Norwegian record Angler: 85.09 kg

About Angler

The angler or monkfish (Lophius piscatorius) cannot be mistaken for anything else. Its huge, flattened head makes up almost half the body, and the wide mouth holds long, sharp teeth that fold inwards so prey cannot escape. The upper side is brown or grey and mottled, the belly white. The first dorsal spine has become a fishing rod tipped with a fleshy lure that the fish twitches to attract prey. They occur from the Barents Sea to Gibraltar, in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and along the whole Norwegian coast. They lie camouflaged on the seabed from the shallows to more than 1,000 m and swallow fish, squid and crustaceans. Females grow much larger than males, up to about 2 m, and net-caught fish of over 100 kg have been recorded in Norway. Rod anglers usually catch them by chance on large baits or jigs fished on the bottom. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Juli
• Red list status: LC (2021)

See the species guide

Biggest Angler in FishComp

10.5 kg (12 % of the record) by Mathias Hjelvik Rolland. See the catch

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.