IGFA record-chaser Art Weston is still at it, but he seems to have switched targets from giant gar to giant buffalo. His most recent pending line class record is a 27-pound smallmouth buffalo that he landed on 2-pound-test line.
Weston has made it his mission to catch big fish on ridiculously light line. Over the last few years, he set eight new IGFA line class records for alligator gar on his way to catching the all-tackle world record. On Sept. 2, 2023, he made waves with an enormous 283-pound gar on 6-pound-test. That fish, which came from Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas, is the largest alligator gar on the IGFA books.
By comparison, fighting the 27-pound buffalo he caught in mid-December must have seemed like childâs play despite the skill and teamwork it takes to land big fish on delicate line. Weston was fishing with Austin Anderson, of CarpPro Texas Guide Service. Over two days, Anderson put Weston on several potential record-breaking buffalo, of which the 27-pounder on 2-pound-test may be the most impressive.
The anglers were fishing from a boat with an array of baits out on rods with bite alarms.
When one of the alarms went off, âI picked up the rod and began to apply slow but steady pressure, using only about 1 pound of drag on the reel,â Weston told Fox News. âOne trick I learned fishing light line is that you want a reel that has a low maximum drag setting, which relates to a smoother fight when only using a small amount of drag.
âAfter many long runs, this particular buffalo came to the surface and Austin was ready with the net and was able to land it on the first try.â
Westonâs fish is almost 10 pounds heavier than the existing IGFA 2-pound line-class record, a 17-pound, 8-ounce fish caught from Texasâs Trinity River in 1995. The all-tackle world record smallmouth buffalo weighed 82 pounds, 3 ounces. It was caught at Athens Lake, Texas in 1993.