Joseph Ingold wasn’t expecting action when he made a last cast with his paddle tail, but within five seconds of starting his retrieve, he hooked up with what would become a record-breaking Florida redfish.
“I hadn’t gotten a single hit,” Ingold recalled in a press release published by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Landing a New Florida Record Redfish
Ingold let the paddle tail sink to the bottom while he scrounged his tackle for a new lure to tie on. He began to reel in, then the line went taught. Ingold thought he was snagged on the bottom, then the redfish started to run.
“I got super excited and loosened up my drag at that point, I really didn’t want to break her off since I was only using 10-pound test.”
The redfish took Ingold and his kayak for a bit of a ride. Eventually, Ingold would land the fish. When he measured the drum, it came out to 36.25 inches. A participant in Florida’s Catch a Florida Memory program, Ingold regularly submits his catches to the state’s fish and wildlife commission. The catch also turned out to score Ingold more than a good memory. The redfish landed him in the Florida record books for the longest redfish.
“When I landed the fish, I honestly didn’t even think about submitting it for the new length record,” Ingold shared. “I actively participate in the Catch a Florida Memory programs so I just took pictures for myself and for the Reel Big Fish program.”
The Catch A Florida Memory program entices anglers to share their catch and promote diversity of game fish in the state. The idea being to alleviate pressure on certain species by showcasing all the angling opportunities in Florida waters.
The Reel Big Fish is a program within the overall initiative recognizing anglers who are able to catch extraordinary size fish of 30 different saltwater species in the state.
For Ingold, the Reel Big Fish tally includes a new state record holder.
Record redfish in Florida? Sorry but I do not know what they are using for the gold standard but we have hundreds of pictures of 50” and greater in Panama City to Pensacola.