Angler Going for World Record: Most Fish Caught in 24 Hours

Beginning at 7 a.m. on July 5, Johnny Wilkins of La Grange, Ill., will ply the waters of the Lake View Nature Center in Oak Brook Terrace in an attempt to break the world record for most fish caught by a single angler in a 24-hour period.

According to a Chicago Tribune article, Wilkins, who founded the Chicago School of Fishing and has a list of angling accolades to his credit, says he will fish from shore, using outdated equipment to promote the sport of fishing and benefit two charities: the Ronald McDonald House and Wounded Warrior Project.

“Fishing shouldn’t be something that is done far away, it should be something people do because it is inexpensive and close to home – not just on vacation. . . My fishing tackle will be very similar to that used by our first president George Washington in the colonies over 250 years ago,” he said.

Wilkins said “most people get hung up on electronics, the boat and piles of lures and they never learn the skills or equipment to catch many fish locally.”

The current world record for most fish caught in 24 hours is 2,649, a feat set by Jeff Kolodzinski of Minnesota in 2011. That means Wilkins will need to catch nearly two fish every minute.