KEYS ANGLERS CATCH WORLD RECORDS

FLORIDA KEYS – Some 24 pending world-record fish, plus three certified world records have been reported in recent months to the International Game Fish Association by anglers fishing in the Florida Keys waters.

Among the most impressive was Martin Arostegui's 385-pound lemon shark, caught on fly using a 12-pound tippet and landed after more than an hour's fight. Arostegui, of Coral Gables, Fla., has held more than 100 documented International Game Fish Association world records.

After testing the tippet, the IGFA moved the record to the 16-pound tippet class.

Arostegui's lemon shark, caught off Key West and released alive after certified weigh-in, is the largest documented fish ever caught on fly.

Two world records for blackfin tuna, Keys anglers' favorite sushi target, were approved for Matthew Pullen of Hampton, N.H. Pullen's 49-pound, 6-ounce blackfin was caught on 50-pound line to give the angler the 50-pound line class and all-tackle records.

Among the pending records, Carl Navarre Jr. of New York landed a 15-pound, 1-ounce bonefish with a fly rod while fishing on March 20 with Captain Tim Klein of Islamorada. Using Klein's Tart Fly and a 20-pound tippet, Navarre fought the fish for eight minutes. The fish was released alive. The current 20-pound tippet record is a 14-pound, 5-ounce bonefish caught in 2002, also off Islamorada.

Diana Rudolf of Islamorada landed an 11-pound, 2-ounce bonefish using an 8-pound tippet.

William DuVal of Richmond, Va., has 10 pending world records, ranging from a 1-pound, 12-ounce yellowtail snapper delicately drawn to the boat with 2-pound test line, to a 26-pound blackfin tuna caught on fly using a 16-pound tippet.

Potential record-setting bonnethead sharks, an inshore species known for stealing bonefish anglers' shrimp, were landed by Dotty Ballantyne of Bozeman, Mont., and Gussie Leech of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Ballantyne's 3-pound bonnethead, caught off Key West, was brought in with a 2-pound tippet on her fly rod, showing her deft touch when light tackle meets sharp teeth.

Ballantyne also caught a pending world record 32-pound, 8-ounce cobia on fly with a 16-pound tippet and an 8-pound, 8-ounce jack crevalle on a 6-pound tippet.

Leech has two line class records pending for sharks caught on 8-pound and 16-pound line, both landed near Islamorada's famed flats.

Cynthia Mitchell of Devonshire, Bermuda, landed a 6-pound red grouper off Key West using 8-pound line.

Nicole Ritter has a long and bright future. The 9-year-old from Columbiaville, Mich., landed a 2-pound, 8-ounce yellowtail snapper while fishing near Duck Key (Marathon). Her pending world record is in the smallfry category.

Also expecting a long fishing future is 11-year-old Nicole Loffredo. Visiting Key West from her home in Anchorage, Alaska, she boated a 3-pound, 9-ounce gag grouper. Her record would also be listed in the smallfry category.

The International Game Fish Association in Dania Beach, Fla., has been recognized as the official keeper of world saltwater fishing records since 1939. The association is actively involved in research and conservation programs around the world.