The competition is heating up for world-record angler Kelly Jo Hall of Cortez.

In August, Hall traveled to Blue Water Reservoir in New Mexico to reclaim two tiger muskie records from a competitor, Sarah Elizabeth Harris.

Harris had broken Hall’s previous 8-pound test record and had tied her 16-pound test record for the fish species.

“If someone takes away a record of mine, I have to get it back,” Hall said with a laugh. “It is fun to be competitive with someone you have never met. It goes back and forth.”

Hall reclaimed the 8-pound test record by landing a 12-pound, 7-ounce tiger muskie at Blue Water and got back the 16-pound test record with one that weighed 14 pounds, 15 ounces.

A tiger muskie is a cross between a pike and a muskie.

“They are very strong and toothy,” Hall says.

Harris and husband Joe Crosby specialize in fishing from the shore and practice catch and release. Fish are documented based on the standards of the International Game and Fish Association.

In 2021, Hall placed second in the women’s worldwide freshwater category for most records in a season at 10. Another competitor, Vicki Martin, took first with 13 records.

Hall’s plan for 2023 is to reclaim her 6-pound test walleye record nabbed by Meredith J. McCord, who has a television fishing show and travels the world, breaking world records.

Hall caught her previous record walleye fish at Puett Reservoir and plans to return to get back the title. Another goal is to break a 4-pound test yellow perch record that has held for 100 years.

“That would be fun to break that one. We have caught them at Narraguinnep and Joe Moore, but they are usually just 6 inches,” she said.