# African Giant New Record Released



## Scott A

From Olende, Gabon, Africa. Caught the second week of December 2016. She was not killed or weighed but the measurements put her at 326lbs. Caught on an artificial lure. My apologies for the bad photo, but this is all I've got. If anyone has more information, please jump in.


----------



## Yak a Tak

Looks like a beast or a threadfin shad too close to the camera.


----------



## bd24

Yak a Tak said:


> Looks like a beast or a threadfin shad too close to the camera.


It's like big foot, every pic is blurry. In this day and age of amazing cameras on cell phones I have a hard time believing such a poor quality picture.

Scott - I assume if anyone would know it would be Jerry Ault.


----------



## Meadowlark

When I saw the thread title, I hoped it was old friend Tom Gibson. I haven't talked to Tom in awhile but I know he was looking for a 300 pound plus fish there at one time. 

326 is really amazing!! Do you know the name of the angler?


----------



## Meadowlark

I can't seem to find any info on this catch...only the 110 inch fish off Nicaragua. If anyone has ore info, please post.


----------



## Trouthappy

I'll ask Tom what he thinks about this one. He's fished Gabon many times. I hope they at least kept a scale off that fish, to estimate the age. If that's possible. 

One of Tom's interesting stories was fishing for 10 days in Gabon without a strike, and then a French tourist showed up to fish on the other boat, wanted a barracuda or two, wasn't too particular. He ends up catching a 300 pound tarpon that was weighed in camp. A day or two later, there was a revolution and the presidente showed up to hide at the fish camp, and was soon flown out. The rebels then arrived and torched the camp, fish pictures, paperwork on the fish, the works. The Frenchman flew home, not too worried about his big tarpon record lost forever. Pretty sure that was Gabon, but it might have been the country next door.


----------



## Scott A

FYI - this report originated from Tom and one of his friends over there.


----------



## bd24

I am still calling fake. I don't know what it costs to fish in Africa, but let's just say it's at least a week long trip. I bet you are an easy 10K on the trip real fast. So you spend 10K+ on a trip and the only camera you get a potential world record on is a disposable kodak that has been sitting in the closet for a couple of years. This would have also made some headlines in other sources. Come on fellas...

I think world record tarpon and bigfoot fall under this realization...


----------



## Scott A

Trouthappy said:


> Pretty sure that was Gabon, but it might have been the country next door.


Not sure, but I think that was Sierra Leone. I think Gabon's government has been pretty stable.


----------



## Scott A

The angler's first name is Matt - working on more details to follow. Will keep you posted.


----------



## Scott A

I got the guys full name - you can see his post on ITCA's Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/itarpon. Here is the original photo he posted. I'll try and get more of the story and let you know.

The story he posted stated, " Mots of this is true unless i caught and released this fish as fast as possible keeping it only very few minutes on the beatch just to take a picture. It was realesed in very good condition. This fish never been weighted or measured ...but for shure it was a hudge one ,far over the 200lbs+ i measured during the past few years and definetly the biggest one i've ever seen caught from the beatch on spinning gear." I think he is French or Portuguese. (which for him going to Gabon would be like us going to Brazil).

Guess from this recounting of the catch, it was never measured. That's what happens when you "heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, who heard from a friend....." The first photo I posted was a photo of a photo that had been emailed or text. This is a good photo. Who knows if the fish was that big, but the fish was clearly a monster and coming from Gabon - certainly possible. No record since it wasn't hung up and weighed but we can't diminish the catch. Great job!!


----------



## bd24

That's a better pic. Kudos to the angler for the release, that thing looks like it could swallow a garbage can, and it must be 80 years old. No doubt a monster and it looks much better swimming away than hung up on a dock.


----------



## Scott A

Granted he's behind the fish, but he's also holding it up and his arms are clearly bent some. One way or the other, it was a monster and certainly within the world record category - maybe above, maybe below but just looking at her, she looks the part. Amazing part is he landed it off the beach. That alone is a huge accomplishment. Wow!!


----------



## Trouthappy

Tom says he doesn't doubt this new fish would weigh 300 pounds; it's very tall and there are tarpon that big along the coast there. He says the guy might have been casting poppers from the beach for big threadfins, which weigh up to 100 pounds there. I am attempting to contact the angler, for more details.

On the lost record mentioned in my post above, when they had that coup, Tom actually weighed that tarpon caught by the French tourist, and it weighed 283 pounds. It was caught in Guinea-Bissau, which is bordered by Senegal. He says there are big tarpon all up and down that coast, made up of several countries. Tom used to say, back in the 1980s, that Gabon was more expensive than Tokyo. Not sure about today.

Regarding the new catch, here's a closeup of the angler's black glove around the dorsal fin. His hand is pretty big, but that fish is huge...I hope he had some help, dragging it back into the surf.


----------



## duckmania

Thats a monster.


----------



## txspeck

bd24 said:


> I am still calling fake. I don't know what it costs to fish in Africa, but let's just say it's at least a week long trip. I bet you are an easy 10K on the trip real fast. So you spend 10K+ on a trip and the only camera you get a potential world record on is a disposable kodak that has been sitting in the closet for a couple of years. This would have also made some headlines in other sources. Come on fellas...
> 
> I think world record tarpon and bigfoot fall under this realization...


I agree!


----------



## lil mambo

I'd imagine john Jackson over in N O would also be a good one to contact. Him and chrissy spend more time fishing over there than anyone I know.


----------



## tarpon1215

If it ain't certified by the IGFA it is not a record.


----------



## dpeterson

*So is he Tom Watson*

or someone else. Scanning the internet i found Mr. Watson's picture with another tarpon that was taken in Africa. The pictures of Mr. Watson looked similar. This Mr. Watson was from Houston and was considered an expert on catching tarpon. So can the mystery be solved?


----------



## Scott A

dpeterson said:


> or someone else. Scanning the internet i found Mr. Watson's picture with another tarpon that was taken in Africa. The pictures of Mr. Watson looked similar. This Mr. Watson was from Houston and was considered an expert on catching tarpon. So can the mystery be solved?


Not Tom Watson - see posts above. Matthieu Aguettaz


----------



## dpeterson

*thanks*

for the full name. I had read where you said his name was Matt. Was looking at the Gabon, Africa map and wondering what the full story might have been. Catching a fish that size and then getting it back into deeper water must have been exhausting.


----------



## MareaGear

MOnster! but still curious to see if it's really legit....


----------



## winxp_man

Lake dam!! that is one giant shad!!!!!!!! 

On a real note great job to the angler! Must have been one hell of a fight!


----------



## eastmaty

Awesome fish !


----------

