State Records

How To Be Considered For a State Record Fish

The following criteria must be followed when applying for a state record certificate:

1. State record fish application is available at www.tnwildlife.org under “Fishing”.
2. To be considered for a state record certificate, the fish must be weighed on certified scales, or scales “legal for trade”. These scales may be found at supermarket meat centers, Farm/Feed stores, UPS/FedEx locations.
3. Two witnesses, one of which must be the scale operator/owner, must fill out and sign Part B of the application certifying that they have observed the declared weight.
4. Only the current species listed in Class A and B, or those approved by TWRA, will be considered for a Tennessee state record fish certification.
5. Ties are accepted, but a new state record will be recognized only if the weight of the fish is one (1) ounce (oz) or more than the weight of the previous state record for that species or recognized hybrid (see #7).
6. It is the responsibility of the angler to contact a TWRA fisheries biologist for positive identification of the fish. The fish must be alive, fresh or frozen until positive species identity can be established. A photograph is not acceptable for identification.
7. Only two hybrid classifications, the striped bass/white bass (Cherokee bass) and the walleye/sauger (Saugeye), will be considered for a state record. Applicants must be willing to submit to the professional judgment of the certifying biologist as to the fish’s hybrid status.
8. TWRA reserves the right to conduct genetic testing on any fish submitted as a state record to verify its species or hybrid status.
9. The completed application must be forwarded to the TWRA Fisheries Division within 30 days of the catch in order to be considered for a state record certification.