Updated June, 2006

Maine State Saltwater Angler Records
From the Department of Marine Resources

What do the biggest fish ever caught in the state look like? Find out more about the saltwater game fish records for the state and take a look at the photos of the record fish. Think you might have a record catch? Get the rules and an application form.

Maine State Records are all-tackle. There are four categories in which an angler may qualify a fish:

• Harpoon (only bluefin tuna and swordfish are eligible)
• Handline
• Rod and Reel
• Fly Rod

Records are listed by species (scientific name), method, weight, port landed, angler's name and date:

Bass, striped (Morone saxatilis) Rod and reel 67lbs Sheepscot River Douglas Dodge 09/20/78 Click for photo Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) Rod and reel 19.68lbs. Boothbay Harbor Denis Moran 08/08/94 Click for photo Cod, Atlantic (Gadus morhua) Rod and reel 80lbs.7oz. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Neil Downey 09/08/92 Click for photo Cod, Atlantic (Gadus morhua) Junior female 26.5 lbs.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Rebecca Ranta 07/09/00 Click for photo Cod, Atlantic (Gadus morhua) Junior male 46.12 lbs.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Willy Goldsmith 06/05/03 Click for photo Cusk (Brosme brosme) Rod and reel 33.42 lbs. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Kenton Geer 10/11/02 Click for photo Flounder, winter (Pleuronectes americanus) Rod and reel 4lbs. 3oz. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Lisa Boughner 06/28/89 Click for photo Goosefish (Lophius americanus) Rod and reel 49lbs.12oz.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Nancy Lee Regimbald 07/09/91 Click for photo Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Rod and reel 15 lbs. 9.8 oz. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Jared Keniston 05/11/04 Click for photo Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Junior female Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Allyson Fuehrer 06/03/04 Click for photo Hake, silver (Merluccius bilinearis) Rod and reel 4.51lbs.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Erik M. Callahan 08/08/95 Click for photo Hake, white (Urophycis tenuis) Rod and reel 46lbs. 4oz.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit John Audet 10/26/86 Click for photo Hake, white (Urophycis tenuis) Junior female 30 lbs. 10.2 oz. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Allyson Fuehrer 08/31/04 Click for photo Hake, white (Urophycis tenuis) Junior male 26 lbs. 13.7 oz. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Ryan Keniston 08/19/04 Click for photo Halibut, Atlantic (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) Rod and reel 215lbs. Bailey's Island Richard F. Hincman 08/14/65 Click for photo Herring, Atlantic Rod and reel 0.1 lbs. Perry James Stanley 09/05/04 Mackerel, Atlantic (Scomber scombrus) Rod and reel 2.44 lbs. Bailey Island Ian T. Bexton 7/25/95

Pollock (Pollachius virens) Rod and reel 46lbs., 10.9oz. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Linda Paul 10/24/90 Click for photo Pollock (Pollachius virens) Junior female 38 lbs.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Dawn Hersom 08/14/86 Click for photo Pollock (Pollachius virens) Junior male 34 lbs.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Andrew Tuttle 08/11/97 Click for photo Ray, torpedo (Torpedo nobiliana) Rod and reel 35lbs.5oz.* Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Don Carignan 08/24/95 Click for photo Sculpin, shorthorn Rod and reel 2.84 lbs. Perry James Stanley 09/05/04 Sea bass, black (Centropristis striata) Rod and reel 1.75 lbs. Ogunquit Dave Hutchins 06/08/02 Click for photo Shark, blue (Prionace glauca) Fly rod 101 lbs. Bath Fred C. Danforth 08/30/96 Click for photo Shark, blue (Prionace glauca) Rod and reel 391lbs. Portland Ken Putnam 08/09/89 Shark, mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) Handline 724lbs. Portland Mark Chase 08/15/92 Shark, mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) Rod and reel 680 lbs. Jim Hinkley, Jr. 8/15/90 Shark, porbeagle (Lamna nasus) Rod and reel 548lbs. Baileys Island Wesley Hurst, Jr. 07/22/95 Click for photo Shark, thresher Handline 530.5 lbs. South Portland Al Lappin Jr. 08/06/05 Click for photo Tuna, bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) Handline 810 lbs. Portland Ian T. Bexon 09/07/98 Click for photo Tuna, bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) Harpoon 1155lbs. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Tim Tower/Percy Stevens Jr. 08/20/81 Click for photo Tuna, bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) Rod and reel 819lbs. Bath Jerry Jamison 08/10/77 Wolffish, Atlantic (Anarhichas lupus) Rod and reel 30lbs0oz. Perkins Cove, Ogunquit Gunther Schulz 08/21/90 Click for photo

* Means also current International Game Fish Association (IGFA) World All-Tackle Record

The rules and regulations along with an application for qualifying a game fish can be obtained by calling Bruce Joule at 633-9505 or e-mailing him at Bruce.Joule@state.me.us. You can also download the rules and application form here:

The Rules and Regulations are three pages long and give details on categories, species, witnesses, photos and other requirements:
Page One
Page Two
Page Three
Application form
Note: these are PDF files which will open in Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Reader for free at: www.abode.com/products

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