Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/641958
W ant to catch a world-record fish? It might be easier than you think. That is if you think it's impossible. No, it's not necessarily an effort- less accomplishment, but it doesn't have to be 'one-in-ten-million casts' either. The International Game Fish Association maintains the list of world records for all those finny creatures that breathe through gills. The IGFA was created in 1939 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to gamefish con- servation and research. Its records include an extensive range of categories for both saltwater and freshwater fish. So while there are tens of thousands of largemouth bass anglers with hearts aching for a 24-pounder, there are a lot of other world records swimming around relatively unnoticed. From the Acara paragaio to the Volga Zander, there's a fish out there waiting for you to snatch it up from its watery environs and establish your place in the annals of angling. And while there are records from Andorra to Zimbabwe and all points in between, you don't have to go around the world to find one. For instance, the current world-record Alfonsino was caught off Norfolk, Virginia. You may have caught an Alfonsino larger than the current record of 8 pounds 5 ounces, but you just didn't know it. You may not have even known that you were holding an Alfonsino. To try to get a grasp of the breadth of opportunities to catch a world record, I chatted with IGFA World Records Coordinator Jack Vitek. Jack grew up in central Florida, before moving to South Florida. This exposed him to some of the best freshwater and saltwater fishing in the country. These days, he spends most days at the IGFA headquarters in Dania Beach, near Fort Lauderdale, helping anglers get into the record book. "The All Tackle category is the largest and most inclusive," Vitek says. "It includes 1,372 species, with popular species like the largemouth bass and blue marlin, down to the most obscure ones. "The All Tackle category includes the heaviest fish," Vitek continues, "regardless of line weight. As long as the fishing line is two pound to 130 pound, its considered within the guidelines." On the other hand, the Game Fish category includes 231 fresh and saltwater species, and is divided into sub-categories based on line and tippet weights, as well as gender and age. "The allowed weight of a line is based on the species," explains Vitek. "For instance, a blue marlin might be caught using the maximum 130-pound line, while a bluegill is on the lower end of the line scale." When asked what records are most often broken, Vitek says it fluctuates. "Occasionally, we'll add a new species to the Game Fish Category," he explains, "and that stirs an increase in participation for that particular fish, because it's wide open with a ton of vacancies." So what kind of angler has the best odds of entering a world-record fish these days? "In 2014, we separated the Freshwater Game Fish category—men's and women's," Vitek says. "Until that point, most of the records were held by males. So what that did was create a whole lot of openings for female The IGFA lists more than 7,000 world records and many of these are vulnerable to being broken. It'll just take dedication, and lots of luck. S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 8 1 Larry Chesney i s h i n g F lfred C. Glassell Jr. caught this 1,560-pound black marlin in 1953 off the coast of Peru. It still reigns as the All-Tackle world record. A