A 13-year-old New Hampshire boy reeled in what could be a world record Atlantic halibut during a deep-sea fishing expedition this week, landing a fish that outweighed him by nearly 60 pounds.
Jackson Denio of Hampton caught the 177-pound halibut while fishing about 100 miles off the New England coast at Cashes Ledge on Monday morning. The massive catch has prompted his family to file applications with the International Game Fish Association for potential world records.
“I think I screamed, honestly,” Jackson said. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I was very excited.”
The teenager, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs around 120 pounds, had gone out on an overnight charter trip Sunday with roughly 30 other passengers aboard a boat operated by Al Gauron’s Deep Sea Fishing and Whale Watching.
After the group had successfully caught pollock and other species of fish, Jackson said he wanted to hook a shark. Crew members directed him to fish near the ocean floor, where he dropped his pollock-baited hook.
Within minutes of casting his line, Jackson felt a strong pull and realized he had hooked something huge.
The young angler battled the halibut for about 30 minutes until he saw the fish surface near the boat before diving back into the depths multiple times. Fellow passengers cheered him on and shouted excitedly after seeing the enormous size of his catch.
“Jackson, you are an angel of a man,” one passenger had shouted.
Jackson Denio stands with a 177-pound halibut he caught on Sept. 1 on a deep-sea fishing trip in Hampton, N.H., Sept. 2, 2025. Jill Denio via AP
Capt. Jim Walsh witnessed the entire struggle and praised Jackson’s determination.
“I’m standing there watching him. Then all of a sudden the fish took off it, bit it and started pounding away,” Walsh said. “I looked at him and I said, were you on the bottom? And he goes, yes. And I said, you don’t have a shark.”
Walsh noted the teenager’s composure during the lengthy battle.
“He did not let go once. He never let anybody else touch the rod. And he worked him, worked him. Then eventually, the fish starts to tire out,” Walsh said. “Even though he’s that big, they go to tire. Then he got it up to the surface. That’s when we looked and went ‘Oh my God’. We were all ecstatic.”
Before the crew processed the halibut, Jackson made sure the fish was officially weighed and documented with photographs and video footage. His family gathered detailed information about his fishing equipment to support applications for International Game Fish Association records in both the junior category for Atlantic halibut and the line class division, which encompasses all fish species.
The International Game Fish Association did not respond to an inquiry from NTD News regarding the potential record. The organization’s website currently shows no existing record holder in the junior male category for Atlantic halibut.
The remarkable catch has deepened Jackson’s passion for angling, as he eagerly anticipates future fishing trips.
“It makes me want to keep fishing even more and try and beat the record if I can,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
