A 15 year-old IGFA all-tackle record may be broken by Medellin, Columbia angler Alejandro Linares, who landed a caranha pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) this past September 28. He used a spinner and spent 40 minutes to land the fish weighing in at 10.21 kg (22 lb 8 oz) while fishing the boulder banks of the Rio Tarija in Bolivia. The current IGFA record is 21 lb 2 oz (9.58 kg), caught in1993 on the Parana River in Paso de la Patria, Argentina.

A day after she caught what may become an IGFA record for a Pacific jack crevalle, Kamila Hampl, Cartago, Costa Rica, guided by Capt. Bobby McGuinness, landed a mullet snapper (Lutjanus aratus) on October 14, weighing 1.75 kg (3 lb 13 oz) on women’s 2 kg (4 lb) class line. The angler and guide were fishing the waters off Golfito, CR. Like she did previously with the jack, she enticed the snapper with a live sardine and took an hour and 15 minutes to reel it in. The current IGFA women’s line class record for the mullet snapper is 2lb 12oz ( 1.27kg), caught on October 24, 2003, also off Golfito.

Dave Chermanski, Merritt Island, Fla., USA, may beat a decade old IGFA record after catching a redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) fly-fishing Florida, USA’s Econlockhatchee River using 4 kg (8 lb) tippet. He landed the fish weighing .71kg (1 lb 9 oz) on a DC Gilinator fly Nov. 27. The current IGFA fly record is 1 lb 0 oz (.45 kg), caught on Sept. 30, 1998 in Leechburg, Penn., USA. 

One multi-record holder on the continent of South America may beat the record of another prolific angler in Asia after catching an arawana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) which inhabits the fresh waters of both regions.  With 4 kg (8 lb) class line, Gilberto Fernandes, Mao, AM, Brazil, guided by Edson Alexandre, landed the surface swimming fish on Nov. 1, weighing 4.52 kg (9 lb 15 oz).  The hard-fighting fish took Fernandes six minutes to land using a Borboleta plug, while fishing Lago dos Reis, Brazil. The current IGFA record is 9 lb 11oz (4.4 kg) caught on 12/25/2007 Ratchaburi, Thailand. A member of an ancient family of fish the arawana is found within the continents of Africa and Australia as well.

Brazil may also be the setting for another arawana record; the IGFA All-Tackle. Brazilian angler Johnny Hoffmann, of Sorriso, MT, landed a huge one this past Sept. 6, weighing 11.5 kg (25 lb 5 oz) while fishing the Rio Camaiu, in Brazil. The current record is 11 lb 2 oz ( 5.04 kg), caught on Nov. 3, 2007, from the Araca River in Brazil.

Just two ounces may be what young Japanese angler Yuuma Nishino, needs to beat an IGFA All-Tackle record for landing a utsubo (Gymnothorax kidako) weighing 3.05 kg (6 lb 11 oz). Nishino of Kanagawa, caught the eel like fish on November 23, using cut bait, while fishing waters of Akazawa, Ito., Japan. The current IGFA record is 6 lb 9 oz ( 3 kg), caught on April 29 of last year.

Another IGFA All-Tackle record also taken from Japanese waters may be in store for Takashi Odagiri, of Chiba, after landing a scarlet snapper (Etelis radiosus) on Nov. 3. Guided by Kazushi Kinjo, while fishing Yonaguni Iz., Odagiri caught the fish weighing 11.8 kg (26 lb 0 oz) using amberstripe scad and landing it in 10 minutes. The current IGFA record is 23 lb 12 oz (10.8 kg), caught on March 30, 2003, in Amami-oshima Kagoshima, Japan.

Guided by Capt. Kirby LaCour while fly-fishing Bay Long, La., USA, angler Fred Baruth, Colorado Springs, Colo., USA, landed a red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) on December 2. Baruth was using a B 3 fly tied to 2 kg (4 lb) tippet to catch the fish which weighed in at 13.15 kg (29 lb 0 oz). The current IGFA men’s tippet record is 28 lb 0 oz (12.7 kg), caught on Dec. 11, 2006, from the waters off Hopedale, La.

Using thin fishing line James H. Sheffield, of Midlothian, Va., USA, guided by Bruce Henderson, landed a striped bass (Morone saxatilis) weighing 20.01 kg (44 lb 2 oz).on Nov. 29, With 2 kg (4 lb) line and a live eel, fishing an area near Kepetopike, Virginia, Sheffield was able to delicately wrestle the fish to the scales. The current IGFA men’s 4 lb line class record is 40 lb 8 oz (18.37 kg), caught on May 25, 1985 from Cape Cod Bay, Mass., USA.

With a chartreuse jig tied to 3 kg (6 lb) class line while fishing the Salt River near Bridger, Wyoming, USA, Florida angler Dennis Triana, of Homestead, landed a tiger trout (Salmo trutta x Salvelinus fontinalis) weighing1.81 kg (4 lb 0 oz) on October 18. The current IGFA record is 2 lb 0 oz (.91 kg), caught on August 12, 2007 from Utah’s Forsyth Reservoir.

Very nice cat in all of the pict's.