IGFA

Meet the IGFA Team 🙌! Over the next few months, we would like to shine a spotlight on the great people who make up the IGFA. Today, we are excited to introduce Barbara Cini, the IGFA’s first Chief Development Officer and a self-proclaimed billfish fanatic! Barbara discovered the IGFA when she took her son, Parker, to an IGFA Youth Fishing Camp during the Kids’ Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. She was thrilled to find a place where she could pair her passion for angling with her professional background in support of the IGFA’s mission of conservation, education, and angler recognition. Ask Barbara what matters most about angling, and she won’t start with the fish. She’ll tell you about the people: the friends she’s made on boats and docks all over the world, friendships that last long after the lines come in. It turns out that’s her day job, too. Since joining the IGFA in January 2024, Barbara has been building relationships with the anglers, donors, and partners who keep our mission going strong. 1.📁 Title: Chief Development Officer 2.⏱️ Time with IGFA: Nearly 3 years 3.🐟 Favorite Fish: Billfish, especially the sailfish that started it all. But really, her favorite fish is the next one she’ll catch with her friends. 4.🏆 Most memorable catch: Her first sailfish, caught during the Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament. That fish hooked her on billfishing for good! 5.✅ Hobbies: Fishing with friends old and new; spending time on Harkers Island with her family and her dog, Banks; digging into the incredible role North Carolina has played in sportfishing history; and crafting costumes for her ladies’ team. If you’ve ever spotted a crew of women in elaborate costumes during a ladies’ tournament, especially pink or sparkly ones, you may have already met Barbara!

Leading up to the 2026 Tommy Gifford Award Ceremony tonight, October 29th, we're highlighting the incredible accomplishments of this year's inductees. Today, we're proud to feature Captain Rom Whitaker. Captain Rom Whitaker has been a full-time charter fisherman in Hatteras Village for more than three decades and is widely regarded as one of the most respected captains in the sport-fishing industry. He has operated Release, a 53-foot Bobby Sullivan sport-fisher, since 1999 and routinely fishes close to 200 days per year out of Hatteras Harbor Marina. Whitaker’s love for fishing began in early childhood, sparked by long days on Atlantic Beach piers with his grandmother, who helped nurture his passion for the ocean. Raised in Kinston, North Carolina, he learned freshwater techniques from his father and grandfather while fishing Broad Creek on the lower Neuse River. His first offshore trip to Hatteras in 1970, aboard a 19-foot Thunderbird, opened his eyes to the scale and challenge of bluewater fishing. In the years that followed, he owned several small boats, including a 23-foot SeaCraft, trailering to Hatteras nearly every weekend. After earning a business degree from East Carolina University, Whitaker built a successful corporate career before realizing it couldn’t compete with life on the water. With the full support of his wife, Elaine, known throughout the village as “Shugg”, he moved permanently to Hatteras in 1987 and began fishing professionally. Whitaker’s catches include blue and white marlin, bluefin tuna, wahoo, dolphin, king mackerel, striped bass, and red drum. He is a longtime advocate for fishermen, having served more than 14 years on the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel and other South Atlantic Fishery Management Council committees. A proud member of the Hatteras Marlin Club, he remains deeply involved in the local community. In 2024, Whitaker achieved a career-defining milestone when Release won the Fabulous Fisherman category and $2.2 million at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament with a 504-pound blue marlin, an iconic victory that cemented his legacy. Learn more: event.gives/26igfatga/

Leading up to the 2026 Tommy Gifford Award Ceremony this Thursday, October 29th, we're highlighting the incredible accomplishments of this year's inductees. Today, we're proud to feature Captain Paul Whelan. Captain Paul Whelan, widely known as “Wheels,” has been a foundational figure in the Cairns, Australia, game-fishing community since 1972. His career has played a major role in shaping both the growth and sustainability of Australia’s sportfishing industry. Whelan’s passion for the ocean developed during his service with the Australian Army while stationed in Papua New Guinea. In Port Moresby, he became secretary of the Port Moresby Game Fishing Club, where he met John Costello, then head of Ports and Harbors of Papua New Guinea. In 1970, Paul joined Costello aboard the Olwen G to fish Cairns’ legendary waters, where he also met Captain George Bransford, a pioneer of the region’s big-game scene. Whelan quickly built a reputation as one of Cairns’ premier captains, attracting anglers worldwide through skill, innovation and consistency. Among them was IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer and former IGFA Chairman Michael J. Levitt, who began fishing with Whelan in 1977. Over four decades, the pair set 10 IGFA world records, two of which still stand, pioneering ultra-light-tackle black marlin fishing. Beyond competition, Whelan was instrumental in conservation advocacy, helping secure passage of the Fisheries Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) in 1997, which restricted commercial marlin harvest in the Coral Sea. He mobilized international support through fishing clubs and the IGFA. Throughout his career, Whelan emphasized teamwork and mentorship, assembling elite crews whose members later became respected captains themselves. He retired from professional sportfishing in 2008 following the final Australian season of longtime client, Michael Levitt. Learn more: event.gives/26igfatga/

Leading up to the 2026 Tommy Gifford Award Ceremony this Thursday, October 29th, we're highlighting the incredible accomplishments of this year's inductees. Today, we're proud to feature Captain James Roberts. Captain James Roberts began his maritime career in Corpus Christi, Texas, at age 13, working aboard a private Chris-Craft Commander. He later joined an operation working with a fleet of 31’ Bertrams and Tollycrafts, gaining extensive hands-on experience in vessel maintenance and operations. The following summer, he lived aboard a Hatteras and later worked with the SubSea dive operation in both the shop and on charter boats. During this time, he also cared for a 34-foot Trojan. After graduating from high school, Roberts joined the Clipper Fleet out of Panama City, Florida, where he performed oil-field work that eventually took him to Morgan City, Louisiana. During summers, he worked as a deckhand on sportfishing boats in Port Aransas, steadily upgrading his licenses and moving onto larger vessels where he began targeting sailfish and marlin. A defining opportunity came when Tom O’Connell, the owner of the Renegade, arrived from Cozumel with Skip Libby, IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Skip Smith and Kunta Smith. Roberts was asked to deliver a boat ahead of the Poco Bueno tournament and, after doing so, earned a position aboard the vessel. While docked in Port Isabel, O’Connell asked Roberts if he could run the boat for the tournament. That moment marked the start of his career aboard the Renegade, where he competed at the highest levels throughout the Gulf, The Bahamas and South Florida. Over the decades, Roberts earned a reputation as one of the sport’s most respected heavy-tackle captains. He captained the French Look mothership operation, run globally by Jean Paul Richard, and is credited with catching five “grander” blue marlin and releasing six others in just 43 days of fishing in Madeira. Roberts also played a key role in reestablishing the catch-and-release giant bluefin tuna fishery in Nova Scotia. He also received the IGFA’s prestigious Gil Keech Heavy-Tackle Award in 2022. Learn more: bit.ly/3UmFU8f

Leading up to the 2026 Tommy Gifford Award Ceremony this Thursday, October 29th, we're highlighting the incredible accomplishments of this year's inductees. Today, we're proud to feature Captain Eddie Herbert. Captain Eddie Herbert has spent more than five decades pursuing sportfishing around the world. Born and raised in Key Biscayne, Florida, Herbert grew up fishing whenever possible and spent time on charter docks studying daily catches. His career began after being invited aboard a charter, where he caught his first sailfish. His first boat was a 23-foot SeaCraft named Bounty Hunter, aboard which he landed his first blue marlin off Bimini. He later operated his own charter boat, El Lobo, out of Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale, with IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Skip Smith as mate. The pair ran charters and tournaments throughout the mid-1970s, and Herbert continued charter operations through the 1980s aboard Bootlegger. In 1995, Herbert began an 18-year tenure running Jim Lambert Sr.’s renowned Reel Tight program, first on a 50-foot Bertram and later on an 80-foot Merritt. Fishing 200 to 240 days annually, the team traveled extensively to premier destinations including Panama, Costa Rica, Bermuda, The Bahamas and St. Thomas. Their dominance on the Virgin Islands’ North Drop became legendary, often releasing multiple blue marlin before sunrise. Herbert refined his approach under mentors such as IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Peter B. Wright and through the influence of innovative captains like IGFA Tommy Gifford Awards recipient Brad Simonds. Following Lambert’s passing in 2008, Herbert continued at the highest level, captaining Jim Carr’s Never Say Never, based in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and fishing throughout the Pacific, including Magdalena Bay. After more than 50 years on the water, Capt. Eddie Herbert remains one of sportfishing’s most respected figures, defined by professionalism, passion and legacy. Learn more: event.gives/26igfatga/

The IGFA is proud to recognize Dennis Triana as the fourth recipient of the IGFA Master Angler Award, following Dr. Martin "Marty" Arostegui, Roberta G. Arostegui, and Arthur "Art" Weston. His pursuit of IGFA World Records has taken him to 13 countries, where he has set records for 68 different species. Remarkably, the majority of his record catches have been self-guided. In 2015, the IGFA honored Triana with the IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his record-setting accomplishments. Triana has achieved Master Angler Gold Tier status across five categories: All-Tackle World Records, All-Tackle Length World Records, Line Class World Records, Tippet Class World Records, and Trophy Fish Clubs. His 194 IGFA World Records include 43 All-Tackle World Records, 73 All-Tackle Length World Records, 60 Line Class World Records, and 18 Tippet Class World Records. He has also completed 10 IGFA Trophy Fish Clubs, fulfilling the Gold Tier standard in that category. For these accomplishments, the IGFA is proud to name Dennis Triana as a recipient of the IGFA Master Angler Award. The IGFA Master Angler Award is the highest distinction within the IGFA Master Angler Program, reserved for anglers who reach Gold Tier status in five or more of the program's seven categories. Congratulations to Dennis on this remarkable accomplishment! Read the full announcement: igfa.org/2026/10/27/igfa-nam…

Leading up to the 2026 Tommy Gifford Award Ceremony this Thursday, October 29th, we're highlighting the incredible accomplishments of this year's inductees. Today, we're proud to feature Captain Tim Carlile. A Florida Keys native, Captain Tim Carlile has guided the flats for more than 65 years. His lifelong connection to the fishery began in childhood, when he spent countless hours exploring backwaters with his father, Cliff, learning fish behavior, tides, wildlife and the delicate ecosystems that define the Keys. While Carlile once held the IGFA World Record for a bonefish weighing 14 pounds, 10 ounces, his impact extends far beyond personal catches. He is best known for guiding anglers to success in some of the region’s most prestigious tournaments, including the Key West Fishing Tournament, Miami MET Tournament, Marathon International Bonefish Tournament, Mercury S.L.A.M. Celebrity Tournament, Sugarloaf Showdown, Florida Keys Tarpon Classic and the Redbone series. Many of his clients earned tournament victories, awards and grand slams for bonefish, tarpon and permit. His consistent success reflects a deep understanding of fish movement, weather patterns and subtle flats conditions. Anglers aboard his flats boat, The Outcast, quickly recognize his respect for both the species and their habitats. For decades, Carlile has shared his knowledge with anglers of all ages, encouraging ethical angling and conservation. That dedication extends beyond the water. He co-hosts the longest-running radio fishing show in the Florida Keys on the US1 Radio News Network (iHeartRadio) and has appeared on television programs, including George Poveromo’s A Different Kind of Backcountry and Backcountry Bonefish!. He is also featured on podcasts such as Florida Bay Forever and Mill House Podcast. Carlile has been honored on the Middle Keys Top Spot Map, named a lifelong Hewes Ambassador and inducted into the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) 2025 Circle of Honor, receiving the Outstanding Guide Award. As BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie noted, “Bonefish & Tarpon Trust stands today on a foundation that Tim Carlile helped lay.” Learn more: event.gives/26igfatga/

On this day in 1979, angler Ken Fraser made sportfishing history when he landed a 1,496-pound (678.56-kg) Atlantic bluefin tuna off Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia. The incredible catch, made on a rigged mackerel after a battle just shy of an hour, still stands as the IGFA All-Tackle World Record for the species and the heaviest tuna ever recorded. Sadly, Ken Fraser passed away last year, just before the 46th anniversary of his remarkable catch. Today, a beautiful replica mount of the incredible tuna, built by @KingFishMounts, currently resides at Johnny Morris' @WOWaquarium, where it now stands beside the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame. Each year over a million visitors each year pass this jaw-dropping display, ensuring that the memory of Ken and this amazing catch live on.

Leading up to the 2026 Tommy Gifford Award Ceremony this Thursday, October 29th, we're highlighting the incredible accomplishments of this year's inductees. Today, we're proud to feature Captain Frank Ardine. Captain Frank Ardine was born in Queens, New York, in 1903 and lived through the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s. As the economy recovered, many Northeastern families relocated to South Florida, drawn in part by the growing popularity of fishing for sailfish. Frank and his family were among them, moving to the Palm Beaches, where he launched a successful charter career and became an influential mentor to future captains. Ardine began his career after purchasing a Fortescue sportfishing boat from IGFA Tommy Gifford Awardee Curt Whiticar, which became the original Sail Ahoy. He chartered out of Layton’s Park in Riviera Beach, Florida, before relocating operations to Sailfish Center, later known as Sailfish Marina. After several years, Frank and three other charter captains partnered with Bill Bachstet, fishing out of what became Bill’s Sailfish Marina. He later purchased a 34-foot Rybovich originally named Miss Chevy II, built in 1947 as the first custom sportfishing boat for automobile dealer Charles Johnson. Frank chartered this boat for many years out of West Palm Beach. Despite increasing competition from private-boat charters, he fished relentlessly, earning recognition for consistently leading daily catch numbers. Many days, his charters returned with 15 to 30 sailfish. At a time when boats traveled shorter distances, Frank primarily fished local waters along Florida’s southern coast, as well as Bimini, The Bahamas and Cuba, targeting sailfish, blue marlin and giant bluefin tuna. He earned a reputation as a “high hook” through hard work. His accomplishments include exceptional daily catch volumes, mentoring young captains, winning the 1957 Silver Sailfish Derby and building a thriving charter business without modern advancements in fishing technology that we have today. Frank Ardine passed away in 1979 in Jupiter, Florida, but his legacy as a pioneer of sportfishing endures. Learn more: event.gives/26igfatga/

Katelynn Wells was fishing in Racine, Wisconsin, on October 24, 2022, with guide Andrew Logan, when this beautiful coho salmon struck her lure. After weighing it on a certified scale, it read 67 kilograms (12 pounds, 8 ounces) and set the IGFA Women’s 6-kg (12 lb) Line Class World Record for the species.

IGFA Hall of Famer Andy Mill explains why he fishes by IGFA rules and why they matter. Learn more about IGFA angling rules here: igfa.org/international-angli…

The School of Sportfishing at Pier Sixty-Six started the fall off with a great trip targeting dolphin! Students aboard the Hammer Cat had a great time targeting these fish using their newfound skills. There are still two classes left in 2026 - be on the lookout for the 2027 dates shortly! 2026 Dates: November 19 December 17

Three years ago this month, NG Yam Pin was fishing in Putussibau, Indonesia, when he landed this beautiful 10.21-kilogram (22-pound, 8-ounce) giant Borneo gourami. Pin was working a crankbait when this colorful gourami struck, and after a quick fight, he landed the fish, recorded its weight on his certified scale, and released it safely. With this fish, Pin set the IGFA All-Tackle World Record for the species, topping the previous record by 9 pounds!

Did you know the IGFA's online Game Fish Database is home to more than 200 species ID guides and profiles? Learn about features, range, similar species, and records for game fish from around the world. This week we’re spotlighting the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as channel bass, redfish, spot tail bass, or puppy drum. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Maine to the Gulf, red drum are a schooling species that occur inshore over sandy or muddy bottoms. They inhabit both salt and brackish waters, can tolerate fresh water, and are often found in inlets and channels, with smaller fish turning up in shallow estuaries. Red drum show coppery red overtones on a silvery gray background, and their most recognizable marking is a large black spot about the size of the eye on each side of the tail. Some fish carry two spots per side, and a few have extra spots along the body. Their lack of chin barbels and longer body set them apart from the black drum. A strong, hard fighter when hooked, red drum can be stalked on the flats like bonefish, worked with jigs, plugs, spoons, and streamer flies, or fished on the bottom with crabs, shrimp, and clams. The biggest fish, known as “bull reds,” are usually females. The current IGFA All Tackle Record for red drum stands at 94 lbs 2oz (42.69 kg). Explore this species and 200+ more at igfa.org/game-fish-database.

Joan Wulff turns 100 today. She was ten when she first took her father’s fly rod out on the water and lost its tip on that first outing. A neighbor fished it out with a rake, and her father, seeing how much she cared, began bringing her to the casting club with her brothers. In 1943, at 16, she won her first national casting title. Through the 1950s she competed against men in distance events, because there was no women’s division. She became the first woman to win the National Fisherman’s Distance Fly Championship, with a cast of 136 feet. In 1960 she cast 161 feet with a one-handed bamboo rod. Her most lasting work came as a teacher. In 1979, she and her husband, Lee Wulff, opened what is now the Wulff School of Fly Fishing in New York’s Catskills, where she taught anglers from around the world for decades. Her 1987 book, Joan Wulff’s Fly-Casting Techniques, was the first to analyze the mechanics of the cast. Joan was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame in 2007. Generations of anglers know her as the First Lady of Fly Fishing. Happy 100th birthday, Joan, from all of us at the IGFA.

On October 15, 1992, Gerhard von Bonde was fishing Lake Victoria, Kenya, when he landed this massive 75.84-kilogram (167-pound, 3-ounce) Nile perch. With this fish, Gerhard set the IGFA Men’s 6-kg (12 lb) Line Class World Record for the species. He was trolling a lure with Captain John Doyo when the record fish struck. It took Gerhard 20 minutes to land the fish; he then returned to the Rusinga Island Fishing Club for an official weight on a certified scale.

From Kona to the Galapagos: this blue marlin traveled 3,575 nm to win the 2025-2026 IGFA Great Marlin Race, presented by Costa Sunglasses. 🏆 In 2009, Bob Kurz and Dr. Barbara Block of Stanford University started with a simple idea: put satellite tags in the hands of anglers, deploy them on the billfish they catch and release, and let the data show where these fish go and how they live. That idea became the IGFA Great Marlin Race in 2011. Since, more than 720 tags have been deployed around the world, and each year the tag that surfaces farthest from where it was deployed wins. This year’s winning tag was sponsored by IGFA Trustee Bob Kurz and IGFA Representative Sally Kurz at the 2025 Kona Pacific Blue Marlin Tournament. It’s the first time one of their tags has won the race they made possible. Angler Dave Free caught the 200 lb blue marlin aboard "2nd Offense" with Capt. Kevin Hibbard. Over 180 days, the fish circled Hawaii, turned south and then east, and surfaced in the waters west of the Galapagos. The video shows its full track. 🥈 Second place: a striped marlin tagged aboard "Sea Weez" (Capt. Ross Finlayson) in French Polynesia, which surfaced 1,400 nm away 🥉 Third place: a blue marlin tag sponsored by The Big Rock Foundation and deployed aboard "Sea Striker" (Capt. Pete Zook) off North Carolina, which surfaced 1,304 nm away The second- and third-place track videos, along with full results from this year's race, can be viewed here: igfa.org/2026/10/15/bob-and-… Thank you to Stanford University’s Block Lab and every sponsor, angler, captain, and crew member who helped this season’s tags collect 5,342 days of billfish data.

🚨 Don't miss out! Registration is OPEN for the 2027 IGFA Open! 🚨 The Open returns to beautiful Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, March 11-13, 2027. Incredible billfishing, IGFA rules, and live scoring provided by @catchstat. Last year’s tournament saw more than 1,000 fish released. Get in on the action and join the chase for the title in one of the world’s premier billfish destinations. Register now at igfa.org/igfa-open

On October 13, 1990, Bob Kurz was fishing aboard the "Equalizer" off San Diego, California, when he landed this 37.64-kilogram (83-pound) Pacific Bigeye Tuna. With this fish, Bob set the IGFA Men's 4-kg (8 lb) Line Class World Record for the species. The record fish struck a trolled feather and was boated after a 33-minute fight. This record still stands today, 36 years later!

“Set your own limit and release fish to furnish sport for the future.” PENN printed that advice in its 1940 catalog and repeated it more than 50 years later in the ad shown here. These catalog pages from our friends at PENN Fishing span 1978 to 1996 and trace PENN’s long relationship with IGFA standards. These are just a few of the more than 725,000 pages of documents that IGFA is digitizing through the E.K. Harry Digital Archive. Your gift helps preserve fishing history and makes it available to anglers and researchers around the world. Donate today at igfa.org/library.