Record Fish Program
Two New Records Set in 2020
Dunkan Fischer caught his record redfin pickerel at Coffee Creek Park in Chesterton on July 29. The little giant from the pike family bit on a night crawler that Fischer offered. Despite weighing less than a pound, Fischer’s catch is the first certified record catch of the species. Of the more than 6,600 redfin pickerel collected in DNR surveys dating back to 1960, only one was longer than Fischer’s catch. On June 24, a new skipjack herring record was set for just the second time. Colt Little caught a skipjack measuring nearly 19 inches. Little’s fish broke the previous mark by a wide margin, weighing nearly three times the previous record-holder. That fish was caught in 2017 from the Wabash River in Huntington County. Little also caught his skipjack from the Wabash River, but in Carroll County, using a #9 jointed Rapala. If you think you’ve caught a state record fish, follow the steps below to get it certified:- Both weight and length measurements are required for Record Fish entries. The weight measurement must be taken before the fish is frozen, on a scale certified by the State of Indiana to be accurate to 1 ounce. If you can’t find a certified scale at a grocery, hardware, grain store, or propane distributor, call the Indiana Division of Weights and Measures at 317-356-7078 for the nearest location of such a scale.
- Obtain and submit a copy of the Scale Inspection Report from the owner of the store where the fish is weighed.
- Submit a photo or printed meat packaging label (if available) showing the weight of the fish and the location where it was weighed.
- After weighing it, you may gut and ice the fish, but do not fillet it or otherwise cut it up. The fish must be available for inspection and identification and may require verification by a DFW fisheries biologist. It is the responsibility of the angler to schedule a time to have the fish examined by a DFW fisheries biologist.
- Two witnesses who are not relatives of the angler and who observed the weight and length measurement must sign the entry form (fishing.IN.gov).
- Provide side-view photograph(s) of the fish and a copy of the angler’s fishing license, if you are required by law to have a license.
|
Species |
Weight |
Water, County |
Angler |
Year |
| Atlantic Salmon | 14 lb., 4 oz. | Lake Michigan (Lake) | Gene Tarrant | 1979 |
| Bighead Carp | 53 lb., 8 oz. | White River (Pike) | Duane Stafford | 2000 |
| Blue Catfish | 104 lb. | Ohio River | Bruce Midkiff | 1999 |
| Bluegill | 3 lb., 4 oz. | Pond (Greene) | Harold L. Catey | 1972 |
| Bowfin (Dogfish) | 16.52 lb. | Mutton Creek (Jackson) | Paul Huber | 2009 |
| Brook Trout | 3 lb., 15 1/2 oz. | Lake Gage (Steuben) | Sonny Bashore | 1973 |
| Brown Trout | 29.3 lb. | Lake Michigan (Lake) | Glen Duesing | 2006 |
| Buffalo Fish | 53.9 lb. | Oak Hill Pond (Gibson) | Kenneth Houchin | 2002 |
| Bullhead | 4.9 lb. | Potato Creek SP (St. Joseph) | Darren Robertson | 1994 |
| Burbot | 7 lb., 11 oz. | Lake Michigan | Larry Malicki | 1990 |
| Channel Catfish | 37 lb., 8 oz. | Lake (Vanderburgh) | Randy E. Jones | 1980 |
| Chinook Salmon | 38 lb. | Trail Creek (LaPorte) | Rich Baker | 1980 |
| Coho Salmon | 20 lb., 12 oz. | Lake Michigan (LaPorte) | John Beutner | 1972 |
| Common Carp | 43 lb., 4 oz. | Pike Lake (Kosciusko) | Russell Long | 1989 |
| Crappie | 4 lb., 11 oz. | Private Lake (Jennings) | Willis Halcomb | 1994 |
| Flathead Catfish | 79 lb. 8 oz. | White River (Lawrence) | Glen T. Simpson | 1966 |
| Flier | 3 1/2 oz. | Stream (Jackson) | Harold H. Otte | 1983 |
| Freshwater Drum | 30 lb. | White River (Martin) | Garland Fellers | 1963 |
| Goldeye | 2.3 lb. | Wabash River (Vermillion) | Brock Marietta | 2008 |
| Grass Carp | 69.0 lb. | Pond (Hamilton) | Daniel Goss | 2018 |
| Green Sunfish | 1 lb., 10 oz. | Pit (Fountain) | Terry Keller | 1987 |
| Hybrid Striped Bass | 22 lb., 2 oz. | Tippecanoe River (Carroll) | David G. Coffman | 2005 |
| Hybrid Walleye | 8 lb., 8 oz. | Scottsburg Reservoir (Scott) | Doug Young | 1999 |
| Lake Trout | 37.55 lb. | Lake Michigan | Tyler Kreighbaum | 2016 |
| Lake Whitefish | 7.69 lb. | Lake Michigan (Porter) | Brian Belke | 2019 |
| Largemouth Bass | 14 lb., 12 oz. | Lake (Harrison) | Jenifer Schultz | 1991 |
| Longnose Gar | 22.32 lb. | White River/East Fork (Pike) | Mark Brittain | 2008 |
| Mooneye | 0.36 lb. | Ohio River (Clark) | Gerald Gallagher | 2019 |
| Muskellunge | 42 lb., 8 oz. | James Lake (Kosciusko) | Darrin Conley | 2002 |
| Northern Pike | 30 lb., 2 oz. | Clear Lake (Steuben) | Jack Barnes | 1992 |
| Pink Salmon | 2 lb., 12 1/2 oz. | Lake Michigan (Lake) | Richard J. Lisac | 1985 |
| Rainbow Trout | 18 lb., 8 oz. | Clear Lake (Steuben) | Bill Bigger | 1988 |
| Redear Sunfish | 3 lb., 10 oz. | Lake (Brown) | R. Peckman | 1974 |
| Redfin Pickerel | 0.86 lb. | Coffee Creek Park Pond (Porter) | Dunkan Fischer | 2020 |
| Rock Bass | 3 lb. | Sugar Creek (Hancock) | David Thomas | 1969 |
| Sauger | 6 lb., 1 oz | Tippecanoe River (Carroll) | Mark Bigger | 1983 |
| Shortnose Gar | 1.58 lb. | Wabash River (Wabash) | Lindsey Fleshood | 2010 |
| Shovelnose Sturgeon | 14 lb., 8 oz. | Wabash River (Fountain) | Mike Latoz | 1999 |
| Silver Carp | 15 lb, 8 oz. | White River/West Fork (Greene) | Daniel Keller | 2003 |
| Skipjack Herring | 1.53 lb. | Wabash River (Carroll) | Colt Little | 2020 |
| Smallmouth Bass | 7 lb., 4 oz. | Twin Lake (LaGrange) | Dana Yoder | 1992 |
| Spotted Bass | 5 lb., 5 oz. | (Vigo) | Larry Hinesley Jr. | 2006 |
| Spotted Gar | 6.78 lb. | Gravel Pit (Vermillion) | Nick Waugh | 2017 |
| Steelhead Trout | 26.62 lb. | Trail Creek (LaPorte) | Evan Nicholson | 1999 |
| Striped Bass | 39.08 lb. | Cecil M. Harden Lake (Parke) | Jonathan VanHook | 2010 |
| Sucker | 12 lb., 3.3 oz | White River (Bartholomew) | John Britton | 1991 |
| Tiger Muskellunge | 24 lb. | Wolf Lake (Lake) | Michael Senics | 1995 |
| Tiger Trout | 3 lb. | Lake Michigan (Lake) | Mike Ratter | 1978 |
| Walleye | 14 lb., 4 oz. | Kankakee River (Lake) | Leon Richart | 1974 |
| 14 lb., 4 oz. | Tippecanoe River (Pulaski) | Donald Tedford | 1977 | |
| Warmouth | 1.4 lb. | North Dugger Pit (Sullivan) | Jack Tolbert | 2002 |
| White Bass | 4 lb., 3 oz. | Lake Freeman (Carroll) | James Wagner | 1965 |
| White Catfish | 9.72 lb. | Pond (Wabash) | Melissa Grimes | 1985 |
| Yellow Bass | 2 lb., 15 oz. | Morse Reservoir (Hamilton) | Jim Raymer | 2000 |
| Yellow Perch | 2 lb., 8 oz. | Gravel Pit (Vigo) | Roy W. Burkel Jr. | 1981 |
