Wesley Brough, a surfcasting guide in Cabo, Mexico, may have caught a world record Pacific white snook, according to Western Outdoor News. The giant fish, that weighed in at 51.3 pounds, could break a nearly standing 20-year International Game Fish Association (IFGA) record of 47.8 pounds.
After weighing the snook on his parents’ bathroom scale, Brough took it to downtown Cabo’s Minerva’s Tackle who serves as a IGFA weigh site. Long story short, the fish was big no matter the scale. “I did the suitcase test. I can barely curl 50 pounds, and I couldn’t curl it,” Brough explained.
The conditions during the night of his big catch were not ideal, including 30 mph winds and a surge. “We just looked at each other and we both were both wondering, ‘We must be crazy for fishing out here,'” said of his fishing excursion with customer Matt Strehle. After a successful night of hooking roosters and jacks, the pair were packed up and walking down the beach, but Brough “got hopped up” on adrenaline and decided to cast one more time. Thats when the snook hit.
“Now, I really thought it was another big rooster, the light was bad for any more photos, and it was late. So, I just cranked it (the drag) down and didn’t give it an inch, and a wave pushed it on the beach and I saw it wasn’t a big rooster, but a snook,” Brough explained, “It just inhaled that lure, it was all the way in and down. I always release my fish, but it was just too much surgery to get it out when it was so deep.”
“DINO-SNOOK!!”
As Brough awaits the results, the snook is now at Rinehart Taxidermy who specialize in fiberglass molds. In an Instagram post the night of his catch, Brough couldn’t contain his excitement. “DINO-SNOOK!! On Monday evening I was beyond blessed to hook up to this sea monster!,” he captioned the photo. “The official weight for this PENDING ALL-TACKLE RECORD is 51 lbs 4.8 oz!! Dimensions for this fish are 50” length and 30” girth. If approved this fish will break a 20 year standing record.” He added, “I am very excited about this and have been in contact with the IGFA who has now confirmed that it is the correct species. (White Snook).”
[Image credit: YouTube]
