There's just something special about catching a massive bluegill or sunfish. They're the species most anglers cut their teeth on as their first catch ever, and it's rare to see one more than a pound in weight. If you do catch one larger than that, it's likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime catch. There is one spot where two-pound bluegill and sunfish are caught rather often, and that's Like Havasu. This 19,000-acre manmade reservoir on the California/Arizona border is the place many serious panfish anglers are flocking to in hopes of catching a new IGFA world record.
Just check out this video from YouTuber Ty PigPatrol for a peek at what we're talking about. He's gone to this reservoir a few times in search of giant panfish, but this trip may be more impressive than the rest.
Ty and his buddies are fishing off a deep water dock near some jet skis when they hook into some large bluegills and finally, one of the biggest redear sunfish we've ever seen. It's not often you hear a drag system screaming and see line peeling off a reel from these species of fish!
Lake Havasu truly is the destination spot for world class panfishing. The bluegills there are huge, but it's the redears that usually get everyone's attention. In 2021, the lake produced an unbelievable 6-pound, 4-ounce monster, the current IGFA all-tackle world record. The massive fish was caught by Thomas M. Farchione and measured 17 inches long with a massive 20-inch girth. It's not often you see a fish that's fatter than it is long!
As you saw here, it's not likely Lake Havasu is done producing world class redears. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised to see the record fall again sometime soon, especially when anglers like Ty are releasing fish back into the lake to grow and fight another day. Videos like this are why we're adding Lake Havasu to our bucket list of locations for panfish angling!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
