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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
World-record catch in South Canterbury canal
By Anna Sargent of RNZ After 30 minutes battling a river monster in Ōhau Canal, Aussie angler Paul Rahman decided to take matters into his own hands - literally. It was after midnight. The sun had long hidden behind the Southern Alps and the chill of autumn hung in the air. But Rahman did not hesitate as he dived into the canal in South Canterbury to drag out the massive brown trout on the end of his line. Cold, wet, and victorious, he had no idea he had just made a world record catch. The trout weighed 17.75kg and has been recognised by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) as the heaviest brown trout caught on a 4kg line. "I knew when it hooked the trout it was big," Rahman said, of his 15 April catch. "Had to just keep running and pulling the line, because you're fishing such a light line on such a big fish you've got no control out of it. Even the last ten minutes, when the fish was completed buggered, it was just hard to turn in the current. They do jump a lot as well at night." As he struggled to bring it ashore, he called for his friend to help. "I had my friend with me and I said to him it's a big fish, when we had it closer into the bank he said 'It's not that big I don't know what took you so long to bring it in'... I said to him to jump in the water and nab it. But he wouldn't jump in so I gave him my rod and virtually dived on it and got it out," he said. Rahman, who lived in Melbourne, had travelled regularly to Twizel to fish for more than a decade. He was first drawn to Ōhau Canal by rumours of large trout swimming there. "We do a lot of night fishing for the big brown trout, so we'll find fish in the water [during the day] and then come back later on... Sometimes it might take the first cast and other times it might take hours. It's very effective but can be very frustrating," he said. The canal could be tough to catch fish in, Rahman said. "Most of our fishing is between 8pm and 4am. All those big browns come out on the edges and they start feeding." He recorded the weight of the massive fish on his IGFA-certified scale before releasing it. "I don't really eat big trout and I've already got a couple of big fish on the wall mounted," he said. It took months before the record was made official, Rahman said. Fish and Game Central South Island chief executive Steve McKnight said it was great to hear a record brown trout had come out of Ōhau Canal. "It's really cool to see another record come out of the canals. The current all-tackle world record brown trout was caught in the Ōhau Canal as well in 2020, and that weighed in at about 20.1 kg, so another big one," McKnight said. He said the Ōhau Canal is part of the Mackenzie Basin hydro canal system and it is recognised as a world-class trophy trout fishery. "There's rumours of a 50 pounder up there that's been caught. No one has recorded or verified it, we anticipate that there'll be a 50 pound fish that will be caught and made an official record at some stage." McKnight encourages people to get out there and keep searching for him.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Aussie bags world-record trout in Twizel
By Anna Sargent of RNZ After 30 minutes battling a river monster in Ōhau Canal, Aussie angler Paul Rahman decided to take matters into his own hands - literally. It was after midnight. The sun had long hidden behind the Southern Alps and the chill of autumn hung in the air. But Rahman did not hesitate as he dived into the canal in South Canterbury to drag out the massive brown trout on the end of his line. Cold, wet, and victorious, he had no idea he had just made a world record catch. The trout weighed 17.75kg and has been recognised by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) as the heaviest brown trout caught on a 4kg line. "I knew when it hooked the trout it was big," Rahman said, of his 15 April catch. "Had to just keep running and pulling the line, because you're fishing such a light line on such a big fish you've got no control out of it. Even the last ten minutes, when the fish was completed buggered, it was just hard to turn in the current. They do jump a lot as well at night." As he struggled to bring it ashore, he called for his friend to help. "I had my friend with me and I said to him it's a big fish, when we had it closer into the bank he said 'It's not that big I don't know what took you so long to bring it in'... I said to him to jump in the water and nab it. But he wouldn't jump in so I gave him my rod and virtually dived on it and got it out," he said. Rahman, who lived in Melbourne, had travelled regularly to Twizel to fish for more than a decade. He was first drawn to Ōhau Canal by rumours of large trout swimming there. "We do a lot of night fishing for the big brown trout, so we'll find fish in the water [during the day] and then come back later on... Sometimes it might take the first cast and other times it might take hours. It's very effective but can be very frustrating," he said. The canal could be tough to catch fish in, Rahman said. "Most of our fishing is between 8pm and 4am. All those big browns come out on the edges and they start feeding." He recorded the weight of the massive fish on his IGFA-certified scale before releasing it. "I don't really eat big trout and I've already got a couple of big fish on the wall mounted," he said. It took months before the record was made official, Rahman said. Fish and Game Central South Island chief executive Steve McKnight said it was great to hear a record brown trout had come out of Ōhau Canal. "It's really cool to see another record come out of the canals. The current all-tackle world record brown trout was caught in the Ōhau Canal as well in 2020, and that weighed in at about 20.1 kg, so another big one," McKnight said. He said the Ōhau Canal is part of the Mackenzie Basin hydro canal system and it is recognised as a world-class trophy trout fishery. "There's rumours of a 50 pounder up there that's been caught. No one has recorded or verified it, we anticipate that there'll be a 50 pound fish that will be caught and made an official record at some stage." McKnight encourages people to get out there and keep searching for him.
Miami Herald
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Father and son set records catching rare fish off NC's Outer Banks, state says
A father and son beat astronomical odds when they caught rarely encountered fish on the same day, both setting state records, according to North Carolina officials. Jody Hopkins and his son Oden Hopkins made the record-setting catches on July 13 as they were fishing in the Atlantic Ocean off the Outer Banks, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries reported in a July 30 news release. 'Jody Hopkins of Grimesland has had a great year, landing his second state-record fish. Hopkins first established a state record for Bulleye in June and has now established a record for Channel Scabbardfish,' the division said. 'Oden Hopkins is not far behind, following in his dad's footsteps and landing his own record-setting Spinycheek Scorpionfish.' There was no previous state record for either species, in part because they are rarely encountered. In the case of Channel Scabbards, which resemble silvery swords, experts aren't even yet sure how big they can get, according to FishBase. 'The Channel Scabbardfish, landed by Jody Hopkins, weighed 7 pounds, 3.2 ounces, measured 60 inches total length (from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail), and had a 10.25-inch girth,' the state says. 'The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) current World Record is 9 pounds, 9 ounces and was landed in the Bahamas in 2023. This is one of only a few dozen recorded observations of this species in the Western Atlantic.' Oden Hopkins' catch was a 20.63-inch Spinycheek Scorpionfish, which weighed 4 pounds, 6.4 ounces, officials said. It 'unofficially' ties the International Game Fish Association's world record, which was caught off the Virginia coast in 2015, the state said. Scorpionfish have spines that are venomous, which can result in 'painful and dangerous' stings to anglers, the state noted. 'Anglers should handle any species of scorpionfish with care,' officials said. The duo was jigging 33 miles off Ocracoke in nearly 700 feet of water when they made their catches, state officials said. Both were 'using a torpedo jig, a Dragon Strike DSC-633 rod and a Gomexus SX450L reel with 30-pound line and a 50-pound leader,' officials said. 'The Channel Scabbardfish was later taken to the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Headquarters in Morehead City for identification,' the division said. 'Biologists, in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh, were able to identify, photograph, and take genetic samples from the fish, which will be donated to the museum's permanent specimen collection.' Ocracoke is about a 200-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Forbes
Alaska, Florida, Delaware Are Top 3 States For Fishing, New Study Says
A fisherman kneels with a 24-pound inconnu caught at the Pah River in 1986 in Alaska, which, according to new research, is the best state to go fishing. (Photo by International Game Fish Association via Getty Images) Getty Images Alaska is the best state to go fishing, followed by Florida and Delaware, according to new research by a fishing industry company. Alaska has the longest coastline of any state — nearly 33,900 miles — and more than 94,000 square miles of freshwater, says FishingBooker, which conects fishers to guides and charter boat trips. FishingBooker ranked the quality of fishing in 50 states based on 17 criteria, including water access, number of marinas, number of bait and tackle shops, affordability, fisher reviews and charter availability. Nearly 60% of Alaskans hold a fishing license, 'which speaks volumes about the amazing fishing locals and visitors enjoy,' FishingBooker says. The state is 'a salmon mecca where you can chase all five species of Pacific salmon, along with barndoor halibut and some of the biggest rockfish you'll find anywhere.' A swordfish is brought aboard near Islamorada, Florida, a state that's No. 2 in the country for fishing, new research says. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) Getty Images Florida ranks No. 2 'and is synonymous with supreme saltwater fishing,' FishingBooker says. 'The Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico hug over 8,400 miles of coastline, with more game fish in these crystal clear waters than we can count.' Ranking No. 3, Delaware 'has equally good freshwater and saltwater action,' says FishingBooker, which calls itself the world's largest online travel fishing company. 'Whether you cast your line in one of the numerous inland watersheds, the productive Delaware Bay or the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, you won't be disappointed. Bass, crappie and muskellunge are the most common freshwater catches. In the saltwater realm, striped bass, flounder, black seabass, sharks and bluefin tuna are on the menu.' Michigan ranks No. 4 for fishing, and Wisconsin and Minnesota tie for No. 5. Michigan provides access to four of the five Great Lakes, 'which makes it the nation's epicenter of freshwater fishing,' FishingBooker says. More than 40% of the state 'is covered in water, spanning more than 40,000 square miles.' Some of Michigan's most popular catches are walleye, trout, salmon, bass, northern pike and muskellunge. Wisconsin has Lake Superior to its north, Lake Mic higan to the east and thousands of lakes and streams. Catches include coho salmon, rainbow w alleye, pike, bass and perch, and, in winter, there's ice fishing for crappie, lake trout and yellow perch. Minnesota, known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, is one of the world's best places for muskellunge, walleye and northern pike and one of the best ice fishing destinations, FishingBooker says. This is the third year FishingBooker has researched the quality of fishing in all 50 states. The company noted that New Jersey dropped from No. 21 in 2024 to No. 28 this year. 'There's no question that New Jersey offers some phenomenal angling, especially along the Atlantic Coast,' says Vukan Simic, the CEO of FishingBooker. 'But with lower scores in affordability and fishing infrastructure, the data shows that the state isn't competing as well as it used to. FishingBooker's research points out that 15 of the 25 states with the lowest rankings are landlocked. That compares with six landlocked states among the 25 states with the highest rankings.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Fisherman stunned after reeling in monstrous, record-breaking fish: 'It's incredible'
A skilled angler has landed what is likely to be confirmed as a record-setting bighead carp, according to Wired2Fish. The catch was made by Bryan Baker in Oklahoma's Grand Lake o' the Cherokees. The tally for the bighead carp was 118 pounds and 10 ounces. While the catch weight is awaiting official confirmation, that beats the previous state record of 118 pounds and 3 ounces, which was also made by Baker, and Wired2Fish argued it could even be considered a world record. According to the outlet, since Baker "snagged" the fish, meaning impaled it rather than caught it using a traditional hook and line, it cannot be registered as an official world record with the International Game Fish Association. Snag fishing is encouraged in the area, though, to keep the populations under control. Carp are classified as invasive, making them a useful target for fishermen. The fish are known to feed voraciously on phytoplankton. This is useful in areas overrun with plankton, which was the primary reason for the original introduction of the fish to the area. However, carp feeding on plankton can quickly lead to ecosystem collapse when there's no plankton left for other species. The problem has gotten big enough in the Mississippi River Basin that it has spawned an interagency effort to combat the invasion, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explained. Another similar initiative is underway around the Great Lakes. This is a classic story of invasive species. They are usually moved by humans into new areas, where wildlife may not encounter the same checks and balances as their native habitat. This allows invasive species to outcompete local natives, monopolizing resources like food and space. This leads to a decline in biodiversity and ultimately carries hundreds of billions in economic costs annually around the world. While Baker's specialized targeting of carp is good news for reducing populations of an invasive species, his use of sonar to do so has its own ecological costs, as The Conversation noted. Sonar produces significant noise pollution underwater, which can disorient all animal life in the area. That noise can dissuade fish from feeding or breeding in an area, introduce difficulties in offspring learning survival skills, and hamper an animal's ability to avoid predators. Baker remained highly impressed with the work done by state biologists on the carp he caught. They extract a bone in the fish's ear canal to determine a wealth of information. "Biologists can take the otoliths and, by looking at growth rings, they can tell how old a carp is," Baker said, per Wired2Fish. "It's sort of like reading the growth rings of a tree trunk. They can even learn what rivers a fish was in during its lifetime. It's incredible what the Oklahoma fishery folks are doing. There are some very smart people doing this work." Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
