Aleron Val // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Channel catfish: 58 pounds
- Location: Lake Moultrie, South Carolina
- Record set by W.H. Whaley in 1905
50 record-breaking fish caught in the US
For thousands of years—well over 100,000 by some estimates—humankind has fished the world's waterways and oceans. Scientists have identified evidence of the practice in everything from cave paintings to archeological finds. While initially used as a means of survival, fishing has evolved into a hobby, a sport, and a huge commercial industry. In fact, today, some 600 million people globally depend on fishing for their livelihoods.
It is also becoming one of the most popular outdoor hobbies in the U.S. In 2020, more Americans went fishing than in any year in the previous decade. According to a 2022 study, many first-time anglers tried fishing to spend more time with friends and family in a socially distanced way during the pandemic.
Although some anglers compete in fishing tournaments and derbies, you don't have to be a professional to catch a record-breaking fish. Marinas and tackle shops around the country allow anglers to weigh their catch on a certified International Game Fish Association scale and compare stats in the IGFA's online records database. Sport-fishing enthusiasts can even have their scales certified by the IGFA for a $40 fee.
Stacker compiled a list of the top 50 record-breaking fish caught in the U.S. by weight using data from Land Big Fish. Sharks are not included in this roundup. The fish pictured below are not the actual record catch.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service // Wikimedia Commons
2 / 50#49. Pallid sturgeon: 60 pounds
- Location: Yellowstone River - near Sidney, Montana
- Record set by Gene Sattler in 1979
Pi-Lens // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Lake trout: 63 pounds, 1.92 ounces
- Location: Lake Superior, Ontario
- Record set by Hubert Hammers in 1952
M Huston // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Muskellunge: 69 pounds, 15 ounces
- Location: St. Lawrence River, New York
- Record set by Arthur Lawton in 1905
Peteri // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. White amur (Grass Carp): 70 pounds
- Location: Guntersville Reservoir (Nickajack tailwater), Tennessee
- Record set by Chad A. Killian in 2005
Vladimir Wrangel // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Grass carp: 73 pounds
- Location: Guntersville Reservoir, Alabama
- Record set by Bradley D. Bridges, Sr. in 2012
Alus164 // Wikimedia Commons
7 / 50#44. Bigmouth buffalo: 73 pounds, 2 ounces
- Location: Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin
- Record set by unknown in 2004
Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Carp: 74 pounds
- Location: Pelahatchie Lake, Mississippi
- Record set by Curtis Wade in 1963
Alessandro De Maddalena // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Longfin albacore: 74 pounds, 10.5 ounces
- Location: Atlantic Ocean, New York
- Record set by John Maguire in 2000
Realest Nature // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Red drum: 75 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
- Record set by A. J. Taylor in 1905
LiveOakPhotos // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Channel bass: 75 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean, Delaware
- Record set by James Vandetti in 1976
Nholtzha // Wikimedia Commons
12 / 50#39. Spearfish: 76 pounds, 12.8 ounces
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Maui - North Shore, Hawaii
- Record set by Alan Cadiz in 2011
Jesus Cobaleda // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Great barracuda: 77 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Olowalu - Maui, Hawaii
- Record set by Dean Hayashi in 1992
Fabien Monteil // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Dolphin: 77 pounds, 8 ounces
- Location: Seabrook Island, South Carolina
- Record set by R. Riggs in 1905
slowmotiongli // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Striped bass: 78 pounds, 8 ounces
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Record set by Al McReynolds in 1905
AdrianNunez // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Moray eel: 81 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - North Kona, Hawaii
- Record set by Jordan Kilkenny in 2011
Evannovostro // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Atlantic sturgeon: 82 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Sandy Hook, New Jersey
- Record set by Glen Lasco in 1905
FtLaud // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Dorado: 82 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Kailua-Kona - Island of Hawai'i, Hawaii
- Record set by Kathy Hunter in 1987
Jaka Zvan // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Greater amberjack: 85 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Cape May, New Jersey
- Record set by Edwin Metzner in 1905
MPH Photos // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Ling cod: 85 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean, New York
- Record set by Fred Shay Jr. in 1984
Ohio DNR // Wikimedia Commons
21 / 50#30. Smallmouth buffalo: 88 pounds
- Location: Lake Wylie, North Carolina
- Record set by Tony Crawford in 1993
David Vogt // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Albacore tuna: 90 pounds
- Location: Santa Cruz, California
- Record set by Don Giberson in 1997
Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Bighead carp: 90 pounds
- Location: Guntersville Reservoir, Tennessee
- Record set by Jeffery J. Rorex in 2005
USFWS National Image Library // Wikimedia Commons
24 / 50#27. Black buffalo: 92 pounds, 8 ounces
- Location: Lake Maumelle, Arkansas
- Record set by Kenny DeLuca in 2001
CSNafzger // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. White sturgeon: 96 pounds
- Location: Kootenai River, Montana
- Record set by Herb Stout in 1905
Kevin Cass // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Chinook (King) Salmon: 97 pounds, 4 ounces
- Location: Kenai River, Alaska
- Record set by Lester Anderson in 1905
slowmotiongli // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Atlantic cod: 98 pounds, 12 ounces
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Isle of Shoals, New Hampshire
- Record set by Alphonse Bielevich in 1969
Andrea Izzotti // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Black drum: 115 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Delaware Bay, Delaware
- Record set by Kenneth H. Smith in 1978
wildestanimal // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Sailfish: 119 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Kailua-Kona - Island of Hawai'i, Hawaii
- Record set by Ed Sceery in 1983
M Huston // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Flathead catfish: 123 pounds
- Location: Elk City Reservoir, Kansas
- Record set by Ken Paulie in 1998
Greg Amptman // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Big skate: 130 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Double Bluff, Washington
- Record set by Dan Cartwright in 1986
lunamarina // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. White marlin: 137 pounds, 8 ounces
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Hudson Canyon, New Jersey
- Record set by Mike Marchell in 1905
M Huston // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Blue catfish: 143 pounds
- Location: Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir), Virginia
- Record set by Richard "Nick" Anderson in 2011
Saran Jantraurai // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Paddlefish: 144 pounds
- Location: Kansas River, Kansas
- Record set by Ralph B. Westerman in 2004
Porco_Rosso // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Amberjack: 151 pounds, 8 ounces
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Kailua-Kona - Island of Hawai'i, Hawaii
- Record set by Justin Lazar in 2010
zaferkizilkaya // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Giant trevally: 191 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Lahaina - Maui, Hawaii
- Record set by Al Gadow in 1980
Danny Ye // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Alligator gar: 279 pounds
- Location: Rio Grande River, Texas
- Record set by Bill Valverde in 1951
Israel Patterson // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Pacific halibut: 288 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Swiftsure Bank, Washington
- Record set by Vic Stevens in 1989
NOAA Photo Library // Wikimedia Commons
39 / 50#12. Warsaw grouper: 310 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
- Record set by C. D. Pratt in 1905
Lorna Roberts // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Tuna: 322 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Baltimore Canyan, Delaware
- Record set by Mike Horner in 1992
Shane Gross // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Yellowfin tuna: 325 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Lanai, Hawaii
- Record set by Joey Cabell in 1990
Earth theater // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Striped marlin: 339 pounds
- Location: Catalina Island, California
- Record set by Gary Jasper in 1985
Alienaire // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Bigeye tuna: 375 pounds, 8 ounces
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Ocean City, Maryland
- Record set by Cecil Browne in 1977
Jon C. Beverly // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Halibut: 459 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Unalaska Bay, Alaska
- Record set by Jack Tragis in 1905
Canva
45 / 50#6. Sturgeon: 468 pounds
- Location: San Pablo Bay, California
- Record set by Joey Pallotta in 1983
bekirevren // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Swordfish: 530 pounds
- Location: Atlantic Ocean - Wilmington Canyon, New Jersey
- Record set by Edmund Levitt in 1905
Joe Belanger // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Giant seabass: 563 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Maui, Hawaii
- Record set by Russell Mori in 1989
jurgal photographer // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Bluefin tuna: 1,152 pounds
- Location: 30 miles S of South Pass, Louisiana
- Record set by Ron Roland in 2003
kelldallfall // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Black marlin: 1,205 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Red Hill - Haleakala, Hawaii
- Record set by Lei Aloha in 1980
Colin MacDonald // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Blue marlin: 1,805 pounds
- Location: Pacific Ocean - Waianae - Oahu, Hawaii
- Record set by Gail Choy-Kaleiki in 1970
