Quantum Smoke lands world record barramundi

Yungaburra angler Mark Hope landed a pending world record barramundi on January 7, and this week that record moved towards the final stages of becoming official.

Hope landed the 127.5cm barramundi weighing 28.3kg on a Quantum Smoke 150 Baitcast reel spooled with 6kg line, surpassing the current world record for the 6kg line class. The International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) has this week confirmed the line tests are all clear and now Hope waits for the new record to become listed as official in approximately three months.

Hope caught the barramundi in Lake Tinaroo, approximately 82km inland from Cairns, North Queensland. He is a noted barramundi IGFA world record chaser, having landed nine other world records prior to his latest 6kg line class achievement. His tackle store is even named after his obsession: World Record Barra Tackle.

According to Hope, "Landing a world record barramundi requires extensive planning, preparation and exceptional tackle. Targeting monster barra on light line requires your reel’s drag to be always perfectly smooth, with no variation in weight, and low start-up inertia. After countless hours, some patience and a bit of luck, the right fish will come along. With concentration and a calm mind, the tackle may then perform exactly how designers had always envisioned. I am very happy with Quantum reels for my style of fishing and I will continue using them."

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