 4.99 kg (11 lb 0 oz). He used 6 kg (12 lb) class line and a jig with cut herring for bait. The IGFA men's line class record for the newly added species is vacant. (Photo: gray snapper – 08030010)

Fly fishing the warmer waters of the Seychelles' Cosmoledo Atoll, where he holds several other records, Washington USA's Rockwell Hammond Jr., of Fall City, landed a bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus) on Feb. 18, weighing 2.83 kg (6 lb 4 oz). He hooked the fish using a Dr. Rockbottom fly tied to 2 kg (4 lb) class tippet and fought it for 15 minutes. The current IGFA men's tippet mark for the specie is 6 lb recorded in 2001 (Photo: bluefin trevally – 08030009)

In Tanzania this past Dec. 7, fishing his home waters of Dar es Salaam and using a rainbow runner for bait, Benward Twalibu, landed a dogtooth tuna, (Gymnosarda unicolor), weighing 100.5 kg (221 lb 8 oz) for a pending IGFA men's 37 kg (80 lb) line class record . Guided by Maddalena Martinengo, it took him 45 minutes to land the long running and tough fighting fish. He has hopes of beating the current IGFA men's line class mark of 194 lbs. caught in Kwan-Tall Islands, Kwantall-Do, Korea. (Photo: dogtooth tuna – 08030044)

Escaping the cold weather of Wilton, Conn. USA, for the warmer Atlantic waters off Jupiter, Fla., junior angler Cody Lapnow, guided by Jeff Warshaw, landed an African pompano (Alectis ciliaris) this past February 23. Using goggle-eye for bait and after a 10 minute fight he landed the fish that weighed 19.96 kg (44 lb 0 oz). The current IGFA male junior record is 39 lb 4 oz caught nearly five years ago just north of Jupiter in Port Canaveral, Fla. (Photo: African pompano – 08030035)

Fly fishing the waters of Key West, Florida, USA, Dave Chermanski, of Merritt Island, Fla., guided by Willie Chermanski, landed a cero mackerel (Scomberomorus regalis) on Feb. 26. On his 4 kg (8 lb) class tippet he used his own hand-tied DC Simulator to entice the bite of the fish which weighed 3.8 3kg (8 lb 7 oz). It took him 10 minutes to land. With his documentation he hopes to beat the current IGFA mark of 7 lb 4 oz recorded in 2004 in the same Key West vicinity. (Photo: cero mackerel – 08030022)

Fishing his hometown of Newport, Oregon, USA, angler Todd Pietsch, landed a grass rockfish (Sebastes rastrelliger) on March 30, 2007, weighing 2.89 kg (6 lb 6 oz) to possibly tie the all-tackle record. The current IGFA record fish was caught in the same area earlier that same month. (Photo: grass rockfish - 08030042a)