This edition of IGFA Hot Catches features four potential world record catches from around the world. Catches include: a California yellowtail from Mexico, a beautiful southern bluefin tuna from New Zealand, a trophy walleye from Canada, and a huge amberjack from Japan, that could become the biggest ever recorded by the IGFA.
Japanese angler Tadashi Yamanaka recently landed an enormous 74 kg greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) that could possibly become the new All-Tackle World Record. Yamanaka caught the massive AJ while bottom fishing with squid off of Tokyo, Japan on June 22nd. Once hooked, the notoriously hard-fighting amberjack put up a tough 20 minute fight that tested the heavy tackle gear Yamanaka was using. If approved, the catch would replace both the existing All-Tackle record which stands at 71.15 kg, as well as the men’s 60 kg line class record which stands at 64.41 kg.
Canadian angler Jason Auld currently holds the All-Tackle (Length) record for walleye, with a 77 cm fish he caught early in 2015. That record may not stand for long, as Auld surpassed his current record on June 11th with a 79 cm fish that he pulled out of St. Mary’s Reservoir in Alberta, Canada. Auld needed only a few minutes to subdue the fish after hit the lure he was casting. Once landed, the fish was quickly documented, measured, and released alive.
While fishing off Mexico’s Baja Peninsula on June 5th, angler Chris Wheaton caught and released what could become the new All-Tackle (Length) record for California yellowtail (Seriola lalandi). Wheaton was working a simple metal jig from a small panga-style boat when the yellowtail hit. After a 10 minute fight on 15 kg tackle, Wheaton was able to boat the fish and quickly document it, before releasing it back into the water. If approved, the 102 cm fish will beat the existing record by 5 cm.
Kiwi angler Donna Pascoe – who set the All-Tackle record for Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) last year – recently submitted another potential world record tuna, but this time for southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii). Pasoce was fishing aboard the Gladiator off New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island on August 10th, when they received word that the southern bluefin were nearby. After repositioning the boat, spotting whales, and deploying their spread, it wasn’t long before Pascoe’s Shimano Tiagra 80W reel started screaming. After a relatively short fight of about 15 minutes, the fish was leadered and brought aboard. The fish officially weighed in at the Whitianga weigh at 80.54 kg – heavy enough to qualify Pascoe for the potential new women’s 60 kg line class record.