World Records for Kids
article from BIG GAME FISHING JOURNAL September/October 2004 reproduced with permission

The man who led his daughters to six world records shows hooking your junior angler up to that fish of a lifetime might be easier than it seems.

When I was a boy I fished with my father every weekend, so when my oldest daughter, Victoria, was old enough (5 years old), it was only natural to take her. One of the first trips was with my brother, Vic, and his sons, Victor and Jason.

If you have fished with young kids you know they always think they have a bite. This was the case that day with my daughter, but then she really got one. It was not the biggest fish I’ve ever seen, but the 2 1/2 pound flounder was the pool winner of the day. Like any good father, I made a big deal out of it. She was hooked, and I had a new fishing partner. And so began her love affair with fishing, and eventually our quest to find her a world record.

BY THE RULES

The I.G.F.A. offers categories for male and female “small fry”(under 11) and “junior” (11 to 16) anglers. There are no line class records, only general categories for species, however, there are slightly different rules in the adult category when using 20 pound test and lighter versus 30  to 130 pound test, which apply in the younger categories as well.

There are quite a few rules and regulations to follow while trying to catch records. First and foremost, the angler must hook, fight and land the fish with out aid an allowable harnesses if necessary, and the except as a provided." For onlooking crew is allowed to leader and gaff the fish. adults, this means don’t touch the pole or A double line is permitted as stated per the line! Aid may be provided attaching the test of the line used.

Leader length is limited as well. For 20 pound test and under, no more than 15 feet of leader and no more than 20 feet of combined double line and leader is allowed. For 30  to 130 pound test leader, no more than 30 feet of leader and no more than 40 feet of combined leader and double line is allowed. There are also rules and regulations as to the size of poles and gaffs, number of hooks, and type of bait used. I strongly suggest anyone attempting to fish for records familiarize themselves with all rules and necessary application papers, as well as fish with someone who has done it before.

Video  taping is not required, but recommended to answer any questions that may arise. There are several pictures required when submitting a record fish, as well as the use of a certified scale. All of these and other requirements may be found on the I.G.F.A. website at www.igfa.org.

The overall purpose of the regulations is to ensure a level playing field and that all anglers are given the same advantages and disadvantages, and most importantly, the fish be caught in a fair and sporting manner. There are no monetary rewards for catching a kid’s record, only bragging rights and the thrill of a lifetime for your young angler.

Take a few minutes at the dock to go over the basics of reel operation, since anyone but the angler touching the rod during a fight will disqualify the catch

The author specializes in helping others catch world records
aboard his DREAM CATCHER in Costa Rica.

THE QUEST BEGINS

If you touch the pole or the line while your young angler is fighting, the fish will automatically be disqualified for a world record.

With several years fishing under Victoria’s belt, I decided to take her to Florida for a shot at catching a sailfish. The only luck we had was big, bad water and no fish. Next, I was going to take her to Cozumel, but the morning we were to leave she became extremely ill and we had to cancel. Finally, I decided to take her to a place I knew always had fish, it’s flat calm 99 out of 100 days, and only requires a run of 20 miles or less— Costa Rica. I had been fishing there for about five years and loved it.

Out of curiosity, I checked to see what the I.G.F.A. record was for a sailfish in her age group (11 to 16).It turned out to be well over a 100 pounds, and I wasn’t too sure we could break it since sails there average 75 to 80 pounds. I looked around for an easier record to break and found it in the roosterfish, which was vacant at the time. Before leaving, I arranged to go fishing for roosterfish during the last of our three days on the water.

I had not been nervous at all the first two days with my daughter offshore, but as we left the bay on day three I had a knot in my stomach. Fishing for world records is different from a regular day at sea, no matter if the records are vacant or not. Considering how strict the I.G.F.A. rules are, I was grateful my captain for the day, John LaCrone, had firsthand experience in catching a world record.

As we motored offshore, I just hoped we could catch a small roosterfish of 10 to 15 pounds. As the mate set the second line, a fish hit, and he handed the pole to Victoria. She cranked in the 25 pound roosterfish, but John and I realized the catch was illegal as the fish hit while the mate still had the pole.

We decided to just fish one pole and have her sit with it in the chair. Half an hour later, the pole went off and while the reel screamed in freespool, we instructed her how to set the drag. Line never seemed to stop peeling off the reel, but after 35 minutes and lots of shaky video taping, our first world record came to gaff! It was a beautiful 32 pound roosterfish.

SIBLING RIVALRY

When we returned home, my second daughter, Jacqueline, asked if she too could catch a world record. I explained that her sister Victoria had fished with me a lot before I took her, and that if she wanted a world record, she’d need lots of practice first. Now, I had two fishing partners. After a few years of honing her skills, I took her to the best fishing I know, Costa Rica.

Stephanie Avon with a non-record roosterfish in Costa Rica

Jeannie Avon proudly stands beside her pending world record 10.2-pound rainbow runner

I made the trip a surprise, picking Jacqueline up from school one day and asking

if she wanted to go fishing. She said sure and asked what were we going to fish for. When I told her sailfish, she said we don't catch sailfish in New Jersey. I said that's why we were going to Costa Rica. At the time, the record for the small fry female was 75 pounds, and I was confident we could find a fish bigger than that. I'll never forget that look on her face as we drove to the airport.

Hooking a sailfish is a little more difficult than hooking a species like rooster fish because you actually have to tease the fish before you let them eat. Capt. Sony Kocsis and I gave her step-by-step instructions and told her to just relax, but I think we were more nervous than she.

We experienced several failed attempts before Jacqueline finally hooked one up. In Costa Rica, as in most parts of the world, billfish are released to fight another day, and while the I.G.F.A. allows for the weighing of fish at sea for junior records, it’s not exactly practical with sailfish. We knew we'd take this one back to the dock.

This fish must have sensed that too, as

it fought more like a tuna than a sailfish, diving down deep. Fifteen minutes into the fight I worried that Jacqueline couldn’t make it, but she just wouldn't give up. Finally, 28 minutes into the battle, the sail came to gaff. We headed for the scales where my daughter was soon grinning ear to ear about her world record 80 pound sailfish. This being the second record I helped put one of my daughters onto, I was grinning too.

Big game fishing is a family affair for the Avons. The author with his daughters
(l to r) , Jeannie, Victoria, Stephanie, and Jacqueline.

TAKING A LOCAL APPROACH

When we arrived home this time, I knew I had a problem. My third daughter, Stephanie, informed me she also wanted to catch a world record, and so I had fishing partner number three. Since I have been fishing off the New Jersey coast for over 30 years, I investigated the possibility of getting a local world record. Fluke and sea bass seemed the most likely targets, being 5.5 and 2.5 pounds, respectively.

In the spring of 2003, my brother, Ken, reported large sea bass were being caught on one of the local wrecks. The weather that day was beautiful with no wind, so off we went to see if we couldn't get her a record, too. Within the hour we were over the wreck and catching fish. When Stephanie hooked a fish big enough to put a serious bend in the pole, I knew we had a record breaker on. I coached her not to let the pole hit the side of the boat as that would disqualify the catch. We netted the fish and weighed it on a small scale before heading back to the official scales. Her fish turned out to be a world record 3.3 pound sea bass— not the biggest fish ever, but a record is a record.

BACK TO SAILFISH COUNTRY

Jeannie Avon proudly stands beside her pending world record 10.2-pound rainbow runner

Three months after I brought my 32 Albemarle express, DREAM CATCHER, down to its new home in Los Sueños Resort, Costa Rica, I decided to take Stephanie down. Before leaving, I checked the record books again to see what other records we could try for. I discovered that Jacqueline's record had been broken and was now at 85 pounds, I also discovered the I.G.F.A. had expanded to mirror the adult category in regards to species. Originally, there had been just one category

for sailfish, and since the Pacific produces considerably bigger sails than the Atlantic, all of the existing records were from the Pacific. Now with a separate category for Pacific and Atlantic, all junior records for sailfish, about 15 to 20 other species, became vacant.

I decided the first order was breaking that sail record and getting it back in the family. On the ride to the fishing grounds, I explained to Stephanie what to do when the fish came up. And after trolling a short time, up he came. Popping the bait from the shotgun clip, she went to the chair, picked up the rod, and set the hook by herself.

While the odds of her hooking a sailfish on her first attempt might have been slim, I knew the odds of this fish being over 85 pounds were even slimmer. Yet, with a little lady’s luck, she fought and landed what turned out to be a 92 pound world record sailfish.

THE YOUNGEST GETS HOOKED

Recently, I took the family down to Costa Rica to show them the country and celebrate my 40th birthday. On our first day out, we caught a small wahoo, two small sharks, and a rainbow runner. Having never caught rainbow runners before and unsure of the current record, I checked and saw the junior female was vacant. So Stephanie climbed into the chair and held the pole with the live bait. Five minutes later she had caught her third world record, a 9.4 pound rainbow runner. We were all ecstatic, that is, everyone except Jeannie, who was none too happy her sister had caught three world records while she had yet to catch one!

We headed for shore to chase some jack crevalle, which had the small fry record vacant. But before we got there, I checked the book and noticed the small fry rainbow runner stood at only 7 pounds. I told my captain to turn around and go back to the log where I knew there were plenty over that size. Unsure if Jeannie, who is only 9 years old, could do this by herself, I warned it wasn't a sure thing to catch another fish, and that no one could assist her while doing so. She got that mean look in her face and sat down in the chair.

When the pole went off, she pushed the drag to strike and the fight was on. It's amazing the strength that determination can give a 9 year old girl! She never stopped reeling, and 10 minutes later we sunk the gaff into another record fish, a 10.4 pound rainbow runner. Talk about a happy boat and a load of stress off my mind now that all of my daughters had, at one time or another, held world records.

I have fished in many places and countries around the world and none has offered the diversity of fish, consistently calm waters and good weather, friendly people, and now a world class resort as Costa Rica. With so many records still vacant or easily breakable, I’ve begun to specialize in offering world record packages to my clients for themselves and their children.

Let us help you plan your next trip today!

Dream Catcher,
Byron
725 Evans Court,
Kelowna, BC
CANADA V1X 6G4
250 470 9289
Email:   byron@crdreamcatcher.com