Vagner's efforts were rewarded in the form of a 154 kg (339 pound, 8 ounce) beast that took him nearly two hours to land, after eating the live baitfish he was using. But that is exactly why adventurer and angler Jakub Vagner ventured into the dense jungles of Ecuador on February 18, 2010. They are hard to access, hard to feed, and hard to fight. One of the allures of targeting arapaima is that nothing about catching them is easy. No species better represents the mystery and power of the Amazon than the arapaima - one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. It is also a dream come true for adventurous anglers who thrive on the rush of targeting exotic species in uncharted waters. The vast Amazon rainforest is home to some of the most unique and mysterious species of flora and fauna in the world. Given the massive size of his fish and the strict regulations on the species, it is quite possible that Pallotta's fish will never be surpassed. There had never been an All-Tackle record for white sturgeon before Pallotta's, and there very well may never be another. Pallotta boarded his friend's vessel, unassisted, and proceeded to fight the massive sturgeon for another five hours on 37 kg (80 pound) tackle, before it was finally subdued. Stunned by the massive size of the fish, Pallotta radioed a nearby friend for assistance, as attempting to land such a fish on his boat was simply out of the question. Pallotta came tight on the massive 212.48 kg (468 lb) white sturgeon that immediately surfaced, and began tail walking just a few yards from Pallotta's boat. The monster pike inhaled his spoon and Louis was hooked up to the fish of a lifetime. On just his third cast of the morning, Louis' optimism was rewarded. It was Louis' habit, at the start of each fishing day, to make 15 casts with his "pike rod" - a spinning outfit spooled with 8 kg (16-pound) mono. However, Louis, like many of us anglers, was an optimist. When Louis arrived at his local fishing hole on the morning of October 16, 1986, his plan was to target carp and roach - not northern pike. However, the IGFA, who had inherited all original documentation and correspondence from Field & Stream in the 1970's, still recognizes Harper's walleye as the heaviest ever caught on a rod and reel.ĭespite the millions of diehard pike fishermen around the world, Lothar Louis remains the envy of them all due to the 25 kg (55 pounds, 1 ounce) northern pike he pulled from Lake Grefeern, Germany nearly 30 years ago. In 1996, the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame decided to remove Harper's catch from the record books, due to "persistent rumors" they had received. Numerous organizations and individuals investigated Harper's catch, hypothesizing that the fish couldn't possibly be the reported weight due to size of Harper's hand, in relations to the size of the fish. But as time progressed, questions began swirling about the legitimacy of this record claim - particularly the reported girth measurement of 29 inches. Harper's fish was submitted for record consideration, and was quickly approved by Field & Stream as the new world record walleye. Luckily, Harper's wife (seen in the photo) realized the significance of the catch and took it to be officially weighed-in at the Second Creek Resort, before Harper cleaned the fish for dinner (which he later did). Harper was an avid angler and had caught many large walleye, and catfish, in his angling career.
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