We love keeping a close eye on the IGFa records for various sportsfishing species.
We pulled together this piece to inspire anglers chasing world record catches of a variety of species.
It might also be helpful in settling arguments between anglers over the official record sizes for various types of fishing including largemouth bass, brown trout, muskie and various saltwater species including tarpon, bonefish and snook.
The information in the chart below comes direct from the IGFA database of All Tackle World Records for the species listed and is correct as of June 2022.
The Biggest Fish Ever Caught by Species: IGFA Records
| Species | All Tackle Record | Date | Angler | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albacore | 88lb | 1977 | Siegfried Dickemann | Canary Islands |
| Amberjack (full details of the current IGFA world record Amberjack here) | 163lb | 2015 | Tadashi Yamanaka | Zenisu, Tokyo, Japan |
| Arapaima (full details of the current IGFA world record Arapaima here) | 339lb | 2010 | Jakub Vagner | Amazonia, Ecuador |
| Arctic Char | 32lb 9oz | 1981 | Jeffrey Ward | Tree River, Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Barracuda (Guinean) (full details of the current IGFA world record barracuda here) | 102lb | 2013 | Thomas Gibson | Barra du Kwanza, Angola |
| Bass (Largemouth) (full details of the current IGFA world record largemouth bass here) | 22lb (it was a tie) | 1932 and 2009 | George W Perry and Manabu Kurita | Montgomery Lake, Georgia; Lake Biwa, Japan |
| Bass (Smallmouth) (full details of the current IGFA world record smallmouth bass here) | 11lb 15oz | 1955 | David Hayes | Tennessee |
| Bass (Striped) | 81lb 14oz | 2011 | Gregory Myerson | Long Island Sound, Connecticut |
| Bonefish | 16lb | 1971 | Jerry Lavenstein | Bimini, Bahamas |
| Catfish (blue) (full details of the current world record blue catfish here) | 143lb | 2011 | Richard Nicholas Anderson | Kerr Lake, Buggs Island, Virginia |
| Catfish (channel)(full details of the current IGFA world record channel catfish here) | 58lb | 1964 | W Whaley | Santee-Cooper Reservoir, South Carolina |
| Catfish (flathead) (full details of the current IGFA world record flathead catfish here) | 123lb | 1998 | Ken Paulie | Elk City Reservoir, Kansas |
| Cobia (full details of the current IGFA world record cobia here) | 135lb | 1985 | Peter Goulding | Shark Bay, Western Australia |
| Dolphinfish | 87lb | 1976 | Manuel Salazar | Papagayo Gulf, Costa Rica |
| Dorado | 55lb 11oz | 2006 | Andre de Botton | Uruguay River, Argentina |
| Drum, Freshwater (full details of the current IGFA world record freshwater drum here) | 54lb 8oz | 1972 | Benny Hull | Nickajack Lake, Tennessee |
| Gar, Alligator (full details of the current IGFA world record alligator gar here) | 279lb | 1951 | Bill Valverde | Rio Grande, Texas |
| Gar, Longnose | 43lb | 2017 | Rock Shaw | Trinity River, Texas |
| Halibut (Pacific) (full details of the current IGFA world record halibut here) | 459lb | 1996 | Jack Tragis | Dutch Harbor, Alaska |
| Kokanee | 9lb 10oz | 2010 | Ronald A Campbell | Wallowa Lake, Oregon |
| Marlin (black) (full details of the current IGFA world record black marlin here) | 1560lb | 1953 | Alfred Glassell Jr | Cabo Blanco, Peru |
| Marlin, Blue (Atlantic) (full details of the current IFGA Record Blue Marlin record here) | 1402lb | 1992 | Paolo Amorim | Vitoria, Brazil |
| Marlin, Blue (full details of the current IGFA Record Pacific Marlin here) | 1376lb | 1982 | Jay de Beaubien | Kaaiwi Point, Kona, Hawaii |
| Marlin, Striped (full details of the current IGFA world record striped marlin here) | 494lb | 1986 | Bill Boniface | Tutukaka, New Zealand |
| Muskellunge | 67lb 8oz | 1949 | Cal Johnson | Lake Court Oreilles, Wisconsin |
| Northern Pike | 55lb 1 oz | 1986 | Lothar Louis | Lake of Greefern, Germany |
| Permit | 60lb | 2002 | Renato Fiedler | Ilha do Mel, Brazil |
| Redfish (Red Drum) [more details here] | 94lb | 1984 | David Deuel | Avon, North Carolina |
| Rooster Fish (current IGFA World Record Roosterfish details here) | 114lb | 1960 | Abe Sackheim | La Paz, Baja California, Mexico |
| Salmon (Atlantic) (current IGFA world record Atlantic salmon details) | 79lb 2oz | 1928 | Henrik Henriksen | Tana River, Norway |
| Salmon (Chum) (current IGFA world record chum salmon details) | 35lb | 1995 | Todd Johansson | Edye Pass, British Columbia, Canda |
| Salmon (Coho) (current IGFA world record coho salmon details) | 33lb 4oz | 1989 | Jerry Lifton | Salmon River, New York |
| Salmon (King or Chinook) (current IGFA world record King salmon details) | 97lb 4oz | 1985 | Les Anderson | Kenai River, Alaska |
| Salmon (Pink) (current IGFA world record Pink salmon details) | 14lb 13oz | 2001 | Alexander Minerich | Monroe, Washington |
| Salmon (Sockeye) (current IGFA world record sockeye salmon details) | 15lb 3oz | 1987 | Stan Roach | Kenai River, Alaska |
| Sauger | 8lb 12oz | 1971 | Mike Fischer | Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota |
| Sheepshead (current IGFA world record sheepshead details here) | 21lb 4oz | 1982 | Wayne Deselle | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Spanish Mackerel (current IGFA world record Spanish mackerel details here) | 13lb | 1987 | Robert Cranton | Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina |
| Speckled Seatrout (current IGFA world record Speckled Seatrout details here) | 17lb 7oz | 1995 | Craig Carson | Fort Pierce, Florida |
| Snook (Pacific Black) (current IGFA world record Snook details here) | 59lb 8oz | 2014 | Capt Ward Michaels | Puerto Quepos, Costa Rica |
| Taimen (current IGFA world record taimen details here) | 115lb 8oz | 2021 | Ilya Sherbovich | Tugur River, Russia |
| Taimen (Japanese) | 33lb | 2017 | Tetsuya Kataoka | Kushiro River, Japan |
| Tarpon | 286lb 9oz | 2003 | Max Domecq | Rubane, Guinea-Bissau |
| Trevally, Giant | 160lb 7oz | 2006 | Keiki Hamasaki | Kagoshima, Japan |
| Trout, Brook (full details of the current IGFA world record brook trout here) | 14lb 8oz | 2015 | Dr JW Cook | Nipigon River, Ontario, Canada |
| Trout, Brown | 44lb 5oz | 2020 | Seumas Petrie | Ohau Canal, Twizel |
| Trout, Lake (full details of the current IGFA world record lake trout here) | 72lb | 1995 | Lloyd Bull | Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Trout, Rainbow (full details of the current IGFA World Record rainbow trout here) | 48lb | 2009 | Sean Konrad | Lake Diefenbaker, Canada |
| Tuna, Bluefin | 1496lb | 1979 | Ken Fraser | Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Tuna, Yellowfin | 427lb | 2012 | Guy Yocom | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico |
| Wahoo (full details of the current IGFA world record Wahoo here) | 184lb | 2005 | Sara Hayward | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico |
| Yellow Perch | 4lb 3oz | 1865 | Dr C Abbot | Bordentown, New Jersey |
| Yellowtail , southern (full details of the current IGFA world record yellowtail here) | 114lb (tie) | 1984 and 1987 | Mike Godfrey and David Lugton | Tauranga and White Island, New Zealand |
