According to the Oxford Dictionary, a sport is defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Based on this definition, fishing is not only a sport but is one that a significant portion of Americans love. Per the Outdoor Foundation’s 2022 Special Report on Fishing, there are 29.2 million registered anglers in the United States and more than 52 million anglers of all ages that participate in the sport.
To put those figures in perspective, there are more fishermen in the United States than there are tennis players and golfers combined. Of course, each angle often dreams of landing “the big one,” and while some are just a dream, others have made that a reality.
“The Big One”
Anglers love to tell stories of their biggest catch, but there is a reason exaggerated stories are often referred to as a “fish tale,” which is defined as an improbable, boastful tale, or a story so strange that it is highly unlikely to be true – its because many of these supposed biggest catches are anything but. Yet, there are times when these tales ring true and a fisherman hauls in a record fish.
The world record bluegill was caught on April 9, 1950, in Alabama, coming in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. A typical mature bluegill weighs one pound or less, so this Alabama bluegill was an absolute beast. Then there is the most popular game fish in the U.S., the largemouth bass. These fish are also found in the 48 contiguous U.S. states and are targeted by millions of American anglers each year.
The biggest largemouth bass ever caught in the U.S. weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces, and was caught on June 2, 1932, in Georgia. Compare that to a typical largemouth weighing one to five pounds. This massive largemouth bass ties with a fish caught in Japan for the official world record. (Don’t miss these monster bass caught in America.) Yet, this behemoth bass is also nowhere close to the largest fish ever caught in the U.S.
Finding the Largest Fish Caught in the U.S.
24/7 Tempo compiled a list of the largest fish ever caught in the U.S. by consulting official state fishing records. These records are verified by government agencies in each state. Only fish caught on a rod and reel were considered for the list. These were then broken down between freshwater and saltwater varieties. World records were confirmed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). This organization is considered sportfishing’s governing body and the official keeper of world fishing records.
Freshwater
The U.S. offers countless opportunities for freshwater fishing. Here are the largest freshwater fish ever caught in U.S. waters.
5. Flathead Catfish
- Binomial Name: Pylodictis olivaris
- Weight: 123 pounds
- Length: 61 inches
The largest flathead catfish was caught by angler Ken Paulie on May 19, 1990. This world record catch occurred at the Elk City Reservoir in Independence, Kansas.
4. Blue Catfish
- Binomial Name: Ictalurus furcatus
- Weight: 143 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest blue catfish was caught by angler Richard Nicholas Anderson on June 18, 2011. This world record catch occurred in Buggs Island Lake, Virginia.
3. American Paddlefish
- Binomial Name: Polyodon spathula
- Weight: 164 pounds
- Length: 81.75 inches
The largest American Paddlefish was caught by angler Grant Rader on June 22, 2021. This world record catch occurred in Keystone Lake, Oklahoma.
2. Lake Sturgeon
- Binomial Name: Acipenser fulvescens
- Weight: 193 pounds
- Length: 88 inches
The largest Lake Sturgeon was caught by angler Joe Maka Jr. in 1974. This catch occurred in Mullett Lake in Cheboygan, Michigan but due to a discrepancy in facts between the records held by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and IGFA, this catch is not a world record. The Michigan state agency lists this 193-pound lake sturgeon as the state record, but it outweighs the official world record lake sturgeon verified by IGFA by 25 pounds.
IGFA has stringent rules regarding a world record catch. If those rules are violated, the fish is not verified as a world record. In other cases, anglers may choose to forego the lengthy verification process to document a world record (or they may not be familiar with the process).
While this is the largest lake sturgeon listed in official U.S. state fishing records, a much larger individual fish was documented by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service crew in 2021. That lake sturgeon was caught in the Detroit River and weighed an astonishing 240 pounds.
1. Alligator Gar
Alligator gar - Atractosteus spatula
- Binomial Name: Atractosteus spatula
- Weight: 283 pounds
- Length: 72 inches
The largest Alligator Gar was caught by angler Art Weston on September 2, 2023. This world record catch occurred in Sam Rayburn Lake in East Texas. Like an alligator, the alligator gar has a long snout that is filled with sharp teeth. The fish is often referred to as a “living fossil” and can be traced back 100 million years in the fossil record. Modern alligator gar retain many of the characteristics of their ancient ancestors, such as the ability to breathe both air and water.
Saltwater
The largest fish in the U.S. are, of course, found in the ocean. Here are eight of the biggest saltwater fish on record in the United States.
8. Black Marlin
- Binomial Name: Istiompax indica
- Weight: 1,205 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest black marlin was caught by angler Lei Aloha on July 19, 1980. This catch occurred in Red Hill, Hawaii and while it was a beast, it fell 355 pounds short of the world record. The world record black marlin was caught in 1953 in Peru.
7. Shortfin Mako Shark
- Binomial Name: Isurus oxyrinchus
- Weight: 1,221 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest shortfin mako shark was caught by angler Luke Sweeney on July 21, 2001. This world record catch occurred during the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts.
6. Atlantic Blue Marlin
- Binomial Name: Makaira nigricans
- Weight: 1,228 pounds, 8 ounces
- Length: Unavailable
The largest Atlantic blue marlin was caught by angler Trey Irvine on August 15, 2008. This catch occurred during the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament in Manteo, North Carolina. As impressive as this catch was, it still weighed about 174 pounds less than the world record which was caught in Brazil in 1992.
5. Bluefin Tuna
- Binomial Name: Thunnus thynnus
- Weight: 1,229 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest bluefin tuna was caught by angler Marlene Goldstein on September 23, 1984. This catch occurred in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts, and although it is an incredible haul, the world record bluefin tuna was caught in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1979 and weighed 1,496 pounds.
4. Great Hammerhead Shark
- Binomial Name: Sphyrna mokarran
- Weight: 1,280 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest Great Hammerhead shark was caught by angler Bucky Dennis on May 23, 2006. This world record catch occurred in Boca Grande Pass, Florida.
3. Tiger Shark
- Binomial Name: Galeocerdo cuvier
- Weight: 1,780 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest tiger shark was caught by angler Walter Maxwell on June 14, 1964. This catch occurred in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and is officially listed by the IGFA as a tie for the world record, with a tiger shark that was caught in Australia in 2004 that weighed 1785 pounds, 11 ounces. Per IGFA rules, to set a new world record, a fish must outweigh the previous record by at least one-half of one percent of its total body weight. The tiger shark caught in South Carolina weighed 1,780 pounds. One-half of one percent of 1,780 is 8.9. The tiger shark in Australia outweighed it by 5 pounds, 11 ounces, which didn’t reach the threshold for a new world record.
2. Pacific Blue Marlin
- Binomial Name: Makaira nigricans or Makaira mazara
- Weight: 1,805 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest Pacific blue marlin was caught by angler Gail Choy-Kaleiki on Jun 10, 1970. This catch occurred off the island of O’ahu, Hawaii but due to a discrepancy between the Hawaii state record and the official IGFA world record for the Pacific blue marlin, is not considered a world record. IGFA registered a 1,376-pound Pacific blue marlin as the world record. That fish was caught in Hawaii on May 31, 1982. Hawaii’s state record Pacific blue marlin, dating back to 1970, outweighed the official world record by 429 pounds.
1. White Shark
- Binomial Name: Carcharodon carcharias
- Weight: 3,450 pounds
- Length: Unavailable
The largest great white shark was caught by angler Don Braddick, along with legendary charter captain Frank Mundus, who hooked the beautiful fish in the late afternoon on August 6, 1986, off the coast of Montauk, New York. Listed on record as the largest great white shark caught in New York but not in the official world record book, which is possibly the most debated and controversial record in all of sportfishing.
According to IGFA, the world record great white shark was caught in Australia in 1959, weighing in at 2,664 pounds, a full 786 pounds below the New York state record. One of the more plausible explanations for Braddick’s disqualification by IGFA is that, apparently, Mundus set the hook on the shark, and Braddick then took the rod from him to land the fish. According to IGFA rules, only one angler can be involved in landing a record fish, from the time the hook is set to the time the fish is secured.
However, others have reported that Braddick was disqualified due to illegal chumming, which would nullify the catch. The shark was found feeding on a whale carcass, which the IGFA could have interpreted as illegal chumming that brought the shark into the area. New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) lists Braddick’s catch in its official state records. Not only is it the largest fish of record in New York State and the entire United States as well, but it could potentially be the largest fish ever caught on a rod and reel anywhere in the world.