Every year, a milieu of eager people take Alaskan fishing trips in the hopes of making the catch of a lifetime. After all, people have caught some pretty amazing fish in Alaska before. Here are just a couple of the most spectacular fish in Alaska to ever be caught.
The Mammoth Halibut.
Last summer, 77-year-old Jack McGuire nearly made it into the sport-fishing record book. He hooked a gigantic halibut, a type of fish well known for its violent thrashing. Fearing that the mammoth fish might sink the boat or hurt its passengers, the captain shot and harpooned the beast. Now, had the captain known that it was a record breaking 482-pounds, he might have thought otherwise, as the rules of the International Game Fish Association ban the use of any tools other than a net or gaffe for landing fish. In other words, he would have broken the record had it not been harpooned. On the bright side, McGuire can at least say he caught a fish that weighed nearly a quarter of a ton.
The Ancient Rockfish.
Not only are there monster fish in Alaska, there are also ancient ones, too. Just ask Henry Liebman, who reeled in a 200-year-old rockfish on a fishing trip in Alaska. In addition to being fascinatingly ancient, it’s also the longest rockfish ever caught, coming in at 41-inches-long — eight inches longer than the previous record.
Not only are there tons of amazingly large, and spectacularly old fish in Alaska, there’s also tons of different types of fish in Alaska, making fishing trips to Alaska all the more exciting and fun. To find out how fun these sporting vacations can be, book one for yourself!
If you know of any other amazing fish that have been caught in Alaska, feel free to share the story in the comments.