An angler fishing recently in Baja California Sur, Mexico, caught an 88-pound white seabass that could break a 67-year-old world record.
Ricardo Reyes Martinez landed the giant seabass on April 30, but the International Game Fish Assn. announced the catch this week as a potential record breaker in two categories.
“This just in! Ricardo Reyes Martinez recently caught this incredible 39.9-kilogram (88-pound) white seabass to potentially set the new IGFA All-Tackle and Men’s 30-lb Line Class World Records,” the IGFA wrote on Facebook.
The current all-tackle world record stands at 83 pounds, 12 ounces. That fish was caught by Lyal Baumgardner off San Felipe, Mexico, in 1953. Baumgardner also set the record for 30-pound-test line.
RELATED: Angler’s giant flathead catfish could shatter record
Reyes, 36, was surf casting for snapper on the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula, southwest of La Paz, when the seabass struck.
Gary Graham, author of the Baja Bytes column, quoted Reyes as saying, “I did not expect to win a world record. I did not even plan to send the information, but when I saw the fish was a good size, I decided to send in the official documentation.”
The IGFA, which requires a certified weight, line sample, a photo and witness statement, typically takes weeks or months before making a record determination.
White seabass, members of the croaker family, are found from Magdalena Bay in Baja California Sur to Juneau, Alaska. They’re highly prized by anglers and considered delectable as table fare.
–Image showing Ricardo Reyes Martinez with his potential-record white seabass is courtesy of the IGFA
