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Speargun Fisherman’s Record-Breaking Hogfish Is as Big as a Small Child

Whether you’ve heard of it or not, the Hogfish is quite an impressive fish, earning its name from its pig-like snout. Now, one lucky Florida diver has claimed a record-breaking hogfish of his own and it is nothing to sneeze at. Weighing more than 21 pounds after it was gutted, the fish had grown to the size of a small child.

Interestingly enough, hogfish tend to weigh a minimal one to four pounds, which contributes to the uniqueness of this diver’s particular catch. The lucky individual, James Michaelin, is a dedicated diver and spearfisherman from Southwest Florida. He and some friends were spearfishing 100 miles offshore at Middle Grounds when Michaelin determined he refused to conclude his second dive without coming up with something worth taking home.

Miraculously, the fisherman shared that, “Right when I started to call it I saw a big hog come to the left of me.” The clip captures the moment Michaelin shot the fish, putting up a bit of a fight to bring his trophy home. Check it out.

While the fisherman and his companions clocked the hog’s official weight at 21.7 pounds, had they chosen not to gut the hog, the fish no doubt would have weighed several pounds more. Without the loss of blood, Michaelin’s hog definitely would have surpassed the world record for weight, clocking 21.15 pounds total.

Regardless, the hogfish is still impressive and Michaelin rightfully intends to mount it and display it. However, until then, check out this insane photo of the fisherman’s record-breaking hogfish.

UK Outsider Reels in a Record-Breaking Shark

While Michaelin’s 21-pound hogfish is no doubt impressive, one UK Outsider encountered quite a different catch when he reeled in a massive 7-foot shark.

All fishermen (and women) hope to come home at the end of the day with stories about their biggest catch. While sometimes we get just that, most times we face imminent disappointment, perhaps catching some good eating-size creatures at best.

However, 39-year-old Simon Davidson of Kettering, Northamptonshire went home with quite the tail, one capping the length of a 7-foot porbeagle shark. Davidson’s porbeagle, which happens to be a relative of the Great White, put up quite the fight, engaging the fisherman in what he called “an hour of agony.”

Nevertheless, the willful fisherman endured as the massive fish reported pulled 600 meters of fishing line before Davidson could begin to (painstakingly) reel it back in. Eventually, he and six other anglers held the shark steady to be measured, weighing 550 pounds total. The crew numbered the massive shark’s length at seven feet, and a broad six feet around.

If you’re interested in learning more about the record-breaking, cold-water dwelling beast, check out the rest of our article here.