Die-hard anglers love to inform and re-tell the tales of the monster fish that bought away. At Outside Life, we love to inform the tales of the record-breaking fish that didn’t get away. From younger anglers to seasoned file chasers, there was no scarcity of anglers recording noteworthy catches in 2024. With the 2025 fishing season recent earlier than us, we thought we might look again at among the largest record-breaking fish of final yr.
Pending World Report Muskie
Touring angler and world-record chaser Artwork Weston landed and launched a large 57.5-inch muskie from Minnesota’s Lake Mille Lacs in November. Weston, who already has 39 IGFA world information, teamed up with native fishing legend Nolan Spengler (who broke the Minnesota muskie file in 2021) to pursue monster muskies and probably take the all-tackle size file. IGFA rules for size information enable anglers to launch fish after measuring, documenting, and photographing it, permitting the monsters to dwell and struggle one other day. Weston submitted the suitable paperwork to the IGFA in November. If accredited, will probably be the angler’s 79th file ebook entry. Learn the complete story right here.
Seemingly World Report Yellowfin Tuna
North Carolina angler Earl Gill IV landed a 443-pound yellowfin tuna whereas on a 10-day long-range constitution journey out of San Diego in mid-November. He hooked the enormous whereas “chunk” fishing in 150 toes of water. If licensed by the IGFA, Gill’s fish will dethrone the present all-tackle file for yellowfin tuna set in 2012 by Man Yocom. Yocom’s fish weighed 427 kilos and was caught close to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Learn the complete story right here.
Pending World Report Blue Marlin Caught on a Fly
Ian Keinath, a 37-year-old Montana fly fisherman, landed a 106-pound, 8-ounce blue marlin on Sept. 11, 2024, whereas fishing off the coast of Hawaii. He fought the fish for 3 hours utilizing a 12-weight Hardy Marksman fly rod, a Mako 9700 reel, and 12-pound take a look at tipper. It took a number of gaff makes an attempt to get the fish within the boat. If accredited by the IGFA, Keinath’s spectacular catch will substitute the standing 104-pound, 2-ounce fish caught by Enrico Capozzi off the Costa Rican coast in 2007. Learn the complete story right here.
World-Report Sized Carp
Polish angler Kacper Stępień landed a large widespread carp whereas fishing in September in Euro Aqua, a non-public fishing lake and famend carp fishery in Hungary. The monster fish weighed 104.5 kilos, which might simply break the IGFA all-tackle world file set in 1987 by Leo van der Gugten along with his 75 pound, 11 ounce catch. The IGFA remains to be reviewing Stępień’s utility. Nonetheless, many social media critics imagine the fish shouldn’t be thought of for world file standing as a result of it was caught in a non-public lake. Whereas the group does take into account functions for fish caught in personal waters it doesn’t qualify “fish caught in hatchery waters, sanctuaries or small our bodies of water which might be stocked with fish for industrial functions.” Learn the complete story right here.
Potential World-Report Carp Turned to Fertilizer
Stępień wasn’t the one angler to land huge carp in 2024. Missouri angler George Champ additionally caught a monster bighead whereas financial institution fishing the Mississippi River with a crankbait close to St. Louis in March. Champ’s fish weighed 97 kilos and was formally acknowledged because the Missouri state file the identical month. His catch remains to be beneath overview by the IGFA, however it may substitute the present world file bighead, which weighed 90 kilos and was caught by Jeffrey J. Rorex from Guntersville Lake, Tennessee, in 2005. Since they’re thought of an invasive species, the Missouri Division of Conservation encourages anglers to kill the bighead carp they catch. Likelihood turned his into fertilizer. Learn the complete story right here.
Report-Class Blackfin Tuna Wins Huge Payout
Robert Kowalski holds a pending IGFA all-tackle world file for the 50-pound, 1-ounce blackfin tuna he caught in Florida in June. Kowalski, who lives in Chicago, landed the fish throughout Fins Weekend, an annual fundraiser match held by the Miami Dolphins. His catch took first place within the heaviest tuna division, touchdown a $30,000 prize. If accredited, the fish would take the title from the present record-holder, a 49-pound, 6-ounce blackfin caught by Matthew E. Pullen in 2006. Learn the complete story right here.
Pending World-Report Hybrid Bass Caught by Accident
Skilled videographer Michael Kaal was fishing with Tennessee fly-fishing information Patrick Fulkrod in February. After the duo had no luck making an attempt for stripers, they determined to fish for trout when Kaal “by chance” hooked a whiterock bass (a hybrid cross between a white bass and a striped bass). The fish measured 26.38 inches lengthy with a formidable 26-inch girth. After having the 16.1-pound fish weighed on a licensed scale, Kaal and Fulkrod launched it again into the South Holston River. Though Kaal’s fish was disqualified from the IGFA catch-and-release size class as a result of it wasn’t measured with a licensed tape measure, it may set a brand new tippet class weight file. Kaal posted the struggle on his YouTube channel. You may also learn the complete story right here.
Seventh Grader Lands Two Report-Dimension Fish in One Day
In January, Florida 12-year-old Julia Bernstein caught each a state-record cobia and a state-record mangrove snapper whereas fishing the Florida Keys. The cobia, which measured 42 inches and weighed roughly 30 kilos, was launched and may very well be a brand new IGFA all-tackle junior size file, pending utility approval. Regardless of her younger age, Bernstein at present holds 11 IGFA world information. Learn the complete story right here.