With a near-miss challenger or two along the way since the former record was set in 2014, that next world record redear sunfish apparently arose from the depths of Lake Havasu on Tuesday, May 4, 2021. That’s when 60-year-old Wisconsin angler Thomas Farchione landed what could be a new International Game Fish Association benchmark for the popular sunfish species. The enormous shellcracker weighed 6.3 pounds at Bass Masters Tackle Shop near the lake.

    GameandFishMag.com will have an in-depth visit with Farchione in a future issue.