April 24, 2015
By Andrew Vanlaningham
Photo courtesy of Daniel Slaby.
Anglers dream about the day they catch THAT fish. While many settle for fish of respectable sizes and enlarge the story, others are fortunate enough to realize that dream.
Michigan angler Daniel Slaby is of the latter group. While fishing a private inland lake in Michigan last summer, Slaby landed a massive 56-pound, 4-ounce carp that could be the biggest ever caught in Michigan with rod and reel.
An avid carp angler and USA Carp Anglers Group (CAG) member, Slaby set out on his quest to land trophy carp two years ago when the birth of his son and a new job meant less time for the water.
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"I decided to focus solely on trophy carp," he said, adding, "and through word of mouth I knew just the lake to try."
He was unable to fish this private lake without permission, though.
Lucky for him, Slaby was contracted to a job on the lake in 2013, which presented him the opportunity to speak with the owner about fishing opportunities. After a discussion about methods of fishing and tactics, the owner granted Slaby permission to fish.
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But that was in late November. Slaby would have to endure the long, cold Michigan winter before taking to the lake to see his quest through.
He spent the winter preparing his baits and developing tactics to specifically target the monster carp in the lake.
The spring thaw allowed him to pre-bait the waters for the first few weeks with small amounts of World Classic Baits 12mm boiles , increasing in both size and amount as temperatures warmed.
Lack of fish activity early in the season had Slaby's confidence fading, but he was not one to give up. Plus, the stories were too good to ignore this opportunity.
Arriving early at the lake to set up for a four-day excursion, the action was extremely slow at first. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that he got his first bite, a 30-pound carp. This set off a chain reaction of bites as a school of big fish moved in.
Slaby landed a 41-pound, 2-ounce carp that was not only a personal best, but the first 40-pound carp caught in Michigan by a CAG member.
Sure, the 41-pound catch was nice, but, as he told his wife on the phone, if he left then, he "wouldn't get the 50 pounder [he] was after."
While sitting in his bivvy a few hours later, his boilie took off with the rod giving chase. Slaby typically doesn't run for the rod, but the monster on the other end forced him to this time.
A prolonged fight ensued. The giant continued taking line as it moved from 20- to 40-foot waters, changing directions on a dime and even becoming snagged at one point.
It wasn't until he noticed in the not too far off distance the carp's head breach the water that Slaby knew this was a special fish — definitely over 50 pounds.
It was only a few more minutes before he had the fish in the net. He then zeroed his scale to find out just how big the monster carp was.
The scales tipped at 56 pounds, 4 ounces. Slaby called CAG President Andy Sprinkle to witness and verify the weight, as the fish will enter the CAG records as the biggest in the club's history. Slaby, a strong supporter of catch-and-release, released the massive carp after weighing it.
In order for Slaby's catch to qualify as a Michigan state record , he would've been required to keep it and have it verified by a DNR fisheries biologists.
Scott Smith The heaviest walleye ever recorded with fly tackle was caught by angler Scott Smith on March 26, 1999. Smith, who had been guiding two friends on a steelhead trip all day, was finally able to do some fishing for himself. Not long after he picked up the fly rod, he hooked up to the massive walleye, which he first thought to be a snag.
After playing the fish for 10 minutes, Smith was able to land and weigh the 5.44-kilogram (12 pounds) fish before he released it alive. The fish earned Smith the men's 4 kilogram (8 pound) tippet class record, and was caught on an egg pattern fly.
Pete Gleason While fishing from the Missouri shoreline of Bull Shoal Lake on the night of February 8, 1991, angler Pete Gleason caught one of the biggest walleye ever recorded by the
IGFA — a 8.98-kilogram (19 pounds, 13 ounces) beast has held the men's 4-kilogram (8 pound) line class world record ever since.
At about 10 PM, Gleason hooked the fish, which he originally thought was a striped bass, after it hit the live minnow he had on for bait. After about 15 minutes, Gleason and his friends were able to get a glimpse of the fish with their flashlights, and realized it was a huge walleye — not a striper.
Gleason backed off the drag and skillfully played the fish for another 20 minutes before he could finally slide the tired fish onto the bank. The fish was weighed 30 hours later and is estimated to have weighed more than 20 pounds at the time of capture.
Thomas B. Evans Angler Thomas B. Evans had fished Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas for years, successfully targeting the large walleye found throughout the body of water. But on the morning of February 10, 1989, while there was still ice on the water, Evans landed the biggest walleye of his 60 year life — a 9.35-kilogram (20 pounds, 9 ounces) fish that has stood as the men's 10-kilogram (20 pound) line class record ever since.
Evans was trolling a deep running lure in the Devil's Fork arm of Greers Ferry Lake when the big walleye hit. Despite the massive size of the fish, Evans was not impressed with the fight, which lasted only 5 minutes. The catch not only earned the angler a world record, it also earned him first place in a local tournament.
Mark Wallace For more than thirty years, angler Mark Wallace has held the men's 2-kilogram (4 pound) line class world record for walleye with a 8.27-kilogram (18 pounds, 4 ounces) fish he caught on March 12, 1983 while fishing the North Little Red River in Arkansas — not far from the infamous Greers Ferry Lake.
Wallace, who visiting Arkansas from his home in Texas, needed 15 minutes to land the fish after it ate the bait he was fishing. As if catching such a fish on 2-kilogram (4 pound) line wasn't impressive enough, Wallace was not using a leader when he made the catch!
Al Nelson There has only been one heavier walleye recorded by the
IGFA than Al Nelson's massive 10.29-kilogram (22 pounds, 11 ounces) fish that he pulled from Arkansas' Greers Ferry Lake — a body of water notorious for producing world class walleye.
Nelson was trolling a Bomber lure from his aluminum on the night of March 14, 1982, when the fish hit at approximately 10 PM. The angler initially thought he had hooked a log, until the log began fighting back.
After a 20 minute fight, Nelson had the fish boated and was on the way back to his home dock of Fairfield Bay Marina. However, a heavy fog interfered with Nelson's plans and he mistakenly ended up at another marina before eventually arriving at his intended destination at approximately 2 AM in the morning, where it was officially weighed-in, earning him the men's 6-kilogram (12 pound) line class record.
Howard Brierly Angler Howard Brierly braved snow and ice on the morning of January 12, 1982, as he set out to fish from the shores of Greers Ferry Lake, near his home in Arkansas. Brierly's resilience and determination were rewarded in the form of the men's 8-kilogram (16 pound) line class record walleye — a 8.27-kilogram (18 pounds, 4 ounces) fish that has held the record for more than 30 years.
Brierly was fishing with a live chub from the icy banks when the fish hit, putting up a quick 5 minute fight. In addition to his world record, Brierly also caught another impressive fish weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces that same day.
Mabry Harper The folder in the
IGFA 's Record Department designated "Mabry Harper's World Record Walleye" is chock-full of articles and letters related to the controversy that has followed this catch over the past half century.
It has been more than 50 years since Harper pulled a 11.34-kilogram (25 pounds) walleye from Old Hickory Lake, near his home in Tennessee on the morning of August 2, 1960. 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's fish was submitted for record consideration, and was quickly approved as the new world record walleye. But as time progressed, questions began swirling about the legitimacy of this record claim — particularly the reported girth measurement of 29 inches.
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. However, the IGFA, who had inherited all original documentation and correspondence of the record in the 1970's, still recognizes Harper's walleye as the heaviest ever caught on a rod and reel.
Scott Ruiter It is a common misconception that the
IGFA does not permit ice fishing. That is not the case. IGFA rules do require the tip section of the rod to be at least 40 inches (which affects many ice fishermen's tackle), however, there is nothing that prohibits anglers from ice fishing.
Angler Scott Ruiter is a perfect example of that. On March 5, 2005, while ice fishing on top of the frozen Muskegun Lake, near his home in Michigan, Ruiter landed a massive 6.91-kilogram (15 pounds, 4 ounces) walleye on just 3-kilogram (6 pound) test — earning him the record for that line class.
Ruiter was using a live minnow for bait, and was targeting perch after his attempts to catch walleye earlier in the day had failed. But when Ruiter set the hook on what he thought was another perch, and felt the strength of the fish on the other end of his line, he knew he had a big walleye. Thirty minutes and a dozen attempts to get the nose of the fish through his ice hole, Ruiter was finally able to land his world record fish.
Greg Amiel After visiting the
IGFA in Florida from his home in Canada, die-hard walleye angler Greg Amiel became inspired to pursue world record walleyes on light tackle.
A year after setting out on his quest, Amiel was rewarded on November 28, 2007, with a 4.99-kilogram (12 pounds) walleye that he caught on just 1-kilogram (2 pound) line — earning him the record on that line class.
Amiel was trolling a Rapala Taildancer in Canada's Bay of Quinte when the fish hit. After a relatively short fight of ten minutes, given the size of the tackle used, Amiel netted the fish. Miraculously, Amiel caught the fish on straight 1-kilogram (2 pound) line...without a leader! The previous record of 10 pounds, 6 ounces had stood since 1984.
Joshua Boyer Angler Joshua Boyer of Billings, Montana, bested his own male smallfry record for walleye with a 5.67-kilogram (12 pounds, 8 ounces) fish he caught on May 31, 2014, while casting a live minnow in Fort Peck Lake, Montana, USA.
Once hooked up, the young Boyer needed only a few minutes to land his trophy walleye. Boyer's 12-pound, 8-ounce fish bested the previous record by one pound, which Boyer had set the previous year. Hopefully the young angler can continue the trend!
