Records and curiosities

Biggest fish ever caught: records by species

Recognised record catches, each backed by two independent sources, plus the heaviest species and curiosities.

Record catches by species

1. Atlantic bluefin tuna
   1,496 lbabout 678.6 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordAulds Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1979 · Sources 1 2
2. Atlantic cod
   103 lb 10 ozabout 47.0 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordSørøya, Norway, 2013 · Sources 1 2 3
3. Atlantic halibut
   418 lb 13 ozabout 190.0 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordVannøya, Troms, Norway, 2004 · Sources 1 2 3
4. Atlantic salmon
   64 lbabout 29.0 kg convertedBritish record (British Record Fish Committee)River Tay (Glendelvine beat), Scotland, 1922 · Sources 1 2
5. Blue catfish
   143 lbabout 64.9 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordKerr Lake (Buggs Island Lake), Virginia, USA, 2011 · Sources 1 2
6. Blue marlin
   1,402 lb 2 ozabout 636.0 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world record (Atlantic blue marlin)Vitória, Brazil, 1992 · Sources 1 2
7. Brown trout
   44 lb 5 ozabout 20.1 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordOhau Canal, Twizel, New Zealand, 2020 · Sources 1 2
8. Chinook salmon
   97 lb 4 ozabout 44.1 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordKenai River, Alaska, USA, 1985 · Sources 1 2
9. Common carp
   75 lb 11 ozabout 34.3 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordLac de St. Cassien, France, 1987 · Sources 1 2
10. European eel
    11 lb 3 ozabout 5.1 kg convertedBritish record (British Record Fish Committee)Southern stillwater, England, 2024 · Sources 1 2 3
11. European perch
    2.9 kg (6 lb 6 oz)IGFA all-tackle world recordFinland, 2010 · Sources 1 2
12. Flathead catfish
    123 lbabout 55.8 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordElk City Reservoir, Kansas, USA, 1998 · Sources 1 2
13. Garfish
    3 lb 9 oz 8 drabout 1.6 kg convertedBritish shore-caught record (British Record Fish Committee)Slapton Sands, Devon, England, 2017 · Sources 1 2 3
14. Giant trevally
    160 lb 7 ozabout 72.8 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordTokara, Kagoshima, Japan, 2006 · Sources 1 2
15. Goliath tigerfish
    97 lbabout 44.0 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordCongo River at Kinshasa, DR Congo (then Zaire), 1988 · Sources 1 2
16. Largemouth bass
    22 lb 4 ozabout 10.1 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world record (tie)Montgomery Lake, Georgia, USA (1932), tied with Lake Biwa, Japan (2009), 1932 · Sources 1 2
17. Muskellunge
    67 lb 8 ozabout 30.6 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordLac Courte Oreilles near Hayward, Wisconsin, USA, 1949 · Sources 1 2 3
18. Nile perch
    104.32 kg (230 lb)IGFA all-tackle world recordLake Nasser, Egypt, 2000 · Sources 1 2
19. Northern pike
    25 kg (55 lb 1 oz)IGFA all-tackle world recordLake Grefeern, Germany, 1986 · Sources 1 2
20. Rainbow trout
    48 lbabout 21.8 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordLake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, Canada, 2009 · Sources 1 2
21. Smallmouth bass
    11 lb 15 ozabout 5.4 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordDale Hollow Lake, Tennessee and Kentucky, USA, 1955 · Sources 1 2
22. Striped bass
    81 lb 14 ozabout 37.1 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordLong Island Sound off Westbrook, Connecticut, USA, 2011 · Sources 1 2
23. Swordfish
    1,182 lbabout 536.1 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordIquique, Chile, 1953 · Sources 1 2
24. Tarpon
    286 lb 9 ozabout 130.0 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordRubane, Guinea-Bissau, 2003 · Sources 1 2
25. Tench
    15 lb 3 oz 6 drabout 6.9 kg convertedBritish record (British Record Fish Committee)Sheepwalk pit, Shepperton, England, 2001 · Sources 1 2
26. Wahoo
    184 lbabout 83.5 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordCabo San Lucas, Mexico, 2005 · Sources 1 2
27. Wels catfish
    134.97 kg (297 lb 9 oz)IGFA all-tackle world recordRiver Po, Italy, 2010 · Sources 1 2 3
28. White marlin
    181 lb 14 ozabout 82.5 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordVitória, Brazil, 1979 · Sources 1 2
29. Yellowfin tuna
    443 lbabout 200.9 kg convertedIGFA all-tackle world recordoff Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, 2024 · Sources 1 2 3
30. Zander
    11.48 kgIGFA all-tackle world recordLake Maggiore (Italy and Switzerland), 2016 · Sources 1 2 3

Weights exactly as in the sources, often in pounds (lb) and ounces (oz). We leave out records without two matching sources.

The heaviest species according to FishBase

Highest published weight per species, not necessarily caught on rod and line.

1. Atlantic bluefin tuna684.0 kg
2. Swordfish650.0 kg
3. Blue marlin636.0 kg
4. Striped marlin440.0 kg
5. Pacific halibut363.0 kg
6. Atlantic halibut320.0 kg
7. Yellowfin tuna200.0 kg
8. Nile perch200.0 kg
9. Tarpon161.0 kg
10. Alligator gar137.0 kg

Curiosities

Most venomous fish in the world

The stonefish is regarded as the most venomous fish in the world. It lies well camouflaged on reefs, its dorsal spines carry venom glands, and stings are excruciatingly painful and can be fatal.

Sources 1 2

Largest fish in the world

The whale shark is the largest living fish. It is not a sport fish, filters plankton from the water and is harmless to humans.

Sources 1 2

Heaviest bony fish

The heaviest bony fish ever weighed is a giant sunfish, Mola alexandrini, of 2,744 kg from the North Atlantic off the Azores.

Sources 1 2

Oldest fish

The Greenland shark is the longest-lived vertebrate known: a 2016 study showed a life span of at least 272 years, and the largest animal examined was estimated at 392 years (plus or minus 120).

Sources 1 2 3

Fastest fish? Still open

The sailfish was once credited with about 35 metres per second. Newer measurements show it probably does not exceed 10 to 15 metres per second.

Sources 1 2

Swordfish with heated eyes

A special muscle by the eye warms the swordfish's eyes and brain 10 to 15 °C above the water temperature. This lets it see fast movement far better in cold, deep water.

Sources 1 2

The mystery of the eel

The European eel migrates to the Sargasso Sea in the western Atlantic to spawn. Nobody has yet observed it reproducing in the wild.

Sources 1 2

As of 2026-10-23. Spotted a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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