State Records
How To Be Considered For a State Record Fish
The following criteria must be followed when applying for a state record certificate:
- State record fish application is available at www.tnwildlife.org under “Fishing”.
- 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 or at TWRA Regional offices.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- TWRA reserves the right to conduct genetic testing on any fish submitted as a state record to verify its species or hybrid status.
- 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.
The records shown are as of January 1, 2022.
Tennessee Angling Records |
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Common Name |
Weight |
Location |
Angler |
Date |
CLASS A—Sport Fishing Methods |
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Black Bass |
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Alabama Bass |
7 lbs. 0 oz. |
Parksville Reservoir |
Shane McKee |
March 10, 2014 |
Coosa (Redeye) |
1 lb. 15 oz. |
Parksville Reservoir |
Harry E. Parker |
Aug. 18, 1991 |
Largemouth |
15 lbs. 3 oz. |
Chickamauga Reservoir |
Gabe Keen |
February 13, 2015 |
Smallmouth* |
11 lbs. 15 oz. |
Dale Hollow Reservoir |
D. L. Hayes |
July 9, 1955 |
Spotted |
6 lbs. 1 oz. |
Chickamauga Reservoir |
Chris Coleman |
February 22, 2011 |
Buffalo |
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Bigmouth |
62 lbs. 0 oz. |
J. Percy Priest Reservoir |
Jeff Wilkins |
March 31, 2010 |
Black |
58 lbs. 0 oz. |
Nickajack Reservoir |
Steve Coursey |
May 20, 2013 |
Smallmouth |
62 lbs. 7 oz. |
J. Percy Priest Reservoir |
Jerry W. Young |
April 28, 2001 |
Carp |
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Bighead* |
90 lbs. 0 oz. |
Guntersville Reservoir |
Jeffrey J. Rorex |
June 2, 2005 |
Common |
53 lbs. 0 oz. |
Marrowbone Lake |
John R. Pepper, Jr. |
May 21, 1997 |
Goldfish |
3 lbs. 5 oz. |
Douglas Reservoir |
Chase Rich |
March 10, 2016 |
Grass |
70 lbs. 0 oz. |
Guntersville Reservoir (Nickajack tailwater) |
Chad A. Killian |
June 4, 2005 |
Silver |
37 lbs., 0 oz. |
Old Hickory Reservoir |
Brian Keith |
May 8, 2021 |
Catfish |
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Black Bullhead |
3 lbs. 6 oz. |
Emberton's Pond (Cannon Co.) |
Hunter Chance Gaither |
Feb. 20, 1997 |
Blue |
112 lbs. 0 oz. |
Lock C, Cumberland River |
Robert E. Lewis |
June 7, 1998 |
Brown Bullhead |
3 lbs. 15 oz. |
Whiteville Lake |
Gary Dean Arthur |
October 25, 2014 |
Channel |
41 lbs. 0 oz. |
Fall Creek Falls Lake |
Clint Walters, Jr. |
July 30, 1982 |
Flathead |
85 lbs. 15 oz. |
Hiwassee River |
Larry Kaylor |
July 25, 1993 |
Yellow Bullhead |
4 lbs. 8 oz. |
Chickamauga Reservoir |
Jessie R. Johnson |
April 21, 1979 |
Crappie |
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Black* |
5 lbs. 7 oz. |
Pond (Loudon Co.) |
Lionel Ferguson |
May 15, 2018 |
White |
5 lbs. 1 oz. |
Garner Brown's Pond (Dickson Co.) |
Bill Allen |
April 20, 1968 |
Gar |
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Longnose |
38 lbs. 3 oz. |
Barkley Reservoir |
Mathew A. Norton |
April 19, 2002 |
Shortnose |
7 lbs. 3 oz. |
Cross Creeks (Barkley Reservoir) |
Stephanie Flood |
June 13, 2014 |
Spotted |
10 lbs. 10 oz. |
Cross Creeks (Barkley Reservoir) |
Keith Edward Bartley |
April 28, 2014 |
Perch |
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Sauger |
7 lbs. 6 oz. |
Kentucky Reservoir (Pickwick tailwater) |
Rayford D. Voss |
Feb. 19, 1973 |
Saugeye |
10 lbs. 12 oz. |
Melton Hill Reservoir |
Chris Vittetoe |
July 18, 1998 |
Walleye* |
25 lbs. |
Old Hickory Reservoir |
Mabry Harper |
Aug. 3, 1960 |
Yellow |
2 lbs. 5 oz. |
Ocoee #3 Lake |
Jeremy G. Lorenz |
March 26, 2019 |
Pike |
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Chain Pickerel |
7 lbs. 7 oz. |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Burke Williams |
Feb. 2, 1991 |
Muskellunge |
43 lbs. 14 oz. |
Melton Hill Reservoir |
Steven Paul |
March 2, 2017 |
Northern |
24 lbs. 8 oz. |
South Holston Reservoir |
Frank Childers |
Mar. 28, 1995 |
Redhorse |
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Black |
3 lbs. 1 oz. |
South Holston River |
Roy Hawk |
Feb. 16, 2009 |
Golden |
2 lbs. 15.5 oz. |
South Holston River |
W. Powell Partridge, Sr. |
Mar. 28, 2008 |
River |
11 lbs. 10 oz. |
Pigeon River |
David H. Ray |
May 2, 2009 |
Smallmouth |
1 lb. 10 oz. |
French Broad River |
Larry Hamilton |
July 27, 2013 |
Silver |
4 lbs. 10 oz. |
Holston River |
Emma Nolen |
Mar. 8, 2020 |
Sunfish |
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Bluegill (Tie) |
3 lbs. |
Farm Pond (Bledsoe Co.) |
Brad Pendergrass |
Dec. 19, 1987 |
3 lbs. |
Fall Creek Falls Lake |
Thelma Grissom |
June 28, 1977 |
|
Flier |
8 oz. |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Craig Ellis |
June 8, 2001 |
Green |
l lb. 4 oz. |
North Cross Creek |
Dwight M. Lehman |
June 8, 1991 |
Longear |
13 oz. |
Pond (Overton Co.) |
Kay Forsberg |
May 15, 1985 |
Orangespotted |
5 oz. |
Nolichucky River |
Donald Daryl Fox |
May 30, 1982 |
Pumpkinseed |
5 oz. |
Dogwood Lake |
Lynn Middleton |
June 14, 1998 |
Redbreast |
1 lb. 5 oz. |
Holston River |
R. W. Gillespie |
June 22, 1974 |
Redear |
3 lbs. 6 oz. |
Private Pond |
Annelise S. Houston |
Sept. 1, 1979 |
Rock Bass |
2 lbs. 8 oz. |
Stones River |
Bill Sanford |
1958 |
Warmouth |
1 lb. 12 oz. |
Nolichucky River |
Frank E. Garrett |
May 26, 1984 |
Trout |
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Brook |
4 lbs. 12 oz. |
Caney Fork River |
Saša Krezic 
|
April 1, 2016 |
Brown |
28 lbs. 12 oz. |
Clinch River |
Greg Ensor |
Aug. 30, 1988 |
Cutthroat |
6 oz. |
Obey River |
Philip Neyman |
June 1, 1969 |
Lake |
22 lbs. 2 oz. |
Watauga Reservoir |
Jack Forbes |
July 3, 2008 |
Ohrid* |
14 lbs. 5 oz. |
Watauga Reservoir |
Richard Lynn Carter |
Mar. 28, 1986 |
Rainbow |
18 lbs. 8 oz. |
Pond (Polk Co.) |
John H. Morgan III |
June 17, 2016 |
True Bass |
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Hybrid Striped (Cherokee) |
23 lbs. 3 oz. |
Stones River |
Ray Pelfrey |
April 17, 1998 |
Striped (Rockfish) |
65 lbs. 6 oz. |
Cordell Hull Reservoir |
Ralph H. Dallas |
May 1, 2000 |
White |
5 lbs. 10 oz. |
Mississippi River |
Bill Nelson |
Sept. 29, 2003 |
Yellow* |
2 lbs. 9 oz. |
Duck River (near Waverly,TN) |
John T. Chappell |
Feb. 27, 1998 |
Other |
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American Eel |
8 lbs. 14 oz. |
Old Hickory Reservoir |
Jason Wilson |
July 27, 2019 |
Atlantic Needlefish |
1.6 oz. |
Pickwick Dam tailwater |
J. Wesley Neal |
Sept. 20, 2008 |
Bowfin |
15 lbs. 7 oz. |
Reelfoot Lake |
Charles Aaron |
June 22, 1983 |
Central Stoneroller (Hornyhead) |
10 oz. |
Hiwassee River |
Roy S. King |
May 1, 1983 |
Creek Chub |
8 oz. |
West Blackburn Fork Creek |
Jake Wear |
June 21, 2017 |
Freshwater Drum* |
54 lbs. 8 oz. |
Nickajack Reservoir |
Benny Hull |
April 20, 1972 |
Gizzard Shad |
3 lbs. 3 oz. |
Holston River |
Preston H. Taylor III |
Dec. 13, 2008 |
Golden Shiner |
1 lb. .05 oz. |
Kentucky Lake (Bass Bay) |
Joseph Wayne Dennie |
April 13, 2016 |
Goldeye |
14 oz. |
Cumberland River |
Harold A. Sanders |
April 17, 1993 |
Mooneye |
1 lb. 4 oz. |
Hiwassee River |
Steve D. Moss |
May 5, 2005 |
Northern Hogsucker |
2 lbs. 9 oz. |
South Holston River |
Roy Hawk |
Feb. 16, 2009 |
Paddlefish |
109 lbs., 0 oz. |
Cherokee Reservoir |
Leonard Jech |
April 13, 2021 |
Quillback Carpsucker |
6 lbs. 5 oz. |
South Holston Reservoir |
Daniel Taylor |
February 10, 2019 |
River Carpsucker |
1 lb. 9 oz. |
Pickwick Reservoir |
Dr. Jim Youmans |
Feb. 28, 1980 |
Skipjack Herring* |
4 lbs. 3 oz. |
Watts Bar Reservoir |
Marc A. Cooper II |
February 17, 2015 |
Spotted Sucker* |
3 lbs. 3 oz. |
Chickamauga Reservoir |
Greg M. Henry |
Mar. 9, 2008 |
Tilapia |
7 lbs. 6 oz. |
Old Hickory Reservoir |
Gary L. Phelps |
November 27, 2017 |
White Sucker |
1 lbs. 10 oz. |
Little War Creek (Hancock Co.) |
Jim Habera |
April 26, 2007 |
* Indicates an All-Tackle World Record. |
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CLASS B—Methods Other Than Sport Fishing |
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(a) trotline, (b) limbline, (c) jug, (d) slat basket, (e) gigging, (f) grabbling, (g) grab hooks, (h) snagging, (i) archery, (j) speargun, (k) commercial gear |
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Buffalo |
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Bigmouth |
59 lbs. 7 oz. (i) |
J. Percy Priest Reservoir |
Brett J. Dennison |
May 2, 2013 |
Black |
80 lbs. (a) |
Robco Lake (Shelby Co.) |
Hiluard J. DeLoach |
April 1, 1980 |
Smallmouth |
68 lbs. 8 oz. (i) |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Reece Bledsoe Jonathon Bledsoe |
April 6, 2013 |
Carp |
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Bighead |
95 lbs. (k) |
Kentucky Reservoir (Eagle Cr.) |
Billy Roberson |
Sept. 3, 2014 |
Black |
22 lbs. (k) |
Kentucky Reservoir (Camden Bottoms) |
Billy Roberson |
February 5, 2019 |
Common |
52 lbs. 14 oz. (i) |
Nickajack Reservoir |
Allen Kimsey |
June 24, 2002 |
Goldfish |
3 lbs., 12 oz. (i) |
Nolichucky River |
Justin Wolbert |
April 28, 2021 |
Grass |
78 lbs. (i) |
Nickajack Reservoir |
Allen Kimsey |
May 19, 2001 |
Silver |
36 lbs. 14 oz. (i) |
Cheatham Reservoir |
Connor Edwards |
March 14, 2015 |
Catfish |
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Black Bullhead |
3 lbs. 14 oz.* |
Lakeland Trout Farm |
David Tait |
June 18, 1982 |
Blue |
130 lbs. (k) |
Ft. Loudoun Reservoir |
J. G. Garland Bill Norman Richard Reagan |
Dec. 18, 1976 |
Brown Bullhead |
3 lbs. 4 oz. (c) |
Whiteville Lake |
Gary Dean Arthur |
Oct. 25, 2014 |
Channel (Tie) |
18 lbs. (k) |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Billy Roberson |
March 3, 2016 |
18 lbs. (b) |
Tims Ford Reservoir |
Josh Burch |
July 13, 2016 |
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Flathead |
92 lbs. (k) |
Mississippi River |
Kenneth A. Childress Jackie W. Stafford Jerry L. Stafford |
Nov. 30, 2000 |
Yellow Bullhead |
9 oz. (c) |
Beaver Creek (Knoxville) |
Dan Pluff |
Sept. 17, 2013 |
Gar |
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Longnose |
45 lbs. 8 oz. (i) |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Kirk Wood & Alex Bailey |
October 7, 2015 |
Shortnose |
8 lbs. 4 oz. (i) |
Chickamauga Reservoir |
Scott Simmons |
April 15, 1984 |
Spotted |
12 lbs. 0 oz. (i) |
Reelfoot Lake |
Jim Ulerick |
April 14, 2013 |
Redhorse |
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Black |
3 lbs. 10 oz. (a) |
Chilhowee Reservoir |
Lewis Winters |
Oct. 26, 2007 |
River |
15 lbs. 4 oz. (h) |
Wolf River (Pickett Co.) |
Billy Joe Johnson |
May 6, 2018 |
Silver |
4 lbs. 14 oz. (i) |
W. Prong Little Pigeon River |
Greg Bull |
January 28, 2015 |
Smallmouth |
1 lb. 3 oz. (i) |
W. Prong Little Pigeon River |
Greg Bull |
February 26, 2017 |
Other |
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American Eel |
4 lbs. 0 oz. (a) |
Duck River |
Evan Mercer |
June 9, 2018 |
Bowfin |
11 lbs. (i) |
Reelfoot Lake |
John Burton |
April 17, 2018 |
Central Stoneroller |
5 oz. (h) |
Doe River |
Rex Timbs |
Nov. 6, 1997 |
Creek Chub |
.10 oz. (*) |
West Fork Drakes Creek |
Jake A. Wade |
February 9, 2018 |
Freshwater Drum |
29 lbs. 1 oz. (i) |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Andrew Pruitt |
March 25, 2017 |
Gizzard Shad |
2 lb. 14 oz. (k) |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Billy Roberson |
April 18, 2013 |
Golden Shiner |
11 oz. (k) |
Kentucky Reservoir |
Billy Roberson |
January 19, 2016 |
Northern Hogsucker |
1 lb. 10 oz. (i) |
Ky. Res.—Standing Rock Cr. |
Dale E. Brooks |
Aug. 9, 1996 |
Paddlefish |
120 lbs. (h) |
Center Hill Res.(Bluehole) |
John T. Johnson |
March 23, 1982 |
Quillback Carpsucker |
6 lbs. 5 oz. (i) |
Boone Reservoir |
Danny Tipton |
May 15, 2020 |
River Carpsucker |
8 lbs. 1 oz. (i) |
Cordell Hull Reservoir |
Brandon Nixon |
May 2, 2020 |
Skipjack Herring |
2 lbs. 15 oz. (k) |
Duck River |
Billy Roberson |
December 14, 2015 |
Spotted Sucker |
2 lbs., 15 oz. (i) |
Chickamauga Reservoir |
Heath Jordan |
January 29, 2021 |
Tilapia |
9 lbs. 8 oz. (i) |
Old Hickory Reservoir |
Steve Creekmore |
December 2, 2017 |
* Method no longer recognized. |
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