This article was updated in February 2024.
The following table provides a simplified listing of the record game fish caught in Alaska.
Below the chart, there’s a bit more information about how to claim your own world record, should you catch something bigger than the fish already on this list.
| Arctic Char/Dolly Varden 27 lbs, 6 oz | Wulik River | Mike Curtiss 2002 |
| Burbot 24 lbs, 12 oz | Lake Louise | George R. Howard 1976 |
| Grayling 5 lbs, 1 oz | Fish River | Peter Cockwill 2008 |
| Halibut 459 lbs, 0 oz | Unalaska Bay | Jack Tragis 1996 |
| Lingcod 81 lbs, 6 oz | Monty Island | Charles Curny 2002 |
| Northern Pike 38 lbs, 8 oz | Innoko River | Jack Wagner 1991 |
| Rockfish 39 lbs, 1 oz | Sitka | Henry Lieberman 2013 |
| Salmon, Chinook (King) 97 lbs, 4 oz | Kenai River | Lester Anderson 1985 |
| Salmon, Chum 32 lbs, 0 oz | Caamano Point | Fredrick Thynes 1985 |
| Salmon, Coho 26 lbs, 0 oz | Icy Strait | Andrew Robbins 1976 |
| Salmon, Pink 13 lbs, 7 oz | Kenai River | Robert Dubar 2016 |
| Salmon, Sockeye 16 lbs, 0 oz | Kenai River | Chuck Leach 1974 |
| Sheefish 53 lbs, 0 oz | Pah River | Lawrence E. Hudnall 1986 |
| Trout, Brook 3 lbs, 4 oz | Green Lake | Kyle Kitka 2012 |
| Trout, Cutthroat 8 lbs, 6 oz | Wilson Lake | Robert Denison 1977 |
| Trout, Lake 47 lbs, 0 oz | Clarence Lake | Daniel Thorsness 1970 |
| Trout, Rainbow (Steelhead) 42 lbs, 3 oz | Bell Island | David White 1970 |
| Whitefish 9 lbs, 0 oz | Tozitna River | Al Mathews 1989 |
How to Set a Record
To qualify for an Alaska state game fish record, the fish must be weighed on state-certified scales in the presence of a witness (the witness can be a Trophy Fish Official).
You’ll need to complete the Trophy Fish Affidavit, which includes the certified weight, the length, time and place the fish was caught, and a few other details.
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game also has a Trophy Fish Certificate program for game fish that meet certain requirements, and this program also has catch and release and youth categories to recognize exceptional fish. There are minimum thresholds for a fish to qualify.
See the ADF&G’s Trophy Fish Program page for everything you need to claim the next trophy fish in Alaska.