world record kingfish
Capt. Craig Lahr
March 28, 2009
Clearwater - Saltwater Fishing Report
January 26, 2009
Fishing guide Craig Lahr of Largo has tried for the past five years to set a new world fly tackle record for kingfish. This is no small feat, considering these open-ocean predators have dozens of sharp teeth that cut through even the thickest monofilament fishing line.
But this fall, Lahr, who normally fishes inshore for trout, redfish and snook, headed about a mile off Clearwater Beach on a slick, calm day with a livewell full of scaled sardines. Live bait is strictly prohibited when fly fishing, but Lahr knew that if he could work the kings into a feeding frenzy, he might just be able to fool one into taking a fly.
So Lahr chummed for about 10 minutes, until there were kingfish skyrocketing on bait all around his boat. The angler grabbed his nine-weight fly rod, tossed out a pilchard pattern, and hooked a 25 pounder.
He fought the fish for about 20 minutes. The line was so light, the fish didn't realize it had been hooked. As the king lingered along side the boat, Lahr reached down and grabbed it by the tail.
Lahr submitted photos of his catch, documentation from the weighmaster, as well as his leader and line to the Dania Beach-based International Game Fish Association, which took about two months to approve his catch. He is now the proud holder of a 6-pound tippet world record.
The IGFA maintains hundreds of records. Many line class records are attainable by the average angler.
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