very interesting question have always wondered the same be interesting to see what the answer is

pretty sure all applications for state and national records need to be weighed on registered scales(weights and measures dept) also shark record applications need to be accompanied by a tooth from the upper jaw cheers

Has to be on certified scales with a witness.  Just remember some sharks are protected and others have max size restrictions so those records will never be changed so long as those rules are in place

 People still fish for records?

 Yeah in the west coast zone whalers ect but where mine are caught either further north or south coast it's fair go at all but nurses and whites ( the records for them are basically unbeatable anyway) I'm allowed to fish for them even if they are over the max size just not allowed to kill them and must be returned immediately. just seeing if I can get my name down on something lol, not going to kill one just for it tho, much happier seeing the big ones go, and no I'm not fishing for records but with methods I use there is a good chance of getting some very big things attached to your line. Hmmm sounds like I need to become friends with a butcher and get him to come along with me hahaha, sounding like way to much effort but was worth asking either way.

Good point flangies. There are still a few skillful fishermen and women left though. And we still laugh at those that call 20lb braid 'light tackle'

This might be what your looking for.

http://www.igfa.org/Fish/All-Tackle-Length-Rules.aspx

Still plenty of National and State Land Based Game Fishing records in different line classes that are vacant or wouldnt be to hard to beat for someone really keen. Look up Landbased Game records for Salmon and Samsonfish for example. Even an opportunity for the likes of Pink Snapper down here or Spanglies up north.

Even more vacancies if you are a junior. Especially in the lighter line classes like 1, 2 and 3kg

But yes Chris the shark would have to be killed. Realistically i dont see how you could get a shark weighed on certified scales alive then put it back to sea. Unless you could con a game fishing club to setup a gantry with their scales right where you are fishing.

If you are keen on some of the records though you will have to join a GFAA affiliated club and pay the GFAA annual member fee too.

http://www.gfaa.asn.au/

dont quote me on this one but i think you need to be afiliated with a fishing club to claim a record.

 Yeah to much effort, thought I would just ask anyway, hahaha mulloway only sit at 33kg shit I've seen plenty claimed to be way over that! I just can't get one over 25 hahaha all mine are between 12-18 mostly!! Getting the lengths and decent photos of a 2m+ total length shark is not easy!! Think I might just not bother with it all to much effort, just the shark records sit fairly low on almost all the species I regularly catch and I know at least 2 previous ones should of been way over and a couple more very close and I've hooked plenty lately that have just mad a complete fool of me hahaha would be cool to have my name on something tho.

All the proper land based clubs in the state are affiliated with AAA, but you dont have to be a member to claim a record just follow a procedure

http://www.aaawa.iinet.net.au/StateFishingRecords.html

Individual clubs have there own records for example my club has been going for 60 years and has some pretty amazing records that will never be beaten for some species but there are upgrades to these records frequently at AAA level and certainly at club level

Here is my clubs records

Hhttp://www.surfcasters.iinet.net.au/ClubFishingRecords.pdf

http://www.surfcasters.iinet.net.au/index.html

I cant see a landbased 16.02kg pink snapper ever being beaten or a 19.96 dhu but there you go

Most clubs run an open comp that runs for 12 months for example at the moment the mulloway that is winning is around 9kg(comp running since May).  Due to my work committments I miss alot of monthly and state land based comps but I can fish for the open comp all year round.  I personally like to chase big tailor and have won that section for the last couple of years I picked up a nice sambo last competition year to take out that section also.  Each to their own but I like to introduce a competitive edge to my fishing.

As for your shark fishing Chris the days of people keeping 3m sharks are well and truly over they arent much use to anyone at that size, hence those records dont change.  If you would like to carry out a "cull" at steep point or Quobba I think there are plenty of anglers that would be most grateful lol

My club doesnt weigh in these days alot of the species that are listed as caught in the past ie rays, shovelly's, wobbeygong etc

yeah my club is the same

no ray's shovellys or wobbeys which is annoying cause i catch loads of wobbs and normal sharks dont count in your point tally for the end of the year either they go in a category of there own for largest shark allthough not too many get weighed in i havnt seen one over 4 foot caught in the last 2 years

as for records they are very very strict on the tackle that you can use its worth reading up i didnt realise the rigs i was using would disqualify me for records e.g not more than 2 hooks so 3 gangs are out

i have beaten the igfa world record for spanish mackeral but caught it on a lure with trebles which is also out (the world record is quite low at just over 44kg i know of quite a few caught that are much bigger than that)

i have come up with a couple of state records that m,ight be worth chasing

ruby snapper - 9.5 kg i have caught more than 10 rubys over 20kg

giant trevally - 34 kg (surely that can be beaten with a bit of effort)

yellowfin whiting - .684 gm (i have caught bigger ones)

barramundi - 14kg??

gobbleguts - .065?? is that a record you would want to hold??

 I heard live marlin was the bait for the monster gobbleguts

buff bream is one Leemo would be proud to hold lol

if i get a bigger gobble guts lookout lol

 Does it count if they come out of a dhuys gob? if so ive pulled some monsters.

 From what I can see the gobble guts record is 36grams not 65grams.... Unfortunately for me this extreme record is proudly held by my old man!!!  Good fish Dad!!

 One to inherit Belly

OK, so not one of my proudest moments, but there was a time it seemed important