By Pete
Johnson, Johnson Communications – IGFA PR Counsel

 

Five to take center stage at
International Fishing Hall of Fame

There are a few more tickets left
for the induction ceremony of the ninth class into the International Fishing
Hall of Fame in
Dania Beach, Fla., USA. The induction banquet will
be the highlight of an October 20 – 21 weekend of activities at the
International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

In the spotlight will be the five
member class of 2007 which includes lady fly
angler and instructor Joan
Salvato Wulff,
the dean of outdoor writers Homer Circle, along with Gary
Loomis,
a gentleman who revolutionized rod making and a duo of
extraordinary billfishermen which include Dr. Ruben Jaén and Capt. Peter B. Wright.

Each year the honorees are selected
for the important contributions they have made to the sport of fishing through
angling achievements, literature, the arts, science, education, communications,
inventions or administration of fishery resources.

 Saturday night, Oct. 20th will
feature the hall of fame induction ceremony including
a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner and induction ceremony. 
The
festivities begin at
6 p.m. and
tickets for the evening are $200 per person

Earlier on Saturday and again on
Sunday, additional opportunities will be offered to the public of fishing presentations
given by the IGFA Hall of Famers. On Saturday from
11 a.m. to 1
p.m.
, the five newest inductees will be joined by hall of famers Stu Apte, Mark Sosin, Roland
Martin
and Billy Pate at an IGFA
School of Sport Fishing seminar.

Also on Saturday, there will be
hands-on tips and fishing from the IGFA ponds during the Hall of Fame Family
Fishing Clinics where young and old can learn valuable tips on how to become better
anglers with the expertise and guidance of the IGFA education staff. The
clinics run from
11 a.m. till 2
p.m.
 

Adults on Saturday will be admitted
for half price and children are free. IGFA members are admitted free.
Reservations are not required. Come early as the hall will close at
3
p.m.

On Sunday, Sharkwater, the international award-winning feature-length film and
exhibition will open with showings beginning at
10:15
a.m.
, noon, 1:45 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.  A shark expert will speak twice that day beginning
at
11 a.m. and again at 3
p.m.

The weekend also pays homage to the 65
Hall of Fame members who are currently enshrined including Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey, Curt Gowdy, Ted Williams, Michael and Helen Lerner, Philip Wylie, Johnny Morris,
Don Tyson
and John Rybovich.

            For more information, contact Ms. Lesley Arico at the IGFA, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida 33004   Email: larico@igfa.org, by phone 954-927-2628, or
fax 954-924-4299.

###

 

Sharkwater opens this month at
International Fishing Hall of Fame

            Before its
release to movie theatres across the rest of the nation,
the much acclaimed
documentary Sharkwater; will be
showcased at the IGFA’s International Fishing Hall of Fame with its award-winning
feature length film and exhibition.

            Beginning
October 21 the 90-minute film will be shown four times daily on Saturdays and
Sundays at
10:15 a.m., noon, 1:45 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.   On weekdays the feature will be shown at 3:30 p.m. 
Sharkwater which has won 19 international film awards opens in movie theatres
nationwide in November.

            An interactive and educational
exhibition based around shark conservation will also be featured in the
Museum’s Changing Gallery.  A monthly lecture series featuring local and
national shark experts is also scheduled. 
The film and exhibit at the IGFA will run through March 2008.

            Sharkwater was shot in visually stunning,
high definition video by Toronto, Canada-based filmmaker Rob Stewart.  He takes viewers into the most shark-rich
waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the
world’s shark populations in the
Galapagos Islands off Ecuador and the marine reserves
of
Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Sharkwater began as an underwater adventure but turned into a
beautiful and dangerous journey into the balance of life on earth. With a
lifelong fascination for information on sharks, Stewart debunks historical
stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating
monsters, and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the
seas.

           
For more information please
visit www.igfa.org  or www.sharkwater.com

            The
IGFA’s International Fishing Hall of Fame is located at
300 Gulf Stream Way, off I-95 in Dania Beach next to Bass Pro
Shops.  The hall is open daily from
10
a.m. – 6 p.m.
and is free to IGFA members.  Guest fees are $6 for adults and $5 for
seniors and children ages 3 – 16. The IGFA phone number is 954-927-2628.

###

 

Reservations underway for 24th IGFA
Auction & Banquet

            Reservations are underway
for the 24th Annual IGFA Auction & Banquet on
January
25, 2008
at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida.

            It’s the IGFA’s most anticipated
fundraiser with hundreds of live and silent auction items up for bid. The
evening begins at
6 p.m. and includes a silent
auction, cocktail party, exquisite dinner and the highly anticipated “live”
auction conducted by Ed Phillips of
Houston, Texas

            The night will also feature the
presentation of the IGFA Conservation Awards.

            Renowned marine artist Dave Baroncelli is the event’s featured
artist.  For over 20 years his fine art has graced the walls of famous
sportfishing institutions and the covers of prestigious tournament publications
His offshore experiences, coupled with his understanding of natural marine
wildlife habitat, have propelled Dave into becoming one of the most sought
after marine artists in the world.  His original artwork “Walk the Line”
will be one of the many highlights at the auction and all guests will receive a
signed and numbered limited edition of Dave’s featured piece. 

            Other donations have begun arriving
at IGFA headquarters, including

  • an original
    sculpture by past featured IGFA artist David Wirth,
  • a week for two at
    the fantastic Tropic Star Lodge,
  • a fishing trip in
    the Indian Himalayas,
  • an original Guy Harvey painting,
  • a fishing and quail
    hunting package at Hacienda Las Palmas in
    Mexico,
  • a fishing trip to
    Guinea Bissau,
  • an original bronze
    sculpture by Bill McGlaun,
  • fishing charters,
    rods and reels, tackle, jewelry, international resorts, and more. 

            In addition and beginning the first
week of December, the very popular online portion of the auction will begin on
the IGFA website at www.igfa.org
Check it out as new last-minute donations are added after the “Write-In-Bidder’s
list” has been mailed to IGFA members.

            To make reservations, or for more
information or if you would like to donate to the 24th Annual International
Auction & Banquet, please contact Ms.
Lesley Arico
at (954) 924-4222 or email larico@igfa.org.

###

 

October 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. The IGFA world records
coordinator Rebecca Wright provided
the following information on these 17 recent submissions before the world
records committee.

 

Fly-fishing
the Kobuk River, Alaska, USA, on August 11, Tampa, Fla., USA angler Jim Seegraves, guided by Scott Ravenscroft, landed an inconnu (Stenodus leucichthys), also known as an
Eskimo tarpon, weighing 11.79 kg (26 lb 0 oz) on 10 kg (20 lb) tippet. He used
a clouser minno
w for his fly and took six minutes to bring the fish
under control. Seegraves is hoping to beat his own 23 lb record set in1999 with
the IGFA from the same river. After documenting his catch Seegraves released
the fish which is a member of the salmon family. (Photo: inconnu –  07080070)

 

New Zealand‘s Tineka Scott, of Golden Bay, in Nelson, guided by Kevin Yarwarth, landed a giant trevally
(Caranx ignobilis) June 4 weighing
38.4 kg (84 lb 11 oz) using 15 kg (30 lb) class line. She was fishing Nuku’
alofa,
Kingdom of Tonga, with a Rapala Magnum
for bait. It took her 103 minutes to land the fish which may beat two tied
records of 73 lb 3 oz in 1987 and 2005 in the IGFA record books. (Photo: giant
trevally – 07080075)

 

A
fish with no common name but its Latin origin brachyplatystoma carpapretum was caught by
Valencia, Venezuela IGFA
Representative Antonio Camp G.
Guided by Moises Camico, the fish
was caught January 12, and weighed 32.66 kg (72 lb 0 oz). Bait fishing the
Pasimoni River in Venezuela, Camp fought the fish
for 20 minutes.  It’s being entered for
an all new IGFA All-Tackle world record. (Photo: brachyplatystoma carpapretum –
07080076

 

Doug Cavin, of Wildorado, TX, USA, landed a tiger
muskellunge (Esox masquinongy x Esox
lucius)
on August 20,
weighing 6.58 kg (14 lb 8
oz) on 03 kg (6 lb) class line. Calvin battled the muskie for eight minutes
using a Cabelas spoon on the Blue Water Reservoir in
New Mexico, USA. He hopes to beat the
IGFA line class record of 11 lb set last year in
Lake Luena, Michigan. (Photo: tiger
muskellunge – 07090040)

 

Fishing the Bean Hollow Beach, California, USA
and guided by Robert C. Ingles, Los
Gatos, Calif., angler
Beverly Ann Seltzer, caught and landed a California
halibut, (Paralichthys californicus)
on August 5, 2007.  The halibut weighed
8.16 kg (18 lb 0 oz).  She was using 24
kg (50 lb) class line for the pending IGFA women’s line class record with a
Harry Boos diamond jig. It took her five minutes to land the fish. (Photo:
California halibut – 07090044)

 

Fly-fishing
Barra Do K
wanza, Angola, Dr. Iain Nicolson, of Wirral, Merseyside, United Kingdom, landed a giant African
threadfin (Polydactylus quadrifilis)
on July 21 weighing 39.1 kg (86 lb 3 oz). 
He was guided by Hakan Ekberg
and used an 8 kg (16 lb) tippet. It took Nicolson, IGFA Representative of
Angola an hour and 10 minutes
to land the fish for the pending IGFA men’s fly record which is vacant. (Photo:
giant African threadfin – 07100003)

 

On
August 10, young Padova, Italy angler Giorgia
Barbolini
, guided by Daniele
Benfenati
, landed an Atlantic bonito (Sarda
sarda
) weighing 2.7 kg (5 lb 15 oz) for a potential female smallfry record
which is currently vacant in the IGFA World Record Game Fishes book. She used a
sardine for bait and pulled the fish in after a 10 minute fight while fishing
Italy‘s Northern Adriatic. (Photo: Atlantic bonito
– 07080061)

 

Using
a candlefish jig for bait while fishing the
Gulf of Alaska, on July 8, Steve Kwiat, Anchor Point, Alaska, USA, landed a lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus). Guided by Capt. Scott Hines, he used 2 kg (4 lb)
class line and weighed the fish in at 23.59 kg (52 lb 0 oz). Kwait has applied
for an IGFA men’s line class record for the catch and hopes to beat his own
record set last year at 36 lb in the same area. (Photo: lingcod –07080067)

 

Icelandic
fisherman Skarphendinn Asbjornsson,
of Akureyri, landed a dab (Kliesche)
(Limanda limanda
) on June 28
weighing 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz)
using a herring for bait while fishing Hauganes, Iceland. He’s hoping to
capture the IGFA All-Tackle record for the catch. The current record is 1 lb, 4
oz caught in 1998 in the
East Sea, Kappeln, Germany. (Photo: dab (kliesche)
– 07090005)

 

Theda Little, who has a number
of  IGFA records is hoping for another –
an all new record — in the all-tackle division after catching a flathead sea
catfish (notarias planiceps) on June
7. The Baton Rouge, LA, USA native, guided by Wilba Mendoza Gutierrez, landed the fish
weighing 1.47 kg (3 lb 4
oz) while bait fishing Golfito, Zancudo Lodge, Costa Rica. (Photo: flathead sea
catfish – 07090007)

 

Using
ultra thin 1 kg (2 lb) class tippet while fly fishing Playa Flamingo, Costa
Rica,  Enrico Capozzi, Milan, Italy, guided by Scott Jones, landed a Pacific sailfish, (Istiophorus platypterus) on 
August 18.  He may fill a vacant
IGFA record. The fish weighed 35.46 kg (78 lb 3 oz) and took Capozzi just two
minutes to land.  He used an Allen
Special fly for the possible men’s tippet record. (Photo: Pacific sailfish –
07090012)

 

Yuuma Nishino, Kanagawa, Japan, landed a whitesaddle
goatfish, (Parupeneus ciliatus) on
August 16 weighing .53kg (1 lb 3 oz) for an all new potential IGFA All-Tackle
record. He used cut squid for bait while fishing Nomashi,
Oshima, Japan. (Photo: whitesaddle
goatfish – 07090021)

 

Using
an egg sucking leech fly on 4 kg (8 lb) tippet while fishing Summer Straight,
Alaska, George P. Mann, Opelika,
Alabama, USA, landed a 4.37 kg (9 lb 10 oz) 
pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha).  The fish caught on July 29 took 25 minutes to
land. It may beat the current IGFA record of 8 lb 12 oz set in 2004. (Photo:
pink salmon – 07090036)

 

After
a 15 minute fight,
Gaborone, Botswana angler Bill Staveley, landed a sharptooth
catfish (Clarias gariepinus) on July
29
weighing 4.29 kg (9 lb 7 oz) on 01 kg (2 lb) class line. He
used a worm for bait while fishing
Phakalane, Botswana and released the fish
after measuring and photographing. Staveley holds the current IGFA 6 lb 11 oz
record he set back in 2003.  (Photo:
sharptooth catfish – 07090038)

 

Fishing
Bung Sam Lan Lake, Thailand, John
Merritt
, of Betchworth Surrey, United Kingdom, guided by Kik Panphrapat,
landed a giant pangasius (Pangasianodon
sanit
wongsei)  weighing 29.5 kg
(65 lb 1 oz) on Sept. 8.  He used a lua
mak (stink bait) for the potential IGFA All-Tackle class record. After
documenting he released the fish that took him 20 minutes to catch. The current
record set in 2005 is 56 lb 3 oz. (Photo: giant pangasius – 07090060)

 

Fishing
the coastal waters of Hatteras, N.C., USA, Capt.
Buddy L.
Nolan, Chester, Va., USA,
guided by Capt. Ricky Dale, landed a
almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana)
on  July 14 weighing 11.74 kg (25 lb 14
oz) on 4 kg (8 lb) class line, in 45 min using a Winstead Arrowhead jig.  The current men’s IGFA line class record for
an almaco jack is 24 lb caught in
Key West, Fla., in 2001. (Photo: almaco
jack – 07090001)

 

Gilberto Fernandes, Mao, AM, Brazil, landed a redtail
catfish (pirarara) (Phractocephalus
hemioliopterus
) on September 5, weighing 42.6 kg (93 lb 15 oz) using 6 kg
(12 lb) class line. He was fishing the
Amazon River, Amazon State, Brazil using cutfish for
bait.  It took him 95 minutes to haul in.
He could significantly increase the current IGFA record of 11 lb 11oz which was
set in 2005.  (Photo: redtail catfish
(pirarara) – 07090037)

###

 

Fifth session of School of Sportfishing underway

            The IGFA’s newest School of Sportfishing classes are underway for
the fall season hosting nine more classes through 2007.           

            Launched last year by the IGFA in
association with Saltwater Professional Consulting and Captain Tony DiGiulian, the Tuesday night classes run from
7
– 10 p.m.
, and are taught at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum.

             The two newest classes added
to the curriculum include “Back Country Fishing: Mangroves and Flats,” and “Conquering
Sailfish.” 

             Limited to a class size of 24 anglers the IGFA
School of Sportfishing offers a unique experience for anglers who want to
obtain the skills, information and techniques necessary to maximize their
overall success on the water.

            The remaining fall seminars include:

           

            Included with each course are
printed materials along with the equipment and hands-on instruction where
anglers have a chance to interact and learn from fisherman who they would
usually only see on television or read about in fishing magazines.

            “These anglers and captains are not
only some of the best fisherman in each respective discipline, but are also
willing and able to share their knowledge with you,” said IGFA Adult Education
Coordinator David Matagiese.

            The cost is $100 per class for IGFA
members and $150 each for non-members.  

            For more details visit the website
at www.igfa.org/schoolofsportfishing.asp
to assess which courses are appropriate for specific skill levels. Or contact Matagiese
at 954-924-4247 or via e-mail at dmatagiese@igfa.org,
or Veronica Woods at 954-924-4334 or
via e-mail at reservations@igfa.org
.

—————-

Back-story to the IGFA School of Sportfishing

            What’s it like to attend one of the
popular
School of Sportfishing Classes?

            David Matagiese, the IGFA’s Adult
Education Coordinator, attended a recent class on “Secrets of Dolphin and
Wahoo” and shared his notes and impressions on the evening.  

            Matagiese said:

  • Almost all of the
    attendees walked in as novice fisherman and left knowing how to rig a swimming
    ballyhoo, how to tie a Bimini twist, learned three different trolling
    techniques, and gained knowledge of how long they should stay around a
    debris line if it wasn’t producing, as well as countless “little secrets” from
    Capt. Tony DiGiulian.
  • There were techniques
    and tricks that normally would only be learned through years and years of
    trial-and-error on the water. 
  • Many attendees verbally
    expressed interest in attending more classes after their experience at
    this class. 
  • Until people
    actually come to a class, they can’t comprehend how truly interactive each
    class is.  The instructors ask the attendees questions like, “What
    type of boat do you fish on?” and “Where do you fish out of?”  This
    way, each captain was able to tailor the course to meet everyone’s own
    style and ability.    
  • In class you have
    personal one-on-one time with the instructors where you can ask any number
    of questions. It’s not an instructional DVD or TV show.
  • People from past
    classes have reported their successes on the water have increased ten-fold. 
    Two guys came to the Dolphin/Wahoo class last session after getting
    skunked their last three trips offshore.  They seemed skeptical while
    signing up so I encouraged them to be extra diligent while taking notes
    and paying close attention to what Capt. Tony said.  The next
    weekend, they went offshore and took their class notes with them. They caught
    seven dolphin and two kingfish.  They were shocked at the turnaround.
    From their classroom notes, they knew what hooks to rig their ballyhoo
    with, what lures and colors to troll, where to troll, what to do when they
    found a weed line, plus how to keep fish around the boat. 

      Matagiese
added, “I’ve been fishing my whole life and know how frustrating it is to fill
your tank and spend all day on the water but come home without dinner. 
I’m sure many people have become jaded to the idea of ‘instructional fishing
programs’ but I’m hoping that the excitement people leave the classes with, and
the word-of-mouth generates some serious interest from
South Florida anglers. 

      “We’ve
had an overwhelming response from satisfied customers of the program.”

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