FishwithJD

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Virginia lake kicks out 143-lb. pending All Tackle World Record Blue Catfish

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Good news! It's now safe to get back in the water at Kerr Lake!


Small children, dogs and waterfowl can all breathe a collective sigh of relief at Lake Kerr in Virginia now that Jaws has been apprehended!

Just a hair short of a year after Greg Bernal made history with a 130-pound IGFA All-Tackle World Record blue catfish that he pulled from the Missouri River, Richard Nicholas Anderson of Greenville, North Carolina, landed this beast of a blue from Kerr Lake, Virginia. The massive cat weighed in at 143 pounds and qualifies for both the new potential All-Tackle World Record and the men’s 30-lb. line class record.

The big cat sucked in chicken livers (what, not a whole chicken??) and took 45 minutes to land.

Several still missing after charter boat accident in Mexico

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The ERIK capsized over the July 4th Weekend in the Sea of Cortez and several people are still missing.

Mexican and U.S. search teams continue looking for “between five and seven people” missing in the capsizing of the charter fishing boat Erik over the weekend in the Sea of Cortez, Baja California Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna said.

A total of 35 people – 18 tourists and 17 crew members – have been rescued since the shipwreck off San Luis, an island in Baja California, which is in northwestern Mexico.

One person, Leslie Lee, died in the shipwreck, the governor said, without releasing the victim’s nationality.

Read the the whole story HERE

Ramp Inspections: Coming to a lake near you?

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Without proper planning, you could be locked out of your favorite lake...watching the sunrise from the parking lot!


Invasive species like Quagga and Zebra mussels and New Zealand Mud Snails are spreading at a rapid clip to lakes and streams throughout the West, and because of the threat these non-native critters pose to our water ways, you may soon find launching at your favorite lake more of a logistical hassle than ever before.

Local authorities are taking the threat very seriously, as these invaders are a really bad deal. In short, they are filter feeders which can completely alter entire ecosystems by removing phytoplankton from waterways — the stuff from which all other life begins. Also, they clear up the water, allowing sunlight to penetrate deeper, causing a proliferation of aquatic plants that can change species dominance.

To battle these guys, some lakes have completely banned all outside watercraft, while many others are requiring increasingly thorough inspections before you launch. Take one of my favorite fishing spots for example, Lake Tahoe. There, you have to pay for a complete inspection prior to launch (it was $30 for my little 14-foot skiff). Click here to read more…

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

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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.