Southwest
Angler hopes 27-pound smallmouth buffalo fish shatters Texas record
Last year, Kentucky angler Art Weston set four records with one catch — and now he is ready to add another to his roster in the New Year.
On Dec. 18, 2023, Weston was joined by Austin Anderson, a fishing guide with CarpPro Texas Guide Service, who specializes in catching world-record buffalo fish. The pair embarked on a trip to Austin, Texas, to catch smallmouth buffalo fish.
“A buffalo is a type of indigenous fish to many parts of the United States that is often confused with carp, but it is part of the sucker family and requires specific techniques to fish for them successfully (often with what are called hair rigs),” Weston told Fox News Digital.
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“Buffalo fish can grow to well over 80 pounds and live nearly 100 years,” he added.
After months of preparation, Weston and Anderson were determined to take on a world record that is not for the faint of heart — a 2-pound line class record.
Art Weston (pictured here) has reeled in a 27-pound smallmouth buffalo fish in Texas, with the help of a fisherman’s guide named Austin Anderson. (Art Weston)
“Which means, hooking and catching the largest buffalo on line that breaks with just 2-pounds of force. [The] 2-pound line is the thinnest line that is manufactured in the world for fishing,” Weston said.
While buffalo fish are traditionally caught from the shoreline with bait spread out in the shallow area, Weston chose a different route, as he was using such a light line that is prone to snag, he said.
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The angler and his guide opted to use Anderson’s boat, known as the “Buffalo Battleship.”
Weston and Anderson lined up multiple fishing rods with “’bite alarms’ that trigger a loud beep when the fish takes the hook,” Weston said.
The fish that Weston reeled in weighed 27 pounds — 10 pounds over the previous record, which was set in 1995. (Art Weston)
“Given the line breaks at just 2 pounds of force, we used a very small hook that would not require me to ‘set the hook’ as that could easily break the line at the start of the fight,” he added.
Using Anderson’s 360-degree Sonar system, the fishermen were able to identify dozens of buffalo fish in their chosen spot.
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“We knew we picked a great spot,” Weston said.
After 2:00 p.m., Weston and Anderson heard the alarms sound off.
Using Anderson’s 360-Sonar system (pictured here), Weston and Anderson were able to find a great spot where fish surrounded the boat. The fish look like grains of rice on the sonar screen,” Weston said. (Art Weston)
“I picked up the rod and began to apply slow but steady pressure, using only about 1 pound of drag on the reel,” Weston said.
“One trick I learned [from] 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.,” he added.
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Once a fish “tore off line,” the two men knew they caught something large and were ready for a fight.
“It was such an exciting catch and release, one that will be hard to forget.”
Weston did his best to avoid the other rods so that nothing could break his delicate line. Anderson also helped with clearing the boat deck.
“After 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,” Weston said.
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“For its size, it could have been a much longer fight, so we were very lucky.”
Weston and Austin immediately knew that they might have caught a record-breaking fish.
Weston and Anderson rushed back to shore to weigh the fish before releasing it back into the water. (Art Weston)
Weston and Anderson got ready to weigh and measure the fish before releasing it back into the water.
Anderson had a mesh bag that was used to secure the fish, while it was kept in the water on the side of the boat to breathe.
Weston weighed the fish, which was 27 pounds — 10 pounds over the previous record set in 1995.
The 2-pound line class record fish, reeled in 28 years ago, weighed 17 pounds, 8 ounces and was caught along the Trinity River in Texas.
Once the two were able to weigh the fish according to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) standards, Weston released the fish back into the water.
Weston has submitted his catch to the IGFA in hopes of taking the 2-pound line class record for smallmouth buffalo fish. (Art Weston)
“It was such an exciting catch and release, one that will be hard to forget,” Weston said.
Weston said he is still waiting to hear back from the IGFA on his new record.
Fox News reached out to Anderson and the IGFA for comment.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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