What is the biggest fish you ever caught ?

[GOPAPA]

Mine was a 37 lb Spring Salmon along with 11 foot pole using a Spin Glow on the Columbia River real close to where I use to live down below Portland Oregon some 45 miles up river from the Pacific Ocean off the river bank

Here is the biggest ever recorded Salmon that was just shown on a Astoria Site I belong to that got me making this post asking how big was the biggin you caught .

Astoria, OR – May 1897
“Very Large Salmon
“What is believed to be the largest salmon ever captured in the Columbia river was delivered at Elmore cannery Saturday. Its actual measurement from tip to tip was four feet five- and one-half inches, and its largest circumference three feet, and girth close to the tail being fully one foot. It weighed eighty-one- and one-half pounds. The head, when severed from the body, weighed eight- and one-half pounds. When packed the fish filled five and one-quarter dozen one-pound cans.”

[Steeveedee]

That's a lot of fish in one fish! My record is a 14" rainbow trout. That was about 40 years ago.

[richard2717]

56" red drum off of Smith Island MD. No idea what it weighed but would guess between 65-70lbs. Hurt my heart to have to release him after fighting him for what seemed like hours but was not legal to keep, too big.

[68bowtie]

37-lbs is a good one! Especially from the bank. My best King was 22-lb.

My longest fish was a 38-in northern pike in Lake Clark, Alaska. I was using a black moss mouse, since all I had was bass lures. That day had some amazing topwater action, I tell you what. Great place to visit if you want to get deep in the state, at a very untouched location.

My second biggest was a 36-in carp I landed with an ultralight setup with 4-lb test on the Sacramento River. I was proud of landing that one in the current.

[KW5413]

Fresh water...8# black bass. But I have lost dozens of world records. LOL!

[leddzepp]

7 1/2’ Mako shark. I don’t know what it weighed. It grabbed onto an albacore I was reeling in that had just broke the surface. A deck hand was right there waiting to gaff the tuna and he gaffed the mako instead and we pulled it up onto the deck.

[FleetsidePaul]

I caught a big fat chick at a bar once. She must have been 300 pounds. I'd prefer to forget about that one. She took all my beer and called me a bum and slapped the chit out of me. .

[1970 CST Short Wide]

My Son caught this Sturgeon a couple of years ago. My Son is 6’2”. Played it for almost 2 hours before releasing.

[1970 CST Short Wide]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

I caught a big fat chick at a bar once. She must have been 300 pounds. I'd prefer to forget about that one. She took all my beer and called me a bum and slapped the chit out of me. .

LOL. I Caught one of those once but I’m strictly catch and release

[68bowtie]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

7 1/2’ Mako shark. I don’t know what it weighed. It grabbed onto an albacore I was reeling in that had just broke the surface. A deck hand was right there waiting to gaff the tuna and he gaffed the mako instead and we pulled it up onto the deck.

Pictures or it never happened

[Dirt's72]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

I caught a big fat chick at a bar once. She must have been 300 pounds. I'd prefer to forget about that one. She took all my beer and called me a bum and slapped the chit out of me. .

Save the fish and harpoon a whale. Been there before regretfully.
Edit: But not 300lbs there.

[mongocanfly]

Big ol flathead catfish, went just over 100lbs

[Boog]

5 lb brown trout, 22 1/2" long. Won me $650 on the big fish pot too. Only time ever.

[Troy Sr]

We used to catch 24"-36" Northern Pike all day long while ice fishing on a northern Montana lake! We even caught one once that was too big to fit through the hole!! I used to do doughnuts on the lake in our Volvo Wagon when I was bored!!!

[kwmech]

20'' German brown up at Lake Stampede

[dave6672]

Channel cat from a farm pond.

[Boog]

Nice cat Dave.
I thought I loaded a pic of mine but it didn't so.

[dmjlambert]

Really big hand holding up a very big fish.

[68bowtie]

[biketopia]

Caught a 70 ish pound yellow fin 25 miles off shore out of Oregon Inlet OBX. Took like 20-30 minutes to reel in. I was flat wore out by that fish, I don't know how those guys do it for multiple hours on the 500 pounders

[67C10Step]

Biggest on a fly rod was about an 8 lb carp. That was a tug of war for 20-30 minuets.

Caught a 42" red back in 2011 when my buddies and I went offshore at Orange Beach. That was a great time.

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

Really big hand holding up a very big fish.

This one is even bigger than the Smelt I used to dip from the Cowlitz River where it ran into the Columbia River ,,One could dip as many as close to a hundred in any one dip when the the Smelt run was real good . I once backed my truck out in shallow part of the river and dipped smelt and dumped them into a washtub ,,that was when there was no limit and not so many people dipped them ,, I have right now a few packages of smoked smelt my son sent me ..