New Hampshire Teen Catches Giant Halibut Over 170 Pounds

A 13-year-old boy from New Hampshire, Jackson Denio, made sports news with an impressive catch— a 177-pound Atlantic halibut, which could potentially secure a new junior world record. This catch occurred off the coast of New England during a deep-sea fishing trip with about 30 others.

Denio, who stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds, expressed his excitement, saying, “To be honest, I think I cried out. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I was very excited.”

Catching halibut in New England is quite rare, as these fish are generally found more often in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Denio noted that this catch felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Earlier in the trip, he had been catching Pollock and other fish aboard Al Gauron’s deep-sea fishing vessel. Denio had initially hoped to reel in a shark but instead ended up with the halibut. He baited his hook with a Pollock, and soon found himself engaged in a battle with a fish that pulled his line straight up and down— a sign of a halibut.

“There was a little shark-like thing running, a bit upwards, but straight up and down,” he remembered, depicting the struggle as he fought with the fish for approximately 30 minutes.

Jim Walsh, the boat captain, praised Denio’s determination, saying, “He never let go. He won’t let other people touch the rod.” The excitement reached a peak when the crew finally realized what Denio had caught; Walsh recalled, “We looked and said, ‘Oh, what a god, look at what it is.’”

After officially measuring and photographing the fish, Denio’s family plans to submit applications to the International Gamefish Association for recognition under both the Junior Record of the Atlantic Halibut and another category that covers all fish.

Denio’s mother, Jill, reminisced about the family’s disbelief when her son first mentioned it might be a record catch. But upon seeing the “monster” fish, she felt immense pride in her son’s accomplishment. “For a child, being able to bring in a fish that is 170 pounds in size is pretty great,” she said.

The Atlantic Halibut is the largest flatfish globally, capable of exceeding weights of 600 pounds. Denio believes his catch may surpass existing records by 20 pounds and seems motivated to continue fishing to see if he can break more records.

“It makes me want to continue fishing more and try to beat the records if possible,” he shared, sounding very much like a young angler set on a mission.