FishwithJD

The web's best fishing magazine

Giant 264-lb. Convict Grouper smashes current IGFA World Record!

By 7 Comments

What happens when you cross a rockfish with a Mini Cooper...


There are two very impressive statistics relating to this enormous Convict Grouper taken by Koji Yoshida on a live amberstripe scad off Okinawa, Japan. First off, the leviathan weighed in at 264 pounds, 8 ounces, which is a whopping 126 pounds heavier that the current IGFA All-Tackle World Record for the species!!

Perhaps even more eye-popping is the the fact that Yoshida whipped the fish in a lightning-quick 8 minutes! Dude’s got some skills…especially when you look at the gear he was using. Pretty light stuff, all things considered!

Barring any issues with the paperwork, this fish should be soon recognized as the largest Convict Grouper ever taken on rod and reel.

260-lb. world record catfish duped by kernel of corn!

By 9 Comments

The happy angler (left) & some pals with catzilla


So, just what did Welsh angler Martin David Kent catch this newly-approved IGFA All-Tackle World Record, 260-pound Mekong catfish on in Thailand? A 10-pound live minnow? Live goat? A Thanksgiving turkey? A small child? Nah…how about just a single kernel of sweet corn!

Crazy, huh?

The 7 footer fought for 55 minutes and was released back into the lake on Gillham’s Fishing Resort. Apparently, mekongs to over 600 pounds have been caught in nets, so there just may be another record out there. Rumor has it that you should try soaking two pieces of corn for the really big ones…

Jurassic Sunfish!!

By Leave a Comment

Robert Lawler with his giant redear sunfish...we're sure he was happier about the potential record catch than he's letting on! (IGFA photo)

In a perfect world, you’d be a zillionaire, you’d look like Brad Pitt, you would be dating three Victoria’s Secret Models at the same time…and all the panfish in your backyard pond would be this size!

This mammoth…and I do mean mammoth readear sunfish was caught last month in Lake Havasu by Robert Lawler of Lake Havasu City, Arizona who was fishing with a Berkley Power Worm. The beastly panfish tipped the scales to 5 pounds, 7 ounces and looks like it will tie the existing All-Tackle IGFA World Record for the species (pending application).

But let’s get back to that little fantasy thing again. So, if all the bluegill in your pond were this big, just imagine the size of the largemouth that would be eating them…

New Utah Record Cutthroat Trout!

By 7 Comments

Curtis Robinson released this 31½-inch cutthroat trout at Utah's East Canyon Reservoir


Talk about a great way to shake off Cabin Fever! Curtis Robinson caught this massive 31½-inch cutthroat trout at East Canyon Reservoir and it’s being recognized as the largest cutthroat trout ever caught and released in Utah.

It’s great that Robinson released the fish and what’s also very cool is that he caught it on a homemade marabou jig.

Read the whole story in Brett Prettyman’s column in the Salt Lake Tribune