The International Underwater Spearfishing Association

International Underwater Spearfishing Association

World Record

2.9 kg. , 6.4 lbs.

Wiper Morone chrysops x Morone saxatilis

Record Category: Women Speargun

Diver:		Shelby Lynn Peterson
Date:		7/29/2017
Location:		UNITED STATES

We were in town for a wedding and decided to go for a dive even though we knew this particular reservoir had severe algae blooms during the summer. When we got there, it was obvious that our suspicions were correct, but we decided to dive anyway. After covering over a hundred yards of shore line and hardly being able to see through the murk, I was ready to give up. Then my husband and dive partner Ryan came up from a dive and said he had spotted some wiper but was unable to get a shot. He dove again this time emerging with a fat wiper on the end of his pole spear. I hoped that maybe the school would stick around so I dove in the same area. Just a few seconds after hitting the bottom I heard the booms of wiper tails. Only a few seconds after I saw a school of wipers swimming in and out of viz. The second one swam in front of the end of my spear I took the shot. I was unsure if I hit it because right as my spear shot the fish went out of viz. I was thrilled a moment later when I felt it fighting on the end of my shooting line. Not knowing where I had hit it I slowly brought in my line. Luckily, I had hit it right in the middle its body, a solid shot. Ryan was able to get one more but then we could not find the school again. Nevertheless, we were more than excited to have gotten 3 fish when we thought we wouldn’t see a thing. We were even more excited to learn that we had both shot two world records together on the same day.