Fishing in Alaska gives you the opportunity to catch some truly monster fish. Here’s a list of some of the biggest fish ever caught in Alaska to get you excited for your Alaska fishing trip.
King Salmon
- World Record King Salmon
King, or Chinook, Salmon are the biggest of all the salmon species in Alaska and a prize catch themselves for most anglers. These fish are usually between 25 and 40 pounds, but once in a while someone pulls a huge fish out. The current record for King Salmon is 97 pounds and four ounces, caught in 1985 by Lester Anderson in the Kenai River, home to some of the best king salmon fishing in the world. One of the most amazing things about this catch is that it wasn’t weighed immediately after it was caught, but several hours later. because a lot of the water probably evaporated from the fish, it may have been over 100 pounds when it was initially pulled out of the water. If you want to see this monster for yourself it is currently on display at the Soldotna Visitor Center next to the Soldotna Bridge in Kenai, Alaska.
Rockfish
One of the biggest rockfish caught in Alaska was caught in 2007 and was 44 inches long and weighed 60 pounds. The fish was amazingly estimated to have been between 95 and 115 years old. As old as this is, its not the oldest rockfish ever caught, which was estimated to have been 157 years young. It was caught at a depth of about 2,100 feet while trolling for pollack.
Salmon Shark
Salmon sharks are usually hooked while trolling for halibut, but they usually break hooks or lines before they can be reeled in. When they are brought in, however, they are extremely large. These sharks are generally between 6.5 and 8.5 feet long and weigh around 325 pounds. Even an average sized salmon shark like this yields about 250 pounds of meat, including 100 pound fillets. The bag limit for salmon sharks is two per person per year.
Halibut
- World Record Halibut
Halibut, along with King Salmon, are the two most sought-after fish in Alaskan waters. Its not hard to see why. Both of these fish are excellent fighters and some of the biggest fish you can catch anywhere in the world. 400 pound plus halibut aren’t extremely uncommon, but most Halibut pulled in on charter boats are around 25 to 30 pounds. The current world record Halibut was caught by Jack Tragis in Unalaska Bay in 1996. It weighed in at a whopping 459 pounds.
Other Records
This is just the beginning of the huge fish you can catch in Alaska. Sockeye salmon fishing is also extremely good and the record holding sockeye was caught in 1974 by Chuck Leach in the Kenai River. If you’re more into fishing for trout, Alaska offers some of the biggest trout in the world as well. The current Alaskan record for Rainbow Trout is 42 pounds 3 ounces caught on Bell Island in 1970 by David White. Or, if you want a fish that’s related to both trout and salmon, try fishing for some monster Arctic Chars, the record is currently 27 pounds 6 ounces, caught on the Wulik River by Mike Curtis.
Part of the reason Alaska fishing is considered some of the best in the world is because of the size of the fish you can catch. It seems almost every species grows to epic proportions. So, if you are planning a fishing trip soon, make sure you tie your hooks extra tight, just in case you happen to hook a world-record breaking fish.
Related posts:
- Why Take Alaska Fishing Trips?
- Different Species of Alaskan Salmon
- Alaska Halibut Fishing: Know Your Prey
- Going Deep for Alaska Salmon Fishing