By Pete
Johnson, Johnson Communications – IGFA PR Counsel
Eighth annual IGFA Offshore World Championship
begins
It’s been
called the most prestigious catch-and-release billfish tournament in the world
as anglers on 64 teams from some 30 countries on six continents gather in
Lucas
to compete over four days in the eighth annual IGFA Offshore World
Championship. “The diversity of
countries has increased each year as have the skill levels of the anglers and
teams who are competing,†said IGFA OWC Tournament Director Mike Myatt from
The teams
previously qualified by winning one of 132 IGFA sanctioned tournaments held in
40 countries worldwide during 2006. It’s the single
largest contingent of international teams ever to compete in a fishing
competition converging in one of the world’s most prolific billfish regions.
A total of 17 teams are
registered from the
champions including defending back-to-back 2005 and 2006 winners Tom Schramm of Roselle, Ill., fellow Chicago-land teammate Scott Segal,
There will be 46 teams representing
tournaments in the countries and territories of Angola (3), Australia (3), the
Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda (2), Brazil (2), Canada (2), Costa Rica (2), England,
Italy (4), Jamaica (2), Kenya (2), Kingdom of Tonga, Mexico (5), New Zealand, Panama, Portugal, St. Lucia, Senegal, Spain
(3), Sultanate of Oman, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Vanuatu and
Venezuela.
Anglers on a number of
teams have come from additional countries such as
Each day the
teams will fish on a different boat; all guided by local Cabo captains, for
marlin, sailfish and other billfish species. The top team will win engraved
watches along with trophies and merchandise.
Awards are presented through to the third place finishing team.
Sponsors and partners for the IGFA Offshore
World Championship are Secretaria de Turismo de Baja California Sur, Costa Del
Mar, Hotel Finisterra, Momoi,
Products, Picante Sport Fishing and Yacht Sales, Cabo Yachts, Outdoor Channel, K
D & G Sea Life Masterpieces, Shimano, Hook & Tackle, Murray Products,
AFTCO Bluewater, Bodo Muche, IWS Scales, King Sailfish Mounts, Stidd Systems, Corona
and Modelo S.A. de C.V. Mexico, Trans Cabo Group, API Dock, Daiichi, Minerva’s
Baja Tackle, Pisces Fleet Sportfishing and UltraJewels.
Updated information and
a listing of the registered teams can be found on the IGFA web site at www.igfa.org under the fishing tab on the home
page by clicking on “tournaments.â€
Each morning the daily
results along with photos of the previous day’s round will be posted on the
IGFA’s home page.
###
Shimano, anglers honored at IGFA
World Record Achievement Awards
With
over 3,000 world records caught on its gear, Shimano was honored with the
International Game Fish Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the IGFA’s
Fourth Annual World Record Achievement Awards celebration, April 28th. The
ceremony was held at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in
Other tackle, lure and line
manufacturers were honored based on the number of records their products set in
2006. The event also recognized the 2006 records by men, women, juniors, and professional
captains for the most world records recently published in the IGFA’s 2007 World
Record Game Fishes book.
In accepting the IGFA’s Lifetime Achievement
Award, Robby Gant, Sr. Brand Manager
for Shimano said, “It just amazes me that anglers have caught more than 3,000
IGFA world records using our rods and reels.
I really look forward to sharing this with everyone at Shimano in
directors and management on my next trip to our offices in
Shimano led among the manufacturers
of rods and reels receiving firsts in three categories including saltwater
reels used in world records (153) and reels used in freshwater records (88).
They also took top honors for their rods with saltwater (23) world records and
tied for second (12) with freshwater rods.
Also highlighting this
year’s ceremony was Dr. Martin Arostegui,
astonishing world records and who for the third year in a row, scored a grand
slam as the top male angler for the most world records in freshwater (24), fly
(24) and tied for first for saltwater records (11) caught in 2006. In 2005 Arostegui
was presented the IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award for over 100 world
records. The retired emergency room
physician was also acknowledged for just receiving his 200th world record, the
first person ever to reach that milestone.
For the second year in a
row Ms. Jodie L. Johnson,
records in saltwater and 26 in fly.
Johnson, who raises and trains
hunter and jumper horses said she began fishing only five years ago taking up
the sport to spend more time with her boyfriend. It was half way around the
world that she learned about the IGFA from a South African guide while fishing
in the
challenge of going after record fish and is now approaching over 60 world
records all on fly.
Among junior anglers Heather Harkavy,
division led all juniors capturing 10 records.
Capt. Bobby
McGuiness
of
world records.
Eye-catching hand-carved wooden trophies
in the shape of hooks sculpted by David
Wirth were presented to the top winner by IGFA President Rob Kramer.
(For
the complete story and winners list from the IGFA WRAA please see the IGFA web
site www.igfa.org
– home page: “Latest Newsâ€)
###
Arostegui first to reach 200 IGFA
World Records
Dr.
Martin Arostegui,
angler to reach the International Game Fish Association milestone of 200 world records.
The news came on the eve of the
IGFA’s World Record Achievement Awards banquet where ironically he was
receiving his third consecutive grand slam as the top male angler for the most
world records in freshwater (24), fly (24) and tied for first for saltwater
records (11) caught in 2006.
“Dr. Arostegui’s accomplishment of
achieving 200 world records is truly a remarkable feat,†said IGFA President Rob Kramer. “Through careful planning,
detailed preparation and steadfast perseverance, he has taken world record game
fishing to an all time high.â€
Arostegui surpassed Herb Ratner,
intense pursuit with 181 world records. Through it all he’s also helped set the
standards for fish conservation catching, documenting, photographing and then
safely releasing over 90% of the fish.
Last year he received
international attention from the news media for his largest fish, a 385 lb
lemon shark caught on fly off
Into the hour long fight, as he
muscled the fish next to the boat, Arostegui said the dangerous and toothy
shark attacked the hull of Capt. Ralph
Delph’s 29′ craft.
“When it opened its huge mouth, I
said to myself this shark could eat half of me in one bite,†joked the retired
emergency room doctor who stands 5 ft. tall and weighs 125 lbs.
Caught on 12 lb tippet which over-tested at the IGFA world records lab
by one pound the record was moved up to 16 lb tippet, but it was still the
largest fish ever caught on fly.
The year before Arostegui caught a
247 lb lemon shark on 8 lb tippet, another record that he believes will
probably be in the record books for a long time.
Over this decade Arostegui began
traveling the world catching some obscure, unusual and frankly “ugly†fish such
as the giant snakehead in
trahira in
teeth, fly-fished the deep-waters of
rockfish, and targeted alligator gar in
“Some of my friends make fun of me
for catching all these weird fish,†smiled Arostegui. “Most of my buddies’
primary focus is the snook and tarpon. I’ve caught a lot of those and like
catching them. But after catching so many I said I need to find new challenges
and weird things to learn about. I kind of have a challenge of catching them on
a fly rod.â€
(For the complete
feature story with photos of Marty Arostegui’s 200 world record achievement please
see the IGFA web site www.igfa.org
– home page: “Latest Newsâ€)
###
May Hot Catches
Here are the monthly highlights from
the world records department of the International Game Fish Association of
selected documented fish catches made across the globe submitted for world
records. IGFA world records coordinator Rebecca Reynolds-Wright provided
the following information on these recent submissions of eleven potential
records before the world records committee.
A
potential ne
fishing in Phucket, Thailand, landed and documented his catch of a yello
oz). (Photo: yello
Cheryl Duncan, Costa Mesa, California,
USA, may have broken a 30 year old IGFA record after catching a Pacific bonito
(Sara chiliensis lineolatus)
oz ) on 03 kg (6 lb) class line off Punta Bunda, Baja, Mexico. She was trolling a lure and it took her 15
minutes to land the fish. The current
mark is 6 lb 0 oz recorded
Murdo Gunn, nearly tripled the
current world record for a meagre (Argyrosomus,
spp) he landed while bait fishing in
land the fish which weighed 41.40 kg (91 lb 4 oz) using 27 kg (80 lb) class
line. The current IGFA record is 33 lb 1 oz caught
31, 2005
A
day trip for Dr. Julie Ball,
she landed a tautog (Tautoga onitus)
in 10 minutes,
class. She was bottom fishing a
is 10 lb 4 oz recorded
07040000)
Another
angler that found bottom fishing productive though a little further away from
home was William Earl Donnell Jr.,
oz). He was fishing
current all tackle record 37 lb 7 oz
Ten
year old Jonluc Proud, of War
a zander (Sander lucioperca) weighing
1.13 kg (2 lb 8 oz) while bait fishing Grand Union Canal, England. He hopes to
fill the vacant male smallfry category. (Photo: zander – 07040004)
While
fly fishing Ichika
oz). The current IGFA record for 4 kg (8 lb) tippet is 9 lb 15 oz. (Photo: snakehead – 07040014)
It
took Dr. George Bogen three minutes
to bring in an unusual catch of a false jacopever (Sebastes capensis) that may produce an all new all-tackle record
at .94 kg (2 lb 1 oz). The
drift fishing in
– 07040018)
Another
potential new all tackle record may be
in the hands of Deborah S. Krick,
oz) while fishing
Drift
fishing offshore
Eilertson,
of
(Scomberomorus cavalla) in 20 minutes
weighing 34.01 kg (75 lb 0 oz). The catch could possibly tie the current M-15
kg (30 lb) line class caught
A vacant line in the IGFA World Record
Game Fishes Book may have an entry after the catch of an arawana (Osteoglossum
bicirrhosum) by Dr. Gilberto
Fernandes, Mao,
weighing 2.88 kg (6 lb 6 oz) in 10 minutes on 01 kg (2 lb) line class, fishing
###
The IGFA Inshore World Championship
increases with qualifying tournaments in fifth continent
As the lineup of pre-registered
anglers continues to grow for the upcoming seventh annual IGFA Inshore World
Championship this summer, the list of qualifying tournaments has also increased
with new qualifying sanctioned tournaments for 2008 in
country on the continent that has added a qualifier with The Pike Challenge,
June 8 – 10 in Ornskoldsvik.
Tournament director Johan Pettersson said
the event will be an all release contest for Northern pike, bringing to nearly
60 tournaments on five continents that are qualifiers for the popular fly and
light tackle IWC competition.
A Redbone tournament, the A.C.A. Red Dragon Redbone in
and rainbow trout, was added earlier this year.
“The interest is growing among tournament
directors worldwide wanting to become an IGFA sanctioned qualifying event. It’s
a prestigious element to their tournament for the winners to receive
invitations to this world class competition,†said IGFA IWC tournament
coordinator Denise Hartman.
“Besides the tournaments here in
the
tournaments in
of Australia and
This year’s “super bowl†of light tackle
and fly fishing will take place July 8 – 11.
For the seventh straight year
location for the three-day catch-and-release championship event.
Some 30 winners or top tournament
designates of over 50 IGFA qualifying tournaments held around the globe in
2006 have already signed on to compete in the championship. Each will draw for
a different Keys guide fishing for tarpon, bonefish, permit, snook
and redfish.
For the latest details, go to the
IGFA web site at www.igfa.org and select the fishing tab
on the home page and click on “tournaments.†For questions regarding the IGFA
IWC, contact Ms. Hartman at 954-927-2628 or dhartman@igfa.org
###
The IGFA to
host 2008 World Recreational Fishing Conference
Representatives from around the
globe will next year be hosted by the International Game Fish Association
Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum at the 2008 World Recreational Fishing Conference
(WRFC).
The conference will be
held Nov.10th – Nov. 13th.
According to IGFA Conservation
Director Jason Schratwieser, the
purpose of the WRFC is to provide an international forum for the recreational
fishing community.
“The conference will target the
tackle industry, angling tourism, as well as representatives from non
governmental organizations and fisheries science and management. Topics will
include historical and recent trends in participation, emerging fisheries,
recreational fisheries science and management, socioeconomics, and catch and
release.â€
Full details and the WRFC website
are forthcoming. For information on the
conference or sponsorship opportunities email Schratwieser or Emily Collins at
wrfc@igfa.org.
###
IGFA Volunteer to be honored
Dan
Rowlands an IGFA volunteer since the spring of 1999 will be honored May
23rd at the Volunteer Broward’s Heart of the Community Event,
After retiring Rowlands came to the
IGFA to volunteer his time, said IGFA Volunteer Coordinator Jessica Arb.
“Each Thursday over those nine years
he has tied knots, operated the fishing simulators, guided tours, fixed
displays, trained new volunteers, and shared the joys of sport fishing
with IGFA Hall of Fame and Museum visitors, always with absolute patience
and kindness. His dedication and perseverance though the years has truly
stood out amongst our senior volunteers,†she added.
Rowlands will be featured among
hundreds of other
outstanding dedication to their organizations.
The ceremony begins at
For more information, please contact
Ms. Arb at 954-924-4340 or email: jarb@igfa.org.
###
IGFA Education Department hosts numerous
events
This spring the IGFA Education
Department conducted a wetlands teacher workshop teaching 40 elementary to high
