Fishing lines | Want to set a world record? Here's how...

Watch out, Richard B Jacobsen and Robert T Cunningham Junior. Ted R Ellenbecker and Justine Zachery Powers, your days of ruling the roost may be numbered. Even the all-conquering Mrs William B DuVal could find herself consigned to the list of also-rans. That is, if I can find the chap I met at this year's CLA Game Fair.

One of the highlights of my year (shows what a sheltered life I lead) is receiving the annual list of world-record game fishes, published by the International Game Fish Association. This is not some photocopied sheet: it's a glossy book of 340 pages.

The IGFA are seriously rich. As well as being the focal point for all world-record claims, they hold an annual banquet (dinner is too plebeian to describe the occasion). I went once, and sat on a table where I was the only person who didn't own a boat (we're not talking 10ft dinghies, either).

Anyway, if you want to know who has caught the biggest kobudai, gummy shark (honest), manduba or striped mojarra, the IGFA record book is the place to look. The association have just set up separate records for fish caught on a fly rod, and line-class records, meaning that you can hold seven records for the same fish, depending on the line strength used.

Some of these make pretty amazing reading. How, for example, does someone land a 32lb tarpon, one of the toughest fish going, on 2lb line? Dave Chermanski did. And what about an 83lb white marlin on 4lb line? It's hard enough bringing in one of those on 50lb line. Anyway, this has opened up a whole new area for anglers who like certificates on their walls. Some of them, like the aforementioned Richard B Jacobsen and Mrs William B DuVal, probably have a separate home to display their achievements. Over the past year, Jacobsen has set 11 saltwater fly-rod records and Mrs DuVal had 11 fly-rod records (there are separate classes for women and juniors) as well as six line-class records.

Personally, it seems like a lot of hassle. There are eight pages of very small type describing exactly what you need to do to register a record claim, which includes detailing everything from the mate's name and address (for a fish caught from a boat) to having the species verified by an ichthyologist.

However, someone determined enough could easily set a raft of world records in this country. There are many species common to our fine and pleasant land for which nobody has submitted a claim, especially in the fly-rod category. These include grayling, tench, zander and catfish. Those hunting further afield could have a grand old time with nembwe, shorthead redhorse, sorubim tambaqui and giant tigerfish.

The chap I met at the Game Fair was trying to catch every species of British fish on the fly. He only had three to go. That week, he was off to catch a gudgeon. The previous week, he had almost taken a catfish. I wonder if he realised how close he was to setting a world record.