Northern California Fisherman Lands Possible World Record Canary Rockfish

A last-minute fishing trip off the Mendocino Coast may turn into a piece of California angling history.

Brendan Walsh, a 26-year-old house painter from Mendocino County, headed out from Albion River Harbor earlier this week hoping to squeeze in one final winter-season outing before storms shut things down. What was meant to be a quick, one-hour trip with his father turned into something far bigger.

Despite light rain, calm ocean conditions convinced the pair to give it a try. Just offshore of Albion, Walsh hooked a massive canary rockfish using a jig he had received early as a Christmas present. The fish tipped the scale at 10.25 pounds—potentially the largest canary rockfish ever recorded in California.

The current state record, set in November 2024, stands at 9 pounds. Walsh’s catch exceeds that mark by more than a pound and has already been documented and submitted for official verification through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. If confirmed, it will be added to the state’s Fishing and Diving Records database.

The story may not stop there. Walsh also submitted paperwork to challenge the world record for the species, which has stood since 1986 at 10 pounds even. His fish beats that mark by four ounces.

For now, the family is celebrating what Walsh has dubbed his “Christmas fish”—a surprise catch that could put a quiet Mendocino harbor moment on the record books.