World Record Fish: Complete IGFA All-Tackle Records, Size Thresholds & Trophy Standards

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) maintains the definitive registry of world-record catches across hundreds of species and line classes. This guide compiles the all-tackle world records for the most popular freshwater and saltwater game fish, along with fish-of-a-lifetime size thresholds that represent the top tier of angling achievement.

Whether you're chasing records on a fly fishing expedition, targeting trophy fish on deep-sea fishing trips, or planning an international trip to fish the Bahamas, these benchmarks tell you exactly what "world class" looks like for your target species.

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Freshwater World Records: All-Tackle

Bass Records

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Line Test
Largemouth Bass	22 lb 4 oz	George W. Perry	Montgomery Lake, GA, USA	1932	Unknown
Largemouth Bass (tie)	22 lb 5 oz	Manabu Kurita	Lake Biwa, Japan	2009	20 lb
Smallmouth Bass	11 lb 15 oz	David L. Hayes	Dale Hollow Lake, KY, USA	1955	Unknown
Spotted Bass	11 lb 4 oz	Nick Dulleck	Pine Flat Reservoir, CA, USA	2021	8 lb
Striped Bass (landlocked)	67 lb 8 oz	James R. Bramlett	Holt Reservoir, AL, USA	2013	30 lb
White Bass	6 lb 13 oz	Ronald Sprouse	Orange, VA, USA	1989	8 lb
Guadalupe Bass	3 lb 11 oz	Bryan Townsend	Lake Travis, TX, USA	1983	6 lb

Trout & Salmon Records

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Line Test
Rainbow Trout	48 lb 0 oz	Sean Konrad	Lake Diefenbaker, SK, Canada	2009	8 lb
Brown Trout	44 lb 5 oz	Tom Healy	Ohau Canal, New Zealand	2020	6 lb
Brook Trout	14 lb 8 oz	Dr. W.J. Cook	Nipigon River, ON, Canada	1916	Unknown
Lake Trout	72 lb 0 oz	Lloyd Bull	Great Bear Lake, NT, Canada	1995	30 lb
Cutthroat Trout	41 lb 0 oz	John Skimmerhorn	Pyramid Lake, NV, USA	1925	Unknown
Bull Trout	32 lb 0 oz	N.L. Higgins	Lake Pend Oreille, ID, USA	1949	Unknown
Atlantic Salmon	79 lb 2 oz	Henrik Henriksen	Tana River, Norway	1928	Unknown
Chinook (King) Salmon	97 lb 4 oz	Les Anderson	Kenai River, AK, USA	1985	30 lb
Coho (Silver) Salmon	33 lb 4 oz	Jerry Lifton	Salmon River, NY, USA	1989	12 lb
Sockeye (Red) Salmon	15 lb 3 oz	Stan Roach	Kenai River, AK, USA	1987	6 lb
Pink Salmon	14 lb 13 oz	Alexander Minerich	St. Joseph River, MI, USA	2001	12 lb

For chasing trophy trout in premier destinations, see our Montana fly fishing, fly fishing New Zealand, and Patagonia fishing trips guides. For salmon adventures, explore salmon and steelhead fishing.

Panfish & Other Freshwater Records

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Line Test
Bluegill	4 lb 12 oz	T.S. Hudson	Ketona Lake, AL, USA	1950	Unknown
Crappie (Black)	5 lb 7 oz	John R. Horstman	Richeison Pond, MO, USA	2018	4 lb
Crappie (White)	5 lb 3 oz	Fred L. Bright	Enid Dam, MS, USA	1957	Unknown
Yellow Perch	4 lb 3 oz	Dr. C.C. Abbott	Bordentown, NJ, USA	1865	Unknown
Walleye	25 lb 0 oz	Mabry Harper	Old Hickory Lake, TN, USA	1960	Unknown
Sauger	8 lb 12 oz	Mike Fischer	Lake Sakakawea, ND, USA	1971	8 lb
Channel Catfish	58 lb 0 oz	Jeff Hargrave	Santee-Cooper Res., SC, USA	1964	Unknown
Blue Catfish	143 lb 0 oz	Richard Nicholas Anderson	Kerr Lake, VA, USA	2011	30 lb
Flathead Catfish	123 lb 9 oz	Ken Paulie	Elk City Reservoir, KS, USA	1998	20 lb
Common Carp	75 lb 11 oz	Romain Haynes	Lac de St. Cassien, France	1987	10 lb
Northern Pike	55 lb 1 oz	Lothar Louis	Greffern Lake, Germany	1986	20 lb
Muskellunge	67 lb 8 oz	Cal Johnson	Lake Court Oreilles, WI, USA	1949	Unknown
Tiger Muskie	51 lb 3 oz	John Knobla	Lac Vieux Desert, WI/MI, USA	1919	Unknown

Pike & Muskie: Catch Thresholds

Category	Northern Pike	Muskellunge
Nice Fish	30"+ / 8 lb+	40"+ / 15 lb+
Trophy	40"+ / 20 lb+	50"+ / 30 lb+
Fish of a Lifetime	45"+ / 30 lb+	54"+ / 40 lb+
World-Class	48"+ / 40 lb+	58"+ / 50 lb+

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Saltwater World Records: All-Tackle

Billfish Records

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Line Test
Atlantic Blue Marlin	1,402 lb 2 oz	Paulo Amorim	Vitória, Brazil	1992	80 lb
Pacific Blue Marlin	1,376 lb 0 oz	Jay de Beaubien	Kona, HI, USA	1982	80 lb
Black Marlin	1,560 lb 0 oz	Alfred C. Glassell Jr.	Cabo Blanco, Peru	1953	80 lb
White Marlin	181 lb 14 oz	Evandro Coser	Vitória, Brazil	1979	30 lb
Striped Marlin	494 lb 0 oz	Bill Boniface	Tutukaka, New Zealand	1986	80 lb
Sailfish (Atlantic)	142 lb 6 oz	Alfredo de Sousa Neves	Luanda, Angola	1994	30 lb
Sailfish (Pacific)	221 lb 0 oz	C.W. Stewart	Santa Cruz Island, Ecuador	1947	Unknown
Swordfish	1,182 lb 0 oz	L. Marron	Iquique, Chile	1953	130 lb

Tuna Records

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Line Test
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna	1,496 lb 0 oz	Ken Fraser	Aulds Cove, NS, Canada	1979	130 lb
Pacific Bluefin Tuna	907 lb 6 oz	Shoji Masuda	Three Kings Islands, NZ	2014	130 lb
Yellowfin Tuna	427 lb 0 oz	Guy Yocom	Cabo San Lucas, Mexico	2012	80 lb
Bigeye Tuna	435 lb 0 oz	Russell Lee	Cabo Blanco, Peru	1957	130 lb
Albacore Tuna	88 lb 2 oz	Siegfried Dickemann	Gran Canaria, Spain	1977	80 lb
Skipjack Tuna	45 lb 4 oz	Edmund Heinzen	Flathead Bank, Baja, Mexico	1996	50 lb

Inshore & Nearshore Records

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Line Test
Tarpon	286 lb 9 oz	Max Domecq	Rubane, Guinea-Bissau	2003	80 lb
Snook (Common)	53 lb 10 oz	Gilbert Ponzi	Parismina Ranch, Costa Rica	1978	30 lb
Bonefish	16 lb 3 oz	Brian W. Batchelor	Zululand, South Africa	1962	6 lb
Permit	60 lb 0 oz	Renato Rivaben	Barra de Navidad, Mexico	2002	20 lb
Redfish (Red Drum)	94 lb 2 oz	David G. Deuel	Avon, NC, USA	1984	50 lb
Spotted Seatrout	17 lb 7 oz	Craig Carson	Fort Pierce, FL, USA	1995	8 lb
Snapper (Red)	50 lb 4 oz	Doc Kennedy	Gulf of Mexico, LA, USA	1996	20 lb
Grouper (Goliath)	680 lb 0 oz	Lynn Joyner	Fernandina Beach, FL, USA	1961	130 lb
Cobia	135 lb 9 oz	Peter Goulding	Shark Bay, Australia	1985	30 lb
Striped Bass (saltwater)	81 lb 14 oz	Gregory Myerson	Westbrook, CT, USA	2011	50 lb
King Mackerel	93 lb 0 oz	Steve Perez Graulau	San Juan, Puerto Rico	1999	30 lb

For inshore fishing and flats fishing trip planning, check our dedicated guides.

Shark Records (Selected)

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Line Test
Great White Shark	2,664 lb 0 oz	Alfred Dean	Ceduna, South Australia	1959	130 lb
Tiger Shark	1,785 lb 11 oz	Kevin James Clapson	Ulladulla, Australia	2004	130 lb
Hammerhead Shark (Great)	1,280 lb 0 oz	Bucky Dennis	Boca Grande, FL, USA	2006	80 lb
Mako Shark (Shortfin)	1,221 lb 0 oz	Luke Sweeney	Chatham, MA, USA	2001	130 lb
Thresher Shark	767 lb 3 oz	Dianne North	Tutukaka, New Zealand	1983	80 lb
Blue Shark	528 lb 0 oz	Joe Seidel	Montauk, NY, USA	2001	80 lb
Bull Shark	697 lb 12 oz	Ronald de Jager	Malindi, Kenya	2001	80 lb

Note: Several shark species, including great white sharks, are now protected in most waters. The great white record will almost certainly never be broken.

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Fly Fishing World Records (Selected)

For the fly fishing community, IGFA maintains separate fly rod records using tippet class categories. Here are selected all-tackle fly records.

Species	Weight	Angler	Location	Year	Tippet
Largemouth Bass	11 lb 2 oz	Larry Lashley	Lake Morena, CA, USA	1991	16 lb
Smallmouth Bass	8 lb 4 oz	Harry Bass	Dale Hollow Lake, TN, USA	1996	4 lb
Rainbow Trout	33 lb 10 oz	Chuck Stroup	Lake Diefenbaker, SK, Canada	2007	16 lb
Brown Trout	40 lb 4 oz	Howard "Rip" Collins	Little Red River, AR, USA	1992	16 lb
Brook Trout	10 lb 7 oz	Don J. Bell	Assinica Broadback, QC, Canada	2006	12 lb
Atlantic Salmon	42 lb 8 oz	Anders Landsem	Alta River, Norway	2000	16 lb
Bonefish	15 lb 6 oz	Frank Moss	Islamorada, FL, USA	1976	16 lb
Tarpon	202 lb 8 oz	Tom Evans Jr.	Homosassa, FL, USA	2003	20 lb
Permit	41 lb 8 oz	Del Brown	Key West, FL, USA	1986	12 lb
Striped Bass	64 lb 8 oz	Tom Piccolo	Smith River, CA, USA	1992	16 lb
Northern Pike	30 lb 1 oz	Curt Lund	Ljungan River, Sweden	2006	16 lb
Muskellunge	40 lb 2 oz	Robert Pagel	Lake of the Woods, ON, Canada	2009	16 lb
Snook	30 lb 4 oz	Steve Kantner	Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA	2014	16 lb
Redfish	42 lb 5 oz	Chick Carswell	Mosquito Lagoon, FL, USA	1996	16 lb

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Fish-of-a-Lifetime Size Thresholds

These thresholds represent catches in the top 1-5% of all fish caught for each species. Achieving any of these marks represents an exceptional angling achievement.

Freshwater Species

Species	Nice Fish	Trophy	Fish of a Lifetime	World-Class
Largemouth Bass	5 lb+	8 lb+	10 lb+	14 lb+
Smallmouth Bass	3 lb+	5 lb+	7 lb+	9 lb+
Rainbow Trout	3 lb+	8 lb+	15 lb+	25 lb+
Brown Trout	3 lb+	7 lb+	10 lb+	20 lb+
Brook Trout	1 lb+	3 lb+	5 lb+	8 lb+
Walleye	3 lb+	8 lb+	12 lb+	18 lb+
Northern Pike	10 lb+	20 lb+	30 lb+	40 lb+
Muskellunge	15 lb+	30 lb+	40 lb+	50 lb+
Channel Catfish	5 lb+	15 lb+	25 lb+	40 lb+
Blue Catfish	20 lb+	50 lb+	80 lb+	100 lb+
Crappie (either)	1 lb+	2.5 lb+	4 lb+	5 lb+
Bluegill	0.5 lb+	1.5 lb+	2.5 lb+	3.5 lb+
Chinook Salmon	20 lb+	40 lb+	60 lb+	80 lb+
Coho Salmon	6 lb+	12 lb+	20 lb+	28 lb+
Steelhead	6 lb+	12 lb+	20 lb+	30 lb+

Saltwater Species

Species	Nice Fish	Trophy	Fish of a Lifetime	World-Class
Tarpon	60 lb+	100 lb+	150 lb+	200 lb+
Bonefish	4 lb+	8 lb+	12 lb+	14 lb+
Permit	15 lb+	25 lb+	35 lb+	45 lb+
Redfish (Red Drum)	10 lb+	25 lb+	40 lb+	60 lb+
Snook	10 lb+	20 lb+	30 lb+	40 lb+
Striped Bass	15 lb+	30 lb+	50 lb+	65 lb+
King Mackerel	15 lb+	35 lb+	55 lb+	75 lb+
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna	100 lb+	400 lb+	800 lb+	1,000 lb+
Yellowfin Tuna	50 lb+	150 lb+	250 lb+	350 lb+
Blue Marlin	200 lb+	500 lb+	800 lb+	1,000 lb+
Sailfish	40 lb+	70 lb+	100 lb+	130 lb+
Swordfish	100 lb+	300 lb+	600 lb+	900 lb+
Mahi-Mahi (Dolphinfish)	10 lb+	30 lb+	50 lb+	65 lb+
Wahoo	20 lb+	50 lb+	80 lb+	120 lb+
Cobia	15 lb+	40 lb+	70 lb+	100 lb+
Red Snapper	5 lb+	15 lb+	30 lb+	40 lb+
Grouper (Gag)	10 lb+	25 lb+	40 lb+	55 lb+

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Records by Destination: Where Records Are Caught

Certain destinations produce a disproportionate number of world records. Here are the top record-producing locations.

Top Freshwater Record Destinations

Location	Notable Records	Species	Why It Produces Giants
Lake Biwa, Japan	Largemouth bass (tie record)	Bass	Warm climate, abundant forage, genetic stock
Dale Hollow Lake, TN/KY	Smallmouth bass	Bass	Deep, clear, cold reservoir
Great Bear Lake, NT, Canada	Lake trout	Trout	Remote, cold, nutrient-rich arctic lake
Lake Diefenbaker, SK, Canada	Rainbow trout	Trout	Irrigated reservoir, abundant food
Kenai River, AK	Chinook salmon, sockeye	Salmon	World-class salmon run genetics
Kerr Lake, VA	Blue catfish	Catfish	Deep reservoir, gizzard shad forage
Lake Court Oreilles, WI	Muskellunge	Muskie	Historic muskie genetics

Top Saltwater Record Destinations

Location	Notable Records	Species	Why It Produces Giants
Kona, HI	Pacific blue marlin	Billfish	Deep water close to shore, baitfish
Vitória, Brazil	Atlantic blue marlin, white marlin	Billfish	Warm current convergence
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico	Yellowfin tuna, striped marlin	Tuna/Billfish	Pacific current upwelling
Outer Banks, NC	Red drum, channel bass	Inshore	Convergence of warm and cold currents
Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia	Atlantic bluefin tuna	Tuna	Massive baitfish concentrations
Islamorada, FL Keys	Bonefish, tarpon, permit	Flats fish	Shallow, clear flats ecosystem
Cabo Blanco, Peru	Black marlin, bigeye tuna	Pelagic	Humboldt Current upwelling

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How to Submit an IGFA World Record

If you catch a potential record fish, follow these steps:

1. Weigh the fish on a certified scale — Must be certified within the last 12 months
2. Photograph extensively — Multiple angles, with the fish on the scale, and with the angler
3. Measure the fish — Length and girth with a clearly marked measuring device
4. Preserve line samples — Cut and retain 50+ feet of line used, including the leader
5. Complete the IGFA application — Available at igfa.org
6. Submit within 60 days — Applications must be received within 60 days of the catch
7. Application fee — $50 per record application

For a full list of gear that meets IGFA standards, see our guides to best fly rods and best fishing lures.

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Chase Your Record

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Records shown reflect IGFA all-tackle standings as of publication. For the most current records and complete line-class records, visit igfa.org. Fish-of-a-lifetime thresholds are community-established benchmarks and may vary by region.