Record fish
British boat-caught record fish
The British boat-caught record for every fish in our guide, with its status, weight, place, date and angler. Sort any column or filter by group, record status or Sussex fish.
How to read the table
Confirmed = on the official British Record Fish Committee list. Claimed = reported elsewhere and not confirmed. None listed = no British boat-caught record on the list for that fish. The official weight-based boat records were frozen in June 2024; new boat claims are by length. Of the 88 species, 72 have a confirmed boat record and 16 have none listed; none has a claimed-only record. Some small fish appear only on the committee's mini-species list, which does not split boat and shore catches: their species pages explain.
88 species shown
| Source | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allis shad Alosa alosa | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Angel shark Squatina squatina | Confirmed record | 66 lb (29.936 kg) | Shoreham, Sussex | 1965 | C G Chalk | BRFC list |
| Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda | Confirmed record | 73 cm (length record, weight not given) | Ilfracombe, Devon, charter boat Reel Deal | 2025 | David Kiddy | BRFC list |
| Atlantic saury Scomberesox saurus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta | Confirmed record | 9 lb 7 oz 12 dr (4.302 kg) | Off Jersey, Channel Islands | 1999 | Tony Heart | BRFC list |
| Bass Dicentrarchus labrax | Confirmed record | 19lb 9oz 2dr (8.876kg) | Off Reculvers, Herne Bay, Kent | 1987 | P McEwan | BRFC list |
| Black bream Spondyliosoma cantharus | Confirmed record | 6lb 14oz 4dr (3.125kg) | Wreck off the south Devon coast, Torquay, Devon | 1977 | J A Garlick | BRFC list |
| Blonde ray Raja brachyura | Confirmed record | 39 lb 10 oz 2 dr (17.977 kg) | Off Brixham, Devon | 2006 | S Underwood | BRFC list |
| Blue shark Prionace glauca | Confirmed record | 218 lb (98.878 kg) | Looe, Cornwall | 1959 | N Sutcliffe | BRFC list |
| Bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus | Confirmed record | 851 lb (385.989 kg) | Whitby, Yorkshire | 1933 | L Mitchell-Henry | BRFC list |
| Bluemouth redfish Helicolenus dactylopterus | Confirmed record | 3 lb 2 oz 8 dms (1.431 kg) | Loch Shell, Stornoway, Scotland | 1976 | Anne Lyngholm | BRFC list |
| Brill Scophthalmus rhombus | Confirmed record | 16 lb 0 oz | Derby Haven, Isle of Man | 1950 | A Fisher | BRFC list |
| Bull huss Scyliorhinus stellaris | Confirmed record | 22 lb 4 oz (10.092 kg) | Minehead, Somerset | 1986 | M L Hall | BRFC list |
| Coalfish Pollachius virens | Confirmed record | 37 lb 5 oz (16.923 kg) | Wreck south of Eddystone, Plymouth, Devon | 1986 | D Brown | BRFC list |
| Cod Gadus morhua | Confirmed record | 58 lb 6 oz (26.478 kg) | North Sea, off Whitby | 1992 | Noel Cook | BRFC list |
| Common eagle ray Myliobatis aquila | Confirmed record | 101 lb 14 oz 6 dr | Off St Catherines Bay, Isle of Wight | 2004 | R Lewis | BRFC list |
| Common skate Dipturus batis (complex) | Confirmed record | 227 lb | Off Tobermory, Inner Hebrides | 1986 | R Banks | BRFC list |
| Common smoothhound Mustelus mustelus | Confirmed record | 28 lb 2 oz (12.757 kg) | Off Minehead, Bristol Channel | 1998 | A Bowering | BRFC list |
| Common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca | Confirmed record | 72 lb 2 oz | River Blackwater, Essex | 1996 | P Burgess | BRFC list |
| Common thresher shark Alopias vulpinus | Confirmed record | 323 lb (146.504 kg) | Nab Tower, off Portsmouth | 1982 | Steve Mills | BRFC list |
| Conger eel Conger conger | Confirmed record | 133 lb 4 oz (60.442 kg) | Wreck off Berry Head, Torquay, Devon | 1995 | Victor Evans | BRFC list |
| Corkwing wrasse Symphodus melops | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Couch's bream Pagrus pagrus | Confirmed record | 9lb 5oz 3dr (4.229kg), weight-based; length-based 59cm | Weight: off Guernsey west coast (boat Susanne). Length: off Dartmouth, Devon, own boat | Weight 2011. Length 2025 | Richard Le Prevost (weight). Peter Kibel (length) | BRFC list |
| Cuckoo ray Leucoraja naevus | Confirmed record | 5 lb 11 oz | Off Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland | 1975 | V Morrison | BRFC list |
| Cuckoo wrasse Labrus mixtus | Confirmed record | 2 lb 7 oz 12 dr (1.126 kg) | Off Dungeness, Kent | 1998 | K Marden | BRFC list |
| Dab Limanda limanda | Confirmed record | 2 lb 12 oz 4 dr | Gairloch, Wester Ross, Scotland | 1975 | R Islip | BRFC list |
| Dover sole Solea solea | Confirmed record | 4 lb 6 oz 0 dr (1.984 kg) | Off Lepe Beach, Western Solent | 2005 | M Le Moignan | BRFC list |
| Electric ray Torpedo nobiliana | Confirmed record | 96 lb 1 oz | Off Dodman Point, Cornwall | 1975 | N J Cowley | BRFC list |
| European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| European eel Anguilla anguilla | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Flounder Platichthys flesus | Confirmed record | 5 lb 11 oz 8 dr | Fowey, Cornwall | 1956 | A G L Cobbledick | BRFC list |
| Garfish Belone belone | Confirmed record | 3 lb 9 oz 8 dr (1.630 kg) | Mount Bay, Cornwall | 1994 | A Saunders | BRFC list |
| Gilthead bream Sparus aurata | Confirmed record | 10lb 2oz (4.592kg) | Salcombe Estuary, Devon | 2015 | Roger Simcox | BRFC list |
| Greater forkbeard Phycis blennoides | Confirmed record | 4 lb 11 oz 4 dr (2.133 kg) | Falmouth Bay, Cornwall | 1969 | Miss M Woodgate | BRFC list |
| Greater sandeel Hyperoplus lanceolatus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Greater weever Trachinus draco | Confirmed record | 2 lb 2 oz 7 dr (0.976 kg) | Porthcurno, Land's End, Cornwall | 1999 | R Pope | BRFC list |
| Grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus | Confirmed record | 2 lb 7 oz 8 dr (1.120 kg) | Wreck mark off Plymouth, Devon | 2013 | Kristian Quenault | BRFC list |
| Grey triggerfish Balistes capriscus | Confirmed record | 6 lb 4 oz 14 dms (2.859 kg) | 0.5 mile off Tywyn Beach, Wales | 2002 | Peter Phillips | BRFC list |
| Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus | Confirmed record | 13 lb 11 oz 4 dr (6.215 kg) | Off Falmouth, Cornwall | 1978 | G Bones | BRFC list |
| Hake Merluccius merluccius | Confirmed record | 25 lb 12 oz 14 dr (11.706 kg) | Loch Etive, Scotland | 1997 | R Roberts | BRFC list |
| Halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus | Confirmed record | 234 lb 0 oz | Dunnet Head, off Scrabster, Scotland | 1979 | C Booth | BRFC list |
| Herring Clupea harengus | Confirmed record | 1 lb 1 oz (0.481 kg) | off Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex | 1973 | B. Barden (aged 13) | BRFC list |
| Horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus | Confirmed record | 3 lb 8 oz (1.588 kg) | Eddystone Lighthouse, Cornwall | 1978 | Graham Eden | BRFC list |
| John Dory Zeus faber | Confirmed record | 11lb 14oz 0dr (5.386kg) | Off Newhaven, East Sussex | 1977 | J Johnson | BRFC list |
| Lemon sole Microstomus kitt | Confirmed record | 3 lb 4 oz 14 dr | Teignmouth, Devon | 2006 | Garry Newcombe | BRFC list |
| Lesser sandeel Ammodytes tobianus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Lesser spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula | Confirmed record | 4 lb 9 oz (2.069 kg) | Off Fleetwood, Lancashire (Irish Sea) | 2005 | M Donnelly | BRFC list |
| Lesser weever Echiichthys vipera | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Ling Molva molva | Confirmed record | 67 lb 5 oz (30.533 kg) | Muckle Flugga, Shetland Isles | 2013 | J Isbister | BRFC list |
| Mackerel Scomber scombrus | Confirmed record | 6 lb 2 oz 7 dr (2.790 kg) | off Penberth Cove, Cornwall | 1984 | W J Chapple | BRFC list |
| Megrim Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis | Confirmed record | 3 lb 12 oz 8 dr | Loch Gairloch, Scotland | 1973 | P Christie (aged 15) | BRFC list |
| Monkfish Lophius piscatorius | Confirmed record | 94 lb 12 oz 4 dr (42.985 kg) | Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland | 1985 | S M A Neill | BRFC list |
| Ocean sunfish Mola mola | Confirmed record | 108 lb (48.986 kg) | off Saundersfoot, Wales | 1976 | T F Sisson | BRFC list |
| Opah Lampris guttatus | Confirmed record | 128 lb (58.057 kg) | Mounts Bay, Penzance | 1973 | A R Blewett | BRFC list |
| Pandora bream Pagellus erythrinus | Confirmed record | 3lb 6oz 12dr (1.552kg) | Off Newquay coast, Cornwall | 1997 | C Stone | BRFC list |
| Pilchard Sardina pilchardus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Plaice Pleuronectes platessa | Confirmed record | 10 lb 3 oz 8 dr (weight list, now frozen). A length-based boat record of 68 cm was set in 2025. | Longa Sound, Scotland. Length record: North Shetland, from charter boat Ascention. | 1974 (length record 2025) | H Gardiner (aged 16). Length record: Jeffrey Iggo. | BRFC list |
| Pollack Pollachius pollachius | Confirmed record | 29 lb 4 oz (13.267 kg) | Dungeness, Kent | 1987 | W S Mayes | BRFC list |
| Poor cod Trisopterus minutus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Porbeagle shark Lamna nasus | Confirmed record | 507 lb (229.975 kg) | Dunnet Head, Scotland | 1993 | C Bennett | BRFC list |
| Pouting Trisopterus luscus | Confirmed record | 5 lb 8 oz (2.494 kg) | Off Berry Head, Devon | 1969 | R Armstrong | BRFC list |
| Ray's bream Brama brama | Confirmed record | 6 lb 3 oz 13 dms (2.829 kg) | Barra Head, Scotland | 1978 | L/Cpl J Holland | BRFC list |
| Red bream Pagellus bogaraveo | Confirmed record | 9lb 8oz 12dr (4.330kg) | Off Mevagissey, Cornwall | 1974 | B Reynolds | BRFC list |
| Red gurnard Chelidonichthys cuculus | Confirmed record | 3 lb 2 oz 2 dr (1.421 kg) | Falmouth Bay, Cornwall | 2011 | Mrs Emma Hodge | BRFC list |
| Red mullet Mullus surmuletus | Confirmed record | 3lb 7oz 0dr (1.559kg) | Petils Bay, Guernsey, Channel Islands | 1981 | M T Hamel | BRFC list |
| Short-spined sea scorpion Myoxocephalus scorpius | Confirmed record | 2 lb 3 oz 0 dms (0.992 kg) | Great Cumbrae Island, Scotland | 1973 | R Stephenson | BRFC list |
| Shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus | Confirmed record | 500 lb (226.786 kg) | Off Eddystone Light, Plymouth, Devon | 1971 | Mrs J M Yallop | BRFC list |
| Small-eyed ray Raja microocellata | Confirmed record | 17 lb 8 oz | Off Watchet, North Somerset | 1991 | Mrs S Storey | BRFC list |
| Smelt Osmerus eperlanus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Snake pipefish Entelurus aequoreus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Spotted ray Raja montagui | Confirmed record | 8 lb 10 oz 8 dr | Whitsands Bay, Cornwall | 1998 | A Hodge | BRFC list |
| Sprat Sprattus sprattus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Spurdog Squalus acanthias | Confirmed record | 25 lb 4 oz (11.477 kg) | Hastings, East Sussex | 2017 | Shane Salmon | BRFC list |
| Starry smoothhound Mustelus asterias | Confirmed record | 28 lb 2 oz (12.757 kg) | Off Minehead, Bristol Channel | 1998 | A Bowering | BRFC list |
| Thick-lipped grey mullet Chelon labrosus | Confirmed record | 10lb 1oz 0dr (4.564kg) | Portland, Dorset | 1952 | P C Libby | BRFC list |
| Thin-lipped grey mullet Chelon ramada | Confirmed record | 8lb 7oz 4dr (3.834kg) | East coast, Guernsey | 2015 | Ollie Stenning | BRFC list |
| Thornback ray Raja clavata | Confirmed record | 31 lb 7 oz | Liverpool Bay | 1981 | J Wright | BRFC list |
| Three-bearded rockling Gaidropsarus vulgaris | Confirmed record | 3 lb 4 oz 4 dr (1.481 kg) | Off the Isle of Wight | 1992 | C Hurst | BRFC list |
| Tompot blenny Parablennius gattorugine | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Tope Galeorhinus galeus | Confirmed record | 82 lb 8 oz (37.422 kg) | Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex | 1991 | R Chatfield | BRFC list |
| Topknot Zeugopterus punctatus | None listed | Not listed | ||||
| Tub gurnard Chelidonichthys lucerna | Confirmed record | 11 lb 7 oz 4 dr (5.195 kg) | Wallasey, Cheshire | 1952 | C W King | BRFC list |
| Turbot Scophthalmus maximus | Confirmed record | 35 lb 0 oz (length record, 100 cm qualifying) | Muckle Flugga, Shetland, from charter boat Revolution skippered by John Keggie | 2022 | Alan Evans | BRFC list |
| Tusk Brosme brosme | Confirmed record | 15 lb 12 oz 11 dr (7.163 kg) | Off Mowsa, Shetland | 2005 | H Foster | BRFC list |
| Twaite shad Alosa fallax | Confirmed record | 2 lb 4 oz 2 dms (1.024 kg) | off Barry, South Wales | 1985 | D Protheroe | BRFC list |
| Undulate ray Raja undulata | Confirmed record | 22 lb 13 oz | Off Weymouth, Dorset | 2016 | S Juggins | BRFC list |
| Whiting Merlangius merlangus | Confirmed record | 7 lb 6 oz (3.345 kg) | Off Plymouth, Devon | 2012 | Mark Curtis | BRFC list |
| Witch Glyptocephalus cynoglossus | None listed | Not listed |
Records as listed in the British Record Fish Committee sea fish list dated June 2026, as gathered for this guide. Places are given as listed. Each species page has the detail and any notes on the record.
Good to know
Record fish questions
What is the biggest British boat-caught sea fish record?
In this guide the heaviest confirmed boat record is the bluefin tuna: 851 lb (385.989 kg), Whitby, Yorkshire, 1933, caught by L Mitchell-Henry.
Can a new boat record be set by weight?
Not on the current rules as our sources describe them: the official weight-based boat records were frozen in June 2024 and new boat claims are judged by length.
Which British boat records come from Sussex?
In this guide: John Dory (11lb 14oz 0dr (5.386kg), Off Newhaven, East Sussex, 1977); herring (1 lb 1 oz (0.481 kg), off Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, 1973); spurdog (25 lb 4 oz (11.477 kg), Hastings, East Sussex, 2017); angel shark (66 lb (29.936 kg), Shoreham, Sussex, 1965).