This 70-pound Wheeler Reservoir, Alabama blue catfish looks nearly as big as angler Robert Malone. It's the 8-pound line class record, collected in April, 2002.
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BIG UGLY RECORD FISH
The following girth-challenged fish are all notable world records compiled by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin (freshwater-fishing.org). David Tilton caught this massive 73-pound, 1-ounce gargantuan bigmouth buffalo in late March, 2004 while fishing Lake Koshkonog in Southern Wisconsin. Tilton caught the huge fish using only 8-pound test line, but it's also the largest of the species on record. Thus Tilton holds the 8-pound test and the all-tackle divisions. This impressive 103-pound alligator gar was landed by Bobby Green from the Sabine River in mid-April, 1988. It's the 16-pound test world record for the species, caught on bass tackle, with a pistol-grip handle rod, no less. This Connecticut River, Massachusetts mirror carp was collected by Roger Pyzocha in May, 1994. It's the heaviest such fish taken in the unlimited line class division, as recorded by the Freshwater Hall of Fame, and weighed 29-pounds, 12-ounces. It takes a heckuva fish to barely fit inside the bed of a full-size pick-up truck. But this 81-pound smallmouth buffalo caught by Dwayne Pavlock from Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas just makes it. Dwayne beat the fish on 20-pound test line for that line class division, in May, 2001. It's the second largest smallmouth buffalo on record, eclipsed only by an 88-pounder. White amur, or grass carp, do a good job of eating just about every piece of grass in a lake. And this 59-pounder certainly has had his share of water salad. The fish was caught by Lee Dayton from Hannen Lake, Iowa in June, 2002. It's the 17-pound test record for the species. Kathy Strook is understandably all smiles with her 30-pound line class record Lake Sturgeon. The fish weighed 136-pounds, 4-ounces, and was landed in September, 2001 from Wisconsin's Yellow River. This 124-pound world record blue catfish was reported to be "about the size of a sixth grader." Caught by Tim Pruitt from the Illinois portion of the Mississippi River, it is a massive beast by any measure. This incredible record catch lake sturgeon on 6-pound test line was made by young Jason Burch in May, 1995. It came from Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada, and weighed an eye-popping 67-pounds, 15-ounces. As ugly fish go, this one's a beauty. It's a 32-pound big head carp, the record for 12-pound test line. Caught by Daniel Fisher, it came from West Virginia's portion of the Ohio River in November, 1997. Michael Eubank holds the 4-pound line record for this 45-pound, 8-ounce oversize bigmouth buffalo. It came from Tennessee's Percy Priest Lake, April, 2006. Fist-size scales are prominent on this prehistoric-looking 47-pound pound mirror carp, held by Gary Johnson. Taken on 8-pound test line, it's the all-tackle record for the species, caught from a West Virginia farm pond in July, 1998. This unusual 49-pound, 8-ounce pallid sturgeon is the 17-pound test and all-tackle record for the species. Robert Carlson caught it in May, 1984 from North Dakota's Missouri River. Tracey Tedrick holds the all-tackle and 12-pound line class record for white amur (grass carp) after catching this 78-pound, 12-ounce giant from the Flint River, Georgia in July, 2003. Roger Pyzocha claims his second Fishing Hall record from Massachusetts' Connecticut River, with this 36-pound, 9-ounce common carp. It was caught in June, 1994.
Everyone loves looking at big fish, truly oversize, gut-swollen monsters. And when they’re just a little on the unsightly side, well, they take on a much more ominous character.
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