Record Freshwater Fish

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State Record Freshwater Fish as of 8-3-2023
Species	Weight	Location	Date	Name
Black Crappie**	4 lbs. 14 oz.	Lake Conner	4-8-1967	E. L. Blackstock
Black Crappie	4 lbs. 10 oz.	Private Pond	4-24-1994	Justin Elliot
Blue Catfish	143 lbs.	Buggs Island Lake	6-18-2011	Richard Anderson
Bluegill Sunfish**	4 lbs. 8 oz.	Private Pond	2-7-1970	Thomas E. Jones
Bluegill Sunfish	NO ENTRY TO DATE; MINIMUM WEIGHT TO QUALIFY IS 2 LBS.
Bowfin**	17 lbs. 8 oz.	Chickahominy Lake	11-14-1964	E. C. Cutright
Bowfin	16 lbs. 8 oz.	Lake Cahoon	10-17-2004	John W. Plyler, Jr.
Brook Trout	5 lbs. 15 oz.	Cub Run	3-12-2019	Thomas Garth
Brown Trout**	18 lbs. 11 oz.	Smith River	6-22-1979	William W. Nease
Brown Trout	14 lbs. 12 oz.	South Fork, Holston	5-24-1990	Mike S. Perkins
Common Carp	49 lbs. 4 oz.	Lake Prince	6-25-1986	Jeffrey Graham
Chain Pickerel**	7 lbs. 12 oz.	Douthat Lake	1-26-1974	Glenn C. Williams
Chain Pickerel	7 lbs. 10 oz.	Lake Shawnee	12-31-1996	R. L. White
Channel Catfish**	32 lbs.	Lake Chesdin	4-28-1980	Hugh Wyatt
Channel Catfish	31 lbs. 8 oz.	Rappahannock River	10-2-1992	Sue Stanley
Coho Salmon**	8 lbs. 12 oz.	Philpott Reservoir	12-27-1971	Melvin Chilton
Fallfish	3 lbs. 9 oz.	Cowpasture River	5-6-2022	Josh D. Dolin
Flathead Catfish	68 lbs. 12 oz.	Lake Smith	5-25-2018	Jeffrey E. Dill
Freshwater Drum	29 lbs. 6 oz.	Buggs Island Lake	3-26-2018	Del Pool
Gar	25 lbs. 2 oz.	Lake Prince	5-28-1987	Roger Beaver
Hybrid Striped Bass	15 lbs. 13 oz.	Claytor Lake	3-16-2016	Don Jessie
Lake Trout**	5 lbs. 6 oz.	Philpott Reservoir	7-6-1966	Arthur A. Conner
Largemouth Bass	16 lbs. 4 oz.	Conner Lake	5-20-1985	Richard Tate
Musky (includes Tiger)	45 lbs. 8 oz.	New River	6-1-2007	Shannon Hill
Northern Pike	31 lbs. 4 oz.	Motts Run Reservoir	7-24-1994	George Wood
Rainbow Trout	14 lbs. 7 oz.	Greers Pond	6-28-1993	Michael Lowe
Redear Sunfish	4 lbs. 12 oz.	Private Pond	4-28-1986	Michael Mills
Roanoke Bass	2 lbs. 9 oz.	Western Branch Reservor	5-28-2005	Harry G. Swauger
Rock Bass	2 lbs. 2 oz.	Laurel Bed Lake	5-17-1986	Larry Ball
Sauger**	5 lbs. 8 oz.	South Holston Lake	7-2-1972	R. Stallard
Sauger	3 lbs.	Clinch River	4-24-2010	Ronald C. Davis
Saugeye	6 lbs. 8 oz.	Lake Gaston	5-29-2023	Brittany Watkins
Smallmouth Bass	8 lbs. 1 oz.	New River	3-12-2003	Donald S. Eaton, Jr.
Spotted Bass**	6 lbs. 10 oz.	Flannagan Reservoir	3-31-1976	Joe Jett Friend
Spotted Bass	4 lbs. 12 oz.	Claytor Lake	1-1-2020	Cliffton J. Hamilton
Striped Bass	53 lbs. 7 oz.	Leesville Reservoir	3-16-2000	James B. Davis
Sunfish (all other)	NO ENTRY TO DATE; MINIMUM WEIGHT TO QUALIFY IS 1 LB.
Walleye**	22 lbs. 8 oz.	New River	8-20-1973	Roy G. Barrett
Walleye	15 lbs. 15 oz.	New River	12-15-2000	Anthony P. Duncan
White Bass	6 lbs. 13 oz.	Lake Orange	7-31-1989	Ron Sprouse
White Catfish	7 lbs. 6 oz.	Western Branch Reservoir	3-24-1992	Thomas F. Elkins
White Crappie	NO ENTRY TO DATE; MINIMUM WEIGHT TO QUALIFY IS 3 LBS.
White Perch	3 lbs. 2 oz.	Private Pond	6-13-2012	Beau McLaughlin
Yellow Perch	3 lbs.	Flannagan Reservoir	3-8-2010	George Mullins

Archery State Record Freshwater Fish as of 11-2-2022
Species	Weight	Location	Date	Name
Blue Catfish	68 lbs. 14 oz.	Rappahannock River	10-20-2022	Josh Bailey
Bowfin	10 lbs. 12 oz.	Chickahominy River	7-31-2016	Patrick Pendergrass
Carp **	60 lbs.	Private Pond	7-5-1970	Ben Topham
Common Carp	45 lbs. 7 oz.	Claytor Lake	10-15-2016	Hae Kim
Flathead Catfish	48 lbs. 0 oz.	Belmont Bay	10-16-2022	Richard V. Hayden Jr.
Gar	23 lbs	Pamunkey River	8-13-2021	Shawn Kennedy
Goldfish	3 lbs 9 oz.	Hunting Creek	5-22-2021	Jeremy Fortner
** Denotes record fish that was caught before using new State Record Rules adopted in 1985

The rules for certifying a state record:

The fish must be caught in Virginia waters with rod, reel, line, and hook held in hand, or with archery tackle (see Nongame Fish, Reptile, Amphibian & Invertebrates) where legally permitted. The angler must identify the specific waters from which the fish was caught.
Although more than one angler may participate in catching a potential state record fish, only one applicant will be considered as the official record holder. Anglers should be aware, however, that world records are only granted for fish that are hooked and fought by one individual without assistance.
A Department employee must witness the official weighing. Only the weight observed by the Department employee will be certified. The fish must be unfrozen, in whole condition and made available to the Department employee for a thorough examination. The fish may also be made available to the Department for further examination if deemed necessary by the Department representative.
The species of the fish must be confirmed by a Department fish biologist who must inspect the fish in whole condition. (This can be accomplished subsequent to the weighing if the Department witness is not a fish biologist.)
Application must be submitted within 60 days of the catch. A clear, side view photograph of the fish should accompany the application. Application is available online at www.virginiawildlife.gov/fishing/trophy-fish.
Weighing scales must be appropriate to the size of the fish and be certified for legal commercial trade or those owned by the DWR that have been tested for accuracy by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bureau of Weights and Measures or by certified DWR weights. Fish under 25 pounds must be weighed on a scale capable of weighing to the ounce. Fish over 25 pounds should be weighed on scales having no greater graduations than one-half pound. Whenever scales of 8-ounce graduations are used, the fish weight will always be rounded down to the nearest one-half pound.
Any potential state record fish found to contain artificial food or nonfood items in the stomach will not be recognized as a new record.
No fish caught within the boundaries of, or directly influenced by, a public or private aquaculture facility or private fee fishing area will be recognized as a state record.
If there is reasonable doubt regarding any aspect of the application, it may be rejected.
One appeal of the Committee’s decision may be made within 60 days of notification. The appeal must be in writing to the Chairman, State Record Fish Committee, P.O. Box 90778, Henrico, VA 23228.