{"id":8121,"date":"2019-06-18T14:35:06","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T12:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/?p=8121"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:14:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:14:27","slug":"biggest-fish-ever-caught","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/biggest-fish-ever-caught\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Biggest Fish Ever Caught: Meet the Giants!"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 6<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>Did you ever wonder what the biggest fish ever caught looked like? With all due respect to your imagination, we wouldn&rsquo;t blame you for underestimating how impressive these beasts really were. Today, we&rsquo;re looking at the 17 biggest fish ever caught.&nbsp;<\/p><script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/player.js\" async><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/embed\/batlwi2swe.js\" async type=\"module\"><\/script><style>wistia-player[media-id='batlwi2swe']:not(:defined) { background: center \/ contain no-repeat url('https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/embed\/medias\/batlwi2swe\/swatch'); display: block; filter: blur(5px); padding-top:56.25%; }<\/style><wistia-player media-id=\"batlwi2swe\" aspect=\"1.7777777777777777\"><div class=\"wistia_preload_transcript_outer_wrapper\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%; display:flex; justify-content:center; align-items: center; margin-top:-56.25%;\"><div class=\"wistia_preload_transcript_inner_wrapper\" style=\" overflow: auto;\"><p class=\"wistia_preload_transcript_text\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 5px !important;\">According to the IGFA, these 17 beasts are&nbsp; the biggest fish ever caught! From prehistoric Groupers to Billfish, and more Sharks than you&nbsp; can imagine &ndash; we&rsquo;re covering them all here. For even more fishing videos, make sure to&nbsp; hit the like and subscribe buttons below.\r\n\r\nNumber 17.\r\n\r\nLet&rsquo;s\r\n\r\nkick things off&nbsp; with a massive Goliath Grouper. Before catch and release regulations&nbsp; for this species became widely enforced, angler Lynn Joyner caught this 680 lb&nbsp; monster in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Number 16. Sharks are\r\n\r\nthe ocean&rsquo;s fiercest&nbsp; predators and few things are more frightening than coming face to gills with a massive&nbsp; Bull Shark.\r\n\r\nThe current world record holder? 697 pounds and 12 ounces, caught by&nbsp; angler Ronald de Jager in Malindi, Kenya. Number 15. Yep,\r\n\r\nanother Shark.\r\n\r\nAnd you better believe it&rsquo;s not&nbsp; the last one on this list, either. This 764-pound Dusky Shark was caught in 1982&nbsp; off Longboat Key, Florida by angler Warren Girle. You knew there was more coming. We&rsquo;re\r\n\r\ngoing&nbsp; across the globe to New Zealand for number 14.\r\n\r\nComing in at 767 pounds, you can bet that reeling in this Thresher&nbsp; Shark was no easy feat for angler David Hannah. Coming in at number 13\r\n\r\nis a close relative&nbsp; of our previous record-breaker. Angler Dianne North caught this 802-pound Bigeye Thresher&nbsp; Shark in 1981, just a few years before David Hannah. What&rsquo;s even more interesting?\r\n\r\nThese two&nbsp; catches occurred just 30 miles from one another! Number 12 on our list\r\n\r\nis another incredible catch&nbsp; from New Zealand. Angler Donna Pascoe battled this 907-pound 6-ounce, Pacific Bluefin Tuna for over&nbsp; four hours in extremely tough weather conditions. To date, it&rsquo;s the largest fish ever caught&nbsp; on rod and reel by a woman in New Zealand.\r\n\r\nNumber 11 brings our\r\n\r\nfirst fish hitting over the&nbsp; 1000-pound mark. After almost 70 years, angler Lou Marron&rsquo;s world record for the biggest Swordfish&nbsp; ever caught still stands today at 1,182 pounds. We break into our top 10\r\n\r\nbiggest fish&nbsp; ever caught with another fierce Shark. Angler Luke Sweeny landed this 1,221-pound Shortfin Mako during a fishing&nbsp; tournament in Chatham, Massachusetts back in 2001.\r\n\r\nStarting to see a pattern? Sharks are some of the&nbsp; biggest fish in our oceans so it&rsquo;s not surprising there\r\n\r\nare so many on this list. Number nine on&nbsp; our list is a Great Hammerhead Shark, caught off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida in 2006.&nbsp; This monster came in at 1,280 pounds.\r\n\r\nNumber eight. This might be\r\n\r\nyour first&nbsp; time hearing about Sixgill Sharks. They&rsquo;re true monsters of the deep and only come&nbsp; up to the surface at night. Angler Clemmens Rump caught the current 1,298-pound record-holder&nbsp; back in 2002 off of Ascension Island.\r\n\r\nNumber seven. Pacific Blue\r\n\r\nMarlin are the trophy&nbsp; fish at the top of every bucket list on account of their striking appearance, great fight,&nbsp; and incredible sizes. And speaking of sizes, angler Jay de Beaubien&rsquo;s Hawaiian catch&nbsp; came in at a whopping 1,376 pounds. The Pacific Blue Marlin&rsquo;s\r\n\r\nsister species takes the 6th spot on our list.\r\n\r\nAngler Paulo&nbsp; Amorim takes credit here, landing a 1,402 pound Atlantic Blue Marlin off the coast of&nbsp; Victoria, Brazil, using a Mold Craft lure. We&rsquo;re breaking into the top 5 with another epic&nbsp; Atlantic catch.\r\n\r\nWhile Donna Pascoe&rsquo;s Pacific Bluefin Tuna record is impressive, it still can&rsquo;t&nbsp; beat Ken Fraser&rsquo;s 1979 catch. This 1,496-pound beast was caught in Nova Scotia, Canada&nbsp; &ndash; the mecca of Bluefin Tuna fishing.\r\n\r\nNumber four.\r\n\r\nAngling legend Alfred C.&nbsp; Glassell Jr. caught this enormous Black Marlin way back in 1953, making it one of the&nbsp; longest-standing IGFA World Records to date.\r\n\r\n1,560 pounds of Marlin meat&nbsp; is hard to beat, after all. This top three\r\n\r\nrecord-breaking catch was landed&nbsp; off the coast of Norway by angler Terje Nordvedt. Coming in at a wildly big&nbsp; 1,708 pounds and 9 ounces, it&rsquo;s hard to imagine anyone hauling a&nbsp; Greenland Shark of this size onto land again. Our runner-up is\r\n\r\nthis enormous Tiger Shark&nbsp; caught by angler Kevin J.\r\n\r\nClapson in 2004. Kevin&rsquo;s Tiger Shark came in at 1,785 pounds&nbsp; and 11 ounces, making the official ruling a tie with Walter Maxwell&rsquo;s catch from 1964. That&nbsp; doesn&rsquo;t make it any less impressive, though. And without further ado,\r\n\r\nthe biggest fish ever&nbsp; caught is a Great White Shark.\r\n\r\nReeled in by Alfred Dean in 1959, this 2,664-pound fish is by far the&nbsp; largest predator on this list. And since Great Whites are now a protected species in most of the&nbsp; world, it looks like his record is here to stay.\r\n\r\nAll of the catches on this list present incredible&nbsp; feats by some of the best anglers on earth. With today&rsquo;s conservation-oriented regulations, most of these won&rsquo;t be broken any time&nbsp; soon.\r\n\r\nBut that&rsquo;s not a bad thing &ndash; we&rsquo;ll have more of these incredible creatures&nbsp; roaming the oceans for years to come. Now it&rsquo;s your turn. What&rsquo;s the biggest fish&nbsp; you&rsquo;ve ever caught? Have you fished for any of the species on this list?\r\n\r\nLet us know in&nbsp; the comments below! And see you next time!<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/wistia-player><p class=\"text-after-video\">For this list, we&rsquo;ve only included fish that were officially approved as IGFA All-Tackle World Records. Over the years, there have been cases of people catching even bigger fish. These, however, were either caught by more than one person, or failed to meet other <a href=\"https:\/\/igfa.org\/world-record-requirements\/\">IGFA World Record requirements<\/a>.<\/p><p>As you&rsquo;d expect, most of these giants are from the <a href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/billfish-fishing-101\">Billfish<\/a> and Shark families, but there are a few surprise entries, too.&nbsp;<\/p><p>You&rsquo;ll notice that a lot of these records date back at least a few decades. Back in the day, <a href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/catch-and-release-fishing-tips-for-beginners\/\">catch and release<\/a> was a rare sight, and fishing regulations weren&#8217;t nearly as strict. Still, each of the catches you&rsquo;re about to see required incredible amounts of skill and dedication to pull off.&nbsp;They officially are the biggest fishing feats in history.<\/p><p>Without further ado, the 17 biggest fish ever caught are:<\/p><h2 id=\"17-goliath-grouper-680-lb\">17. Goliath Grouper &ndash; 680 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Fernandina Beach, FL<\/p><p>Date: May 20, 1961<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152508\/17-Goliath-Grouper.jpeg\" alt=\"a 680 lb IGFA World Record  Goliath Grouper\" class=\"wp-image-8126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152508\/17-Goliath-Grouper.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152508\/17-Goliath-Grouper-234x300.jpeg 234w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Back in the day, Fernandina Beach was famous for its Goliath Grouper fishery. Up until 1990, anglers could harvest these critters, but with their population dwindling, regulators decided to ban their harvest. All in all, this record isn&rsquo;t going anywhere anytime soon. Angler Lynn Joyner caught this 680 lb Goliath using a Spanish Mackerel.<\/p><h2 id=\"16-bull-shark-697-lb-12-oz\">16. Bull Shark &ndash; 697 lb 12 oz<\/h2><p>Location: Malindi, Kenya<\/p><p>Date: March 24, 2001&nbsp;<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"716\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152508\/16.-Bull-Shark.jpeg\" alt=\"a 697 lb, 12 oz IGFA World Record Bull Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152508\/16.-Bull-Shark.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152508\/16.-Bull-Shark-205x300.jpeg 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Angler Ronald de Jager successfully caught this record-breaking Bull Shark by trolling a live Yellowfin Tuna. The catch broke the previous 1994 record by 12 ounces.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 id=\"15-dusky-shark-764-lb\">15. Dusky Shark &ndash; 764 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Longboat Key, FL<\/p><p>Date: May 28, 1982&nbsp;<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"403\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/15.-Dusky-Shark.jpeg\" alt=\"a 764 lb IGFA World Record Dusky Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8128\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/15.-Dusky-Shark.jpeg 403w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/15.-Dusky-Shark-151x300.jpeg 151w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 403px) 100vw, 403px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>In 1982, Warren Girle pulled in this world record on a Bonito off Longboat Key, Florida.<\/p><h2 id=\"14-thresher-shark-767-lb\">14. Thresher Shark &ndash; 767 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Bay of Islands, New Zealand<\/p><p>Date: February 26, 1983<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1034\" height=\"1455\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/media\/14.-Thresher-Shark.jpeg?fit=728%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"a 767 lb IGFA World Record Thresher Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/14.-Thresher-Shark.jpeg 1034w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/14.-Thresher-Shark-213x300.jpeg 213w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/14.-Thresher-Shark-768x1081.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/14.-Thresher-Shark-728x1024.jpeg 728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1034px) 100vw, 1034px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>David Hannah caught this Thresher using Kahawai Salmon. Catching a Thresher of any size requires a great deal of skill, because these monsters are known for bashing the hook and bait with their tail before moving in for the kill. This is why Hannah&rsquo;s record is even more impressive.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 id=\"13-bigeye-thresher-shark-802-lb\">13. Bigeye Thresher Shark &ndash; 802 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Tutukaka, New Zealand<\/p><p>Date: February 8, 1981<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"739\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/13.-Bigeye-Thresher-Shark.jpeg\" alt=\"an 802 lb IGFA World Record Bigeye Thresher Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/13.-Bigeye-Thresher-Shark.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152507\/13.-Bigeye-Thresher-Shark-199x300.jpeg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>A couple of years before David Hannah, Dianne North reeled in an even bigger Thresher. She trolled a Kahawai to hook the fish and then fought the beast for three hours and 45 minutes. What&rsquo;s interesting is that the two catches occurred just over 30 miles away from each other.<\/p><h2 id=\"12-pacific-bluefin-tuna-907-lb-6-oz\">12. Pacific Bluefin Tuna &ndash; 907 lb 6 oz<\/h2><p>Location: Three Kings Islands, New Zealand<\/p><p>Date: February 19, 2014<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1034\" height=\"1379\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/media\/12.-Pacific-Bluefin-Tuna.jpeg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"a 907 lb IGFA World Record Pacific Bluefin Tuna\" class=\"wp-image-8131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152506\/12.-Pacific-Bluefin-Tuna.jpeg 1034w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152506\/12.-Pacific-Bluefin-Tuna-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152506\/12.-Pacific-Bluefin-Tuna-768x1024.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1034px) 100vw, 1034px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Angler Donna Pascoe battled this Bluefin for over four hours, and in some very tough weather conditions. For her impressive catch, Ms. Pascoe received the IGFA Best World Record award for 2014.<\/p><h2 id=\"11-swordfish-1182-lb\">11. Swordfish &ndash; 1,182 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Iquique, Chile<\/p><p>Date: May 7, 1953<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"620\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152506\/11.-Swordfish.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1182 IGFA World Record Swordfish\" class=\"wp-image-8132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152506\/11.-Swordfish.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152506\/11.-Swordfish-237x300.jpeg 237w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><\/figure><p>After more than 60 years, Lou Marron&rsquo;s historic record still stands. It&#8217;s a testament to how people once used nothing but angling to catch the ocean&rsquo;s most fearsome creatures. Lou caught the 14&#8242; Swordfish by trolling a live Bonito.<\/p><h2 id=\"10-shortfin-mako-shark-1221-lb\">10. Shortfin Mako Shark &ndash; 1,221 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Chatham, Massachusetts<\/p><p>Date: July 21, 2001<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/08\/14152306\/Mako-Shark.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8442\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Luke Sweeney caught this fearsome Mako during the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament in 2001. Luke was actually aboard the smallest boat in the tournament, a 24&#8242; World Cat, when he broke the record. The fight lasted three hours, but ultimately, the Mako made it to the scales for weigh-ins.<\/p><h2 id=\"9-great-hammerhead-shark-1280-lb\">9. Great Hammerhead Shark &ndash; 1,280 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Boca Grande<\/p><p>Date: May 23, 2006<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/9.-Great-Hammerhead-Shark-e1559933734350.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1280 lb IGFA World Record Great Hammerhead Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/9.-Great-Hammerhead-Shark-e1559933734350.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/9.-Great-Hammerhead-Shark-e1559933734350-300x245.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Charter captain Bucky Dennis usually fishes for Snook and Tarpon. However, according to him, when Tarpon come to Boca Grande, so do the Hammerheads. Bucky caught this 14.5&#8242; Shark using a stingray for bait. The Hammerhead hauled his 23&#8242; boat almost 12 miles out into the Gulf.<\/p><h2 id=\"8-sixgill-shark-1298-lb\">8. Sixgill Shark &ndash; 1,298 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Ascension Island, British Overseas Territories<\/p><p>Date: November 21, 2002<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"695\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/8.-Sixgilled-Shark-e1559933849533.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1298 lb IGFA World Record  Sixgilled Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/8.-Sixgilled-Shark-e1559933849533.jpeg 695w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/8.-Sixgilled-Shark-e1559933849533-300x212.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Although you can find them worldwide, Sixgilled Sharks just aren&rsquo;t fish you see everyday. Angler Clemens Rump caught this shark off the remote Ascension Island, in the middle of the Atlantic.<\/p><h2 id=\"7-pacific-blue-marlin-1376-lb\">7. Pacific Blue Marlin &ndash; 1,376 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Kaaiwi Point, Kona, Hawaii<\/p><p>Date: May 31, 1982<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/7.-Pacific-Blue-Marlin.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1376 lb IGFA World Record Pacific Blue Marlin\" class=\"wp-image-8137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/7.-Pacific-Blue-Marlin.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152505\/7.-Pacific-Blue-Marlin-242x300.jpeg 242w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Trolling a kita lute, angler Jay de Beaubien managed to catch this Pacific Blue Marlin in under an hour! Jay&rsquo;s record nearly fell in 2015, when an angler caught a 1,376 lb Blue Marlin off the very same Hawaiian coast.&nbsp;<\/p><div class='featured-charters-container' data-trigger='featured-charters' data-destination-id='234' data-destination-title='Kailua-Kona' data-perpage='4' data-currency='USD'data-filter-field='fishFilter'data-filter-value='marlin_blue'data-headline='Top Blue Marlin Fishing Charters in Kailua-Kona'data-add-type='m'><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p><h2 id=\"6-atlantic-blue-marlin-1402-lb-2-oz\">6. Atlantic Blue Marlin &ndash; 1,402 lb 2 oz<\/h2><p>Location: Vitoria, Brazil<\/p><p>Date: February 29, 1992<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/6.-Atlantic-Blue-Marlin.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1402 lb 2 oz IGFA World Record Atlantic Blue Marlin\" class=\"wp-image-8138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/6.-Atlantic-Blue-Marlin.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/6.-Atlantic-Blue-Marlin-215x300.jpeg 215w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Fishing off Vitoria, Brazil angler Paulo Amorim caught this grander trolling a Molecraft lure.<\/p><h2 id=\"5-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-1496-lb\">5. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna &ndash; 1,496 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada<\/p><p>Date: October 26, 1979<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"636\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/5.-Bluefin-Tuna.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1496 lb IGFA World Record Atlantic Bluefin Tuna\" class=\"wp-image-8140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/5.-Bluefin-Tuna.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/5.-Bluefin-Tuna-231x300.jpeg 231w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Nova Scotia is famous for its Bluefin Tuna fishery. Bluefins are much more strictly regulated these days, but regardless, Ken Fraser&rsquo;s 1979 record still seems almost unbeatable.<\/p><h2 id=\"4-black-marlin-1560-lb\">4. Black Marlin &ndash; 1,560 lb<\/h2><p>Location: Cabo Blanco, Peru<\/p><p>Date: August 4, 1953<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"692\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/4.-Black-Marlin.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1560 lb IGFA World Record Black Marlin\" class=\"wp-image-8142\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/4.-Black-Marlin.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152504\/4.-Black-Marlin-212x300.jpeg 212w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Angling legend Alfred C. Glassell Jr. caught this enormous Black Marlin way back in 1953, making it one of the longest-standing IGFA World Records to date. This Marlin, along with a number of other fish Glassell caught, comprise a permanent exhibit in the Houston Museum of Natural Science.<\/p><h2 id=\"3-greenland-shark-1708-lb-9-oz\">3. Greenland Shark &ndash; 1,708 lb 9 oz<\/h2><p>Location: Trondheimsfjord, Norway.<\/p><p>Date: October 17, 1987<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"679\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/3.-Greenland-Shark.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1708 lb 9 oz IGFA World Record Greenland Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/3.-Greenland-Shark.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/3.-Greenland-Shark-216x300.jpeg 216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Using a herring as bait, Norwegian angler Terje Nordvedt caught one of the biggest Sharks ever. This was one of the rare times people could see the longest living vertebrae on dry land. These sharks often live longer than 400 years!<\/p><h2 id=\"2-tiger-shark-1785-lb-11-oz\">2. Tiger Shark &ndash;1,785 lb 11 oz<\/h2><p>Location: Ulladulla, Australia<\/p><p>Date: March 28, 2004<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"744\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/2.-Tiger-Shark.jpeg\" alt=\"a 1785 lb 11 oz IGFA World Record Tiger Shark\" class=\"wp-image-8144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/2.-Tiger-Shark.jpeg 490w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/2.-Tiger-Shark-198x300.jpeg 198w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>This record is a little controversial. When Kevin J. Clapson weighed his enormous Tiger shark in 2004, he thought he broke a 40-year-old record. However, since his catch was only 11 ounces heavier than Walter Maxwell&rsquo;s catch from 1964, the ruling was that the record was tied.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 id=\"1-white-shark-2664-lb\">1. White Shark &ndash; 2,664 lb &nbsp;<\/h2><p>Location: Ceduna, Australia<\/p><p>Date: April 21, 1959<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"433\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/1.-White-Shark.jpeg\" alt=\"a 2664 lb IGFA World Record White Shark. This is the biggest fish ever caught, at least officially\" class=\"wp-image-8145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/1.-White-Shark.jpeg 433w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152503\/1.-White-Shark-162x300.jpeg 162w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: IGFA<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>Alfred Dean&rsquo;s 1959 record is by far the biggest fish ever caught and approved by the IGFA. Great White Sharks are a protected species almost everywhere these days, so it seems that Dean&rsquo;s record is here to stay.<\/p><p>All of the catches on this list represent incredible feats by some of the best anglers on earth. &nbsp;With today&#8217;s conservation-oriented regulations, most of these won&#8217;t be broken any time soon. But that&#8217;s a not a bad thing &ndash; we&#8217;ll have more of these incredible creatures roaming the oceans for years to come. Besides, we&#8217;ll always have lists like this one to remind us of how impressive these beasts really are.<\/p><p><em>Your turn. Which of the catches on our list is the most impressive in your mind? Which of these records do you think anglers will break first? Let us know in the comments below. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you ever wonder what the biggest fish ever caught looked like? With all due respect to your imagination, we wouldn&rsquo;t blame you for underestimating how impressive these beasts really were. Today, we&rsquo;re looking at the 17 biggest fish ever caught.&nbsp; For this list, we&rsquo;ve only included fish that were officially approved as IGFA All-Tackle [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1475],"tags":[356,366,386,373],"class_list":["post-8121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fish-facts","tag-big-game-fishing","tag-billfish","tag-sharks","tag-tuna"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>17 Biggest Fish Ever Caught: Meet the Giants! - FishingBooker Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/biggest-fish-ever-caught\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"17 Biggest Fish Ever Caught: Meet the Giants!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you ever wonder what the biggest fish ever caught looked like? Here are the 17 biggest and baddest fish ever caught \u2013 officially approved by the IGFA.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/biggest-fish-ever-caught\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FishingBooker Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FishingBooker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-18T12:35:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-10T12:14:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152502\/great-white-featured-e1562252334143.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sean\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sean\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"17 Biggest Fish Ever Caught: Meet the Giants! - FishingBooker Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/biggest-fish-ever-caught\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"17 Biggest Fish Ever Caught: Meet the Giants!","og_description":"Did you ever wonder what the biggest fish ever caught looked like? 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He calls himself a lucky angler because his favorite fish, the Mahi Mahi, can be found almost anywhere \u2013 though he\u2019s lost more of them than he\u2019s willing to admit. Nowadays, Sean works as a product marketer but can't help writing a few words about fish every now and then.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/joris"],"url":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/author\/sean\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/06\/14152502\/great-white-featured-e1562252334143.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8121"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129238,"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8121\/revisions\/129238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}