5 most amazing stories and achievements of fishermen in 2023

Last year was full of many and varied events. However, for American fishermen, it was a year of large-scale catches and big fish.

Yahoo Life reported that in 2023, a quarter-ton swordfish broke a long-standing state record in California, and a caught Texas alligator weighed over 300 pounds. Here are some of last year's fishing stories that impressed anglers in the United States.

Swordfish weighing over 500 pounds

A small team led by Mason Karafa managed to catch a swordfish a few miles off the coast of San Diego. To do this, they used a relatively new technique called "deep diving," with a squid on an 11/0 hook at extremely deep depths.

Massive alligator Gar weighing over 283 kilograms

This giant was caught by fisherman Art Weston and guide Kirk Kirkland. The men have several dozen records, but the last catch managed to break all records. The prehistoric Crocodile Gar was caught during a week-long expedition to Sam Rayburn Lake in September 2023. The men wrestled with it for more than two hours before pulling it ashore. In doing so, they managed to set the IGFA world record for catching a fish with all tackle, breaking the legendary 72-year-old world record set by Bill Valvardi on the Rio Grande.

Opaha, or the fish of the month

Last August, novice fisherman Bo Lehman was fishing on the Horizon charter boat, which operates night trips from San Diego off the coast of California. He caught the world's largest moonfish on his hook. This fish weighed 188.6 pounds, which is almost 10 pounds heavier than the IGFA world record. However, it is currently unknown whether this fish could have become an IGFA record because of shark bites found on its sides.

Blue catfish in Tennessee

Last June, angler Micah Burkhart was able to break the state record for the second time in 2 years and catch a 122-kilogram blue catfish. This giant was caught while fishing on the Cumberland River using a white perch head bait. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reported that this catch weighed exactly 122.3 pounds, was 57.5 inches long and had a girth of 42.25 inches.

Record starry sturgeon in Idaho

Angler Kyriacos Panayiotou from McCall, Idaho in South Carolina was fishing on the Clearwater River. He managed to catch a record 41-inch long starry sturgeon. He returned the fish to the river, but the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) called it a new state catch-and-release record. They noted that starry sturgeon measuring 40 inches or more are extremely rare in Idaho, with less than 1% of the fish being caught at that length.