iStockphoto / campbellphotostudio
Rob Choi of Richmond, Virginia has likely fished his way into the IGFA World Record books after landing an absolutely MASSIVE 53-pound Red Drum (Redfish) while fly fishing from his kayak in Eastern Virginia. He hauled in the 53-pound slob of a redfish on 20-pound tipped which would absolutely demolish the existing 41-pound world record.
The fish was landed on a chartreuse Half & Half fly which is a combination of two extremely popular flies, Lefty Kreh’s Deceiver and Bob Clouser’s Clouser Minnow (my favorite for snook on the fly). This incredible redfish WAS RELEASED, but not before angler Rob Choi went through all the proper steps to fill out the IGFA World Record application form which includes length and girth measurements, line tippet information, lures used, rod, reel, fighting time, and more. Just look at this absolute unit:
Only twice in my life have I ever attempted to go fly fishing from a kayak. It’s a difficult task, to say the least. Your option is to cast while sitting down which cuts down on your leverage because you’re so close to the water or you can try standing up if you’ve got a stabilized kayak but when you do this you run the risk of hooking into a big fish, losing your balance, falling into the water, and looking like a complete dumbass.
There are plenty of kayak fishing rigs out there designed for anglers specializing in kayak fly fishing but I’ve never had a chance to use them. I can’t even wrap my mind around how this dude was able to haul in a 53-pound redfish (red drum) on a fly rod while sitting in a kayak. It just goes against everything I’m used to when it comes to kayak fishing and/or fly fishing.
For more on this pending IGFA flyfishing world record you can click here to visit Gear Junkie!