20 Enduring IGFA World Records
Legendary Catches That Have Stood the Test of Time
Since 1939, the IGFA has safeguarded the legacy of sport fishing by maintaining the most trusted and comprehensive database of world records in the world. These records are more than just statistics—they’re living stories of angling triumph, written by passionate anglers from every corner of the globe and preserved in the IGFA’s World Record Game Fishes book, now in its 82nd year.
The 20 enduring world records we’ve highlighted below are just a small sample of what you’ll find in the new 2025 IGFA World Record Game Fishes book.
This iconic annual publication is packed with over 500 pages of verified world records, inspiring editorial content, IGFA Slam & Trophy Clubs, and exclusive reference listings including IGFA Captains & Guides, Weigh Stations, and much more.
If you're already an IGFA member, you can view the digital edition of the 2025 IGFA World Record Game Fishes book by clicking here. If you're still waiting on your printed copy—don't worry, it's in the mail and headed your way now.
If you're not yet a member, now is the perfect time to join the IGFA community and dive into the world’s greatest fishing stories. When you become an Annual IGFA member, you gain access to:
• The annual World Record Game Fishes book (digital and print)
• Exclusive member discounts and partner offers
• Digital publications and IGFA insider updates on approved world records
Want to take it a step further? Become a Lifetime Member and receive a premium welcome package filled with top-tier gear from trusted brands like YETI, Shimano, and more.
Below is just a small sampling of what you will find in the book: 20 enduring records that have stood the test of time.
Les Anderson's Chinook Salmon
On May 17, 1985, Les Anderson was drifting the Kenai River in Alaska when he notched his place in angling history. Fishing with a spin glow lure, he was able to entice a monster chinook salmon (AKA king salmon). After a 40-minute fight, he landed the All Tackle World Record salmon at 44.11 kilograms (97 pounds, 4 ounces). Anderson's salmon is the heaviest salmon ever recorded by the IGFA.
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Del Brown's Permit
On March 13, 1986, Del Brown was fishing with legendary guide Captain Steve Huff (one of the few guides to be honored as both an IGFA Hall of Famer and Tommy Gifford Award Winner), on the pristine flats of Key West, Florida, where he landed this incredible 18.82 kilogram (41 pound, 8 ounce) permit on 8-pound fly tippet. After a 1-hour and 3-minute battle that no doubt tested the angler and guide, Brown brought the fish skiff-side. This permit smashed Brown's previous record, which he had set two days prior by an astonishing 9.24 kilograms (20 pounds, 6 ounces)!
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David Deuel's Red Drum
On November 7, 1984, David Deuel set the IGFA All-Tackle and Men’s 24-kilogram (50-pound) Line Class World Record with this massive red drum. Deuel was surf fishing from the beach in Avon, North Carolina, when the 42.69 kilogram (94 pound, 2 ounce) record fish struck the cut mullet he was using for bait. After a 45-minute fight that took him nearly a mile along the beach, he finally subdued the fish. In addition to its gargantuan weight, the fish also had a jaw-dropping length of 144.78 centimeters (57 inches) and a girth of 96.52 centimeters (38 inches). Deuel's catch of a lifetime still stands more than 40 years later.
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Ken Fraser's Bluefin Tuna
On October 26, 1979, angler Ken Fraser set the IGFA All-Tackle World Record for bluefin tuna with this incredible 678.56 kilogram (1,496 pound) fish. Fraser was fishing out of Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia, and needed just under an hour to land the massive tuna after it ate the rigged mackerel he was trolling behind the boat Lady & Misty. Fraser's catch is the heaviest tuna ever recorded in the history of the IGFA.
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Willy Goldsmith's Atlantic Cod
On June 5, 2003, Willy Goldsmith was fishing out of Ogunquit, Maine, when this massive 20.91 kilogram (46 pound, 1 ounce) cod struck his jig. Goldsmith was able to subdue the cod after a brief fight and set the Men's Junior World Record for the species. Three of the four current Junior and Smallfry World Records for the species have come from Ogunquit, Maine - a true land of giant Atlantic cod!
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Sara Hayward's Wahoo
On July 29, 2005, Sara Hayward made IGFA history with a catch that still turns heads. Her father woke up early, eager for a day on the water, and Sara was the only one who joined him aboard the Pez Espada II out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She was trolling with a Mean Joe Green lure when the reel started screaming. Sara took the rod, and after a grueling 45-minute battle, she hauled in an extraordinary 83.46 kilogram (184 pound) wahoo. That one catch shattered three world records: the IGFA Female Junior World Record, the Women’s 37-kg (80-pound) Line Class, and the All-Tackle World Record - those are some SERIOUS racing stripes!
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Raymond Houtmans' Giant Tigerfish
On July 9, 1988, Raymond Houtmans, the giant tigerfish king, set the IGFA All Tackle World Record with this massive 44 kilogram (97 pound) catch. He was fishing the Zaire River in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) when the tiger took his bait. After a 65-minute fight he was able to add this fish to his already impressive repertoire of giant tigerfish records.
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Lothar Louis' Northern Pike
On October 16, 1986, Lothar Louis landed this massive 25 kilogram (55 pound, 1 ounce) northern pike to set the IGFA All-Tackle World Record for the species. Lothar was fishing the Lake of Grefeern in Germany when this pike struck his spoon. After a 40-minute fight he was able to land this incredible fish. While often viewed as a species predominantly found in North America, nearly a quarter of the IGFA’s northern pike records come from Europe.
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Lou Marron's Swordfish
Lou Marron was fishing with Captain Eddie Wall aboard the Flying Heart off the coast of Iquique, Chile on May 7, 1953, when sportfishing history was made. Marron was trolling a bonito when this record-setting sword struck. After a back breaking two-hour fight, Marron was able to boat the 536.15 kilogram (1,182 pound) fish which set the All-Tackle record for the species and shattered the previous record by nearly 500 pounds. After 72 years, this swordfish still stands as the king of all swordfish. Talk about a sea monster!
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James B. Orthwein's Bonefish
The flats of the Bahamas are well known for their incredible bonefishing opportunities, and on March 17, 1983, James B. Orthwein took full advantage of them. It was the day that he captured this unbelievable 6.8 kilogram (15 pound) bonefish on four-pound tippet! Anyone who has caught even a small bonefish can attest to their drag-burning runs. Without a doubt, this fish put up an unbelievable fight after taking Orthwein's shrimp fly. Pictured here is Orthwein's guide with the record setting fish.
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Ken Paulie's Flathead Catfish
On May 19, 1998, angler Ken Paulie set the IGFA All-Tackle world record for flathead catfish with this 55.79 kilogram (123 pound) behemoth from the Elk City Reservoir in Independence, Kansas. This massive cat measured 154.94 centimeters (61.00 inches) and had a girth of 108.59 centimeters (42.75 inches). Paulie was fishing a live minnow on a jig head while using a Zebco 33 reel and 12-pound Berkley Fishing Trilene line.
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Kaitlyn D. Poggemoeller's Lake Trout
July 8, 2004 stands as a day that Kaitlyn D. Poggemoeller surely won't ever forget. She was trolling a five inch rubber jig on Wellesley Lake, Yukon, Canada when a huge lake trout took her lure. After skillfully battling the trout, she was able to land the fish which ended up being 13.6 kilograms (30 pounds). This fish set the female junior All Tackle record for the species.
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Gilbert Ponce's Common Snook
On October 18, 1978, Gilbert Ponce was fishing in Parismina Ranch, Costa Rica when this monster snook slammed his bucktail jig. After a 45 minute fight on 15 pound test, he landed this 24.32 kilogram (53 pound, 10 ounce) common snook. With this snook, Ponce eclipsed the previous record by more than 8 kilograms (18 pounds) and set the All Tackle World Record for common snook. That's a SERIOUS linesider!
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Haye's Smallmouth Bass
While fishing Dale Hollow Lake on the Tennessee/Kentucky state line on July 8, 1955, David Hayes of Litchfield, Kentucky, caught the biggest smallmouth bass of all time. He brought it to a nearby marina, which weighed the catch at 5.41 kilograms (11 pounds, 15 ounces), and measured it at 68.58 centimeters (27 inches) long with 50.03 centimeter (21 2/3 inches) girth. Hayes entered the fish for a record with Field & Stream magazine, which, at the time, was the keeper of freshwater records. Field & Stream granted Hayes a record for the heaviest smallmouth bass ever taken on rod and reel.
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Dave Huckle's Nile Perch
On March 14, 2003, Dave Huckle set the IGFA Men’s 10-kilogram (20 pound) Line Class World Record with this massive 67.92 kilogram (149 pound, 12 ounce) Nile perch. Dave was trolling a Mann’s 30+ Magnum off of Rubondo Island, Tanzania, when the rod went off. After an epic 55-minute battle, Dave landed the record perch and brought it to Rubondo Island Camp for an official weight.
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Jack Tragis' Pacific Halibut
On June 11, 1996, while fishing out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Jack Tragis landed a massive 208.2 kilogram (459 pound) Pacific halibut, shattering the previous record by more than 46.5 kilograms (102 pounds, 3 ounces). Equipped with a Shakespeare Sturdy Stick, a Penn Senator 4/0, and 130-pound line, Tragis was well-prepared for a fight. Dropping a “big ugly jig” to the bottom, he hooked into the mammoth halibut. When it struck, the battle was on, and after an exhausting 2-hour and 24-minute fight, he set both the IGFA All-Tackle and Men’s 60-kg (130 lb.) Line Class World Record.
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Howard "Rip" Collin's Brown Trout
On May 9, 1992, Howard “Rip” Collins made history while simply taking his boat out for a test run on the Little Red River, Arkansas. Armed with a 4.5-foot ultralight spinning rod and just 4-pound test line, Collins hooked into the catch of a lifetime—a massive 18.25 kilogram (40.4 pound) brown trout. The fish struck a tiny 1/32 oz olive-green marabou jig, and after an intense 19-minute fight, Collins landed what would become the IGFA 4-pound line class world record for brown trout. His record also stood as the All-Tackle World Record for many years before being topped by a catch in Michigan, but Collins’ story remains a legendary reminder that sometimes the biggest fish come when you least expect them.
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Phillip Volken's Yellowfin Tuna
Phillip Volkens set the men’s 6-kg (12 pound) line class world record for yellowfin tuna on May 15, 1983, with this 74 kilogram (163 pound, 2 ounce) fish he caught while fishing in Montague Island, Australia. Volkens needed 3 hours and 45 minutes to land the record fish after it ate the mackerel he was using for bait. That's a lot of sushi!
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Attila Zsedely's Wels
On March 11, 2010, Attila Zsedely was fishing the River Po, Italy when he caught the All-Tackle World Record Wels. He was trolling a Rapala when the mammoth fish struck. This river has produced numerous All-Tackle World Records for the species, and at 134.97 kilograms (297 pounds, 9 ounces), this wels eclipsed the previous All-Tackle record by 21.47 kilograms (47.6 pounds).
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James Hussey's Bluefish
On January 30, 1972, James Hussey landed this 14.40 kilogram (31 pound, 12 ounce) bluefish while fishing in Hatteras, North Carolina. James was trolling an eel when the massive fish struck. After a 15-minute fight James was able to boat the record bluefish and transport it to the Red Drum Tackle Shop in Buxton, North Carolina, for an official weight. With this fish Hussey earned himself both the IGFA All-Tackle World Record and the Men’s 24 kilogram (50 pound) Line Class World Record for the species.
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