Record Fish Program

The DNR has kept tabs on the largest fish of various species caught in the state’s lakes, rivers and streams for 50 years.

Today’s Indiana Record Fish Program recognizes 50 species from a 3½-ounce flier to a 104-pound blue catfish.

“The purpose of the Record Fish Program is to recognize the biggest fish for that species caught in Indiana ever,” said Jamie Smyth, the program’s administrator in the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Only one record, a freshwater drum caught by Garland Fellers, still stands from the program’s inaugural year, 1963. Another record, for hybrid striped bass, has been set more than 20 times since established in 1985.

Some anglers luck into catching a record; others put in nearly a lifetime of pursuit. Either way, all have to follow the rules to make the list. Once an angler has landed the big one, getting into the record book is easy — if you carefully follow the process to ensure the catch is ruled legitimate.

“The program goes by weight,” Smyth said, “and the fish has to be weighed on a certified scale. You need to have two witnesses there when you do that.”

Some additional requirements include providing photographs of the fish and information on location of the catch. A DNR fisheries biologist may meet with you to make a positive species identification.

If you’re feeling lucky, read the program requirements at Fishing.IN.gov before casting. Some rules, like not freezing the fish and weighing it on a legally certified scale, could be easy to overlook otherwise.

Sometimes, even with an angler having good intentions and biologists on hand, identifying record fish can be tricky. In 2003 Ronald Moeller of Dyer caught an Indiana record bullhead catfish. His 7-pound fish broke the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame’s world record as well.

Or so the DNR and Moeller thought.

The opening sentence of a 2003 DNR news release sums it up: “An Indiana record bullhead catfish has turned out to be…..bull.”

The catfish was misidentified when an assistant biologist thought the half-frozen fish had a flat tail instead of a V-shaped tail, a key characteristic of a bullhead. Other biologists mistakenly confirmed the ID from photos.

The episode unraveled when the DNR announced the new record and released photos of the fish. Many anglers and a few other DNR biologists were skeptical.

A re-inspection confirmed their suspicions, and the record was rescinded.

The almost record-holder took the news well. “I’ve caught a lot of bullheads in the area that looked similar,” Moeller said, “so now I’ve learned the difference….I guess it’s like a referee blowing a call. I’ll still go fishing.”

Even novice anglers know every catch comes with a fish story. Does that mean record fish come with really big fish stories? Decide for yourself.

For more information about the Indiana Record Fish and Fish of the Year programs, including a link to an entry form, go to Wildlife.IN.gov/3577.htm on the DNR website.

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.