"World Record Holder." A nice title, and one most of us fishermen wouldn't mind having tacked on after our name.
But get real. The world-record largemouth bass was caught decades ago and weighed in at more than 20 pounds. Most of us haven't caught bass half that size. The record musky is nearly 70 pounds and many fishermen fish for years just to catch one--of any size.
Well, it may be a lot easier than you think. In fact you, or someone you know, has quite likely already caught a record fish.
I'll explain.
While game fish like bass, pike, and musky get most of the attention, there are other fish in the sea (and lakes and ponds and streams) for which records are kept.
A friend of mine hooked a gizzard shad on the worm he was dangling for a more glamorous species one day. The shad looked to be more than two pounds--easily the largest shad either of us had ever seen--so I suggested he keep it. When we got home, I'd checked the record book and sure enough, in the six-pound line class, the largest gizzard shad ever caught weighed two pounds, four ounces and on a certified scale. Doug's shad weighed two pounds, nine ounces. A new record.
That leads to the another little-known fact about world records. There is an "all-tackle" record (the biggest ever caught on any tackle), but just as there are weight classes for wrestlers and boxers, there are qualifying classes other than "all tackle" for world-record fish.
The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame is the organization that keeps track of the world records caught in inland waters. They recognize entries from four different types of fishing: Rod and Reel, Fly Fishing, Ice Fishing, and Pole/Line/No Reel. In each of these divisions, there are line-strength categories.
For all species there are records tallied for fish caught with line strengths from 2-20 pound test. For large species which are apt to be fished with heavier line, line classes up to 40 pounds may be available.
Recently another major division--catch-and-release--was added to the record book, opening the door to dozens more records. Since catch-and-release records are fairly new, there are line-class divisions for some species yet unfilled. If no one has entered a largemouth bass in the 20-pound line class and you catch one 11 inches long and go to the trouble of entering it, you will be the record holder--for a while anyway.
For three years I've held catch-and-release world record for coho salmon (from fresh water--another division) with an 18-incher caught on 10-pound line. Every summer there are probably a thousand caught which would qualify, but most people don't bother to photograph the fish before releasing it and then take the time to fill out the entry form.
If you want to catch a world-record fish, the first step is to get a current copy of the world record book. (Even if you never score a record it's interesting reading.) The newest edition is available now by sending a check for $7.00 to National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, Box 33, Hayward, WI 54843.
Once you have the book, study the records for the kinds of fish which are common in the lakes and streams you fish. You probably know how big a fish you are likely to encounter--are any of the line-class records at or below that level?
If so, you have a real chance to be a record setter. Simply use the right tackle, the right size line, and hope for the best.
Follow the guidelines for qualifying the fish--there are photos to take, line samples to cut, and witnesses to secure. It isn't easy, but when you put on that jacket which displays the World Record Holder insignia you know you've accomplished a feat 99.9 percent of all anglers will never do--or at least get credit for doing.
Copyright (c) 1996 Mike Schoonveld. All rights reserved.
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