Barracuda eaten too quickly; could have set world record

Apr 23, 2015

Barracuda eaten too quickly; could have set world record

As a longtime angler, Dennis Tilden knows that the quicker a fish is prepared after it’s caught, the fresher it will taste.

But Tilden, who reeled in a 32-pound Mexican barracuda recently while fishing off Costa Rica, did not know until dinner was being served that he'd be eating a potential world-record catch.

The International Game Fish Association lists as the all-tackle record a 28-pound 6-ounce barracuda caught off Panama in 2010.

Tilden’s barracuda, caught during a tournament out of Crocodile Bay Resort on the Osa Peninsula, was weighed briefly before its head was removed for a soup.

It’s flesh was filleted and later prepared as a ceviche.

A proper certified weight had not been obtained, and measurements and other details for the paperwork were not collected, nullifying any chance for a record.

Tilden could only recall the captain telling him that the barracuda was the largest he had ever seen.

Reads a description from Todd Staley, the resort’s director of fishing:

“As the chef was preparing a barracuda ceviche and getting the rest ready for dinner, Dennis mentioned the captain’s comment.

“A check with the IGFA record book showed the biggest recorded was 28 lbs. Tilden’s fish at just under 32 lbs made a delicious world-record meal.”

Tilden considered it a lesson learned, and could hardly complain about the fishing.

A day later he caught a 350-pound blue marlin to win Day 2 of the Boston Whaler tournament.