Montana State Record Fish List
By angelamontana

Posted: May 19, 2022

Wondering what the Montana state record catches are currently in Montana?

Here is a list via FWP of every species you can check out:

Fish

Length (inches)

Weight

Date

Site

Angler

Arctic Grayling 20 3.63 lbs. 6/28/03 Washtub Lake Glenn Owens
* Big Mouth Buffalo 40.7 57.75 lbs. 6/4/94 Nelson Reservoir Craig D. Grassel
Black Bullhead 14.37 2.60 lbs. 6/2/09 Smiley Slough Birrell
Black Crappie 16.7 3.13 lbs. 1973 Tongue River Reservoir Al Elser
Bluegill 11 2.64 lbs. 6/3/83 Peterson’s Stock Dam Brent Fladmo
Blue Sucker 34.56 13.29 lbs. 4/19/19 Marias River Jason Karls
Brook Trout   9.06 lbs. 1940 Lower Two Medicine Lake  John R. Cook
Brown Trout 37 32.42 lbs. 3/3/21 Marias River Robbie Dockter
* Bull Trout 37 25.63 lbs. 1916   James Hyer
* Burbot 39 17.08 lbs. 4/18/89 Missouri River Wolf Point Jeff Eugene Iwen
* Channel Catfish 38.75 35.18 lbs. 7/7/19 Colstrip Surge Pond John D. Smith
Chinook Salmon 38-1/8 32.05 lbs. 08/16/20 Fort Peck Reservoir Greg Haug
Cisco 18.2 2.08 lbs. 6/2/14 Missouri River Troy Holstein
Coho Salmon 25.5 4.88 lbs. 5/29/73 Fort Peck Reservoir Face of Dam Irven F. Stohl
Common Carp 38 40.2 lbs. 5/24/98 Nelson Reservoir Jared S. Albus
Creek Chub 11 0.52 lbs. 5/12/13 Harbaugh Bass Pond William Bibeau
* Cutthroat Trout   16 lbs 1955 Red Eagle Lake Wm. D. Sands
Emerald Shiner 3.43 0.01 lbs. 6/9/06 Park Grove Bridge Ike Braaten
Fathead Minnow 2.7 .01 lbs. 5/30/14 Dollar Lake Chris Gustine
* Flathead Chub 11.2 0.59 lbs. 4/29/01 Thornton Pond Douglas Jordan
* Freshwater Drum 29.5 21.59 lbs. 5/3/03 Fort Peck- Ghost Coulee Matt Washut
Golden Trout 23.5 5.43 lbs. 7/16/00 Cave Lake Mike Malixi
* Goldeye   3.18 lbs. 7/4/00 Nelson Reservoir Don Nevrivy
Green Sunfish 9.0 0.84 lbs. 5/25/09 Hickson’s Pond Bette Schmieding
Kokanee Salmon 26.8 7.85 lbs. 9/23/03 Hauser Lake John Bomar
Lake Chub* 5.9 0.075 lbs. 7/23/10 Corner Lake James Cashell
Lake Trout 42.5 42.69 lbs. 6/23/04 Flathead Lake Ruth Barber
Lake Whitefish 27 10.46 lbs. 8/26/06 Flathead Lake Swan T. McDonald V
Largemouth Bass 22.5 9.58 lbs. 4/24/21 Lake Elmo Brandon Wright
* Largescale Sucker 23.1 6.16 lbs. 6/27/08 Woodland Pond Kevin Fraley
* Longnose Sucker 19.50 4.21 lbs. 5/17/21 Holter Lake Austin Wargo
Mottled Sculpin — See Rocky Mountain Sculpin
* Mountain Sucker 6.2 1.60 oz. 4/23/01 Beaver Creek Reservoir Robert Garwood
* Mountain Whitefish 23 5.11 lbs. 10/10/07 Hauser Reservoir Walt Goodman
Northern Pike   37.5 lbs. 8/29/1971 Tongue River Reservoir Lance Moyer
* Northern Pikeminnow 27.125 7.88 lbs. 5/28/91 Noxon Rapids Reservoir Darrel Torgrimson
* Paddlefish 77 142.5 lbs. 5/20/73 Missouri River Near Kipp Park Larry Branstetter
* Pallid Sturgeon   60 lbs. 5/13/79 Yellowstone River Near Sidney Gene Sattler
* Peamouth 16 1/8 1.52 lbs. 7/29/07 Clark Fork River Mike Jensen
Pumpkinseed   0.96 lbs. 7/30/06 Upper Thompson Lake Nathan Bache
Pygmy Whitefish 9.84 0.36 lbs. 2/13/10 Little Bitterroot Lake Richard Geldrich
Rainbow Smelt 7.1 0.08 lbs. 2/18/20 Fort Peck Dredge Cuts Nathan Cooper
Rainbow Trout 38.62 33.1 lbs. 8/11/97 Kootenai River David Thompson Bridge Jack G. Housel, Jr.
Rainbow-Cutthroat Hybrid Trout 35.75 30.25 lbs. 5/16/82 Ashely Lake Pat Kelley
* Redside Shiner 6.5 0.10 lbs. 8/21/01 Lost Lake Josh Ahles
* River Carpsucker 24 6.95 lbs 8/15/08 Fort Peck Reservoir Brady Miller
Rock Bass 10.8 1.31 lbs. 4/26/14 Lower Crazy Head Springs Pond Karson Campbell
* Rocky Mountain Sculpin   0.05 lbs. 7/30/01 Belt Creek Brad Sullivan
* Sauger 28.2 8.805 lbs. 12/12/94 Fort Peck Reservoir Gene Moore
Saugeye   15.66 lbs. 1/11/95 Fort Peck Reservoir Squaw Creek Myron Kibler
* Shorthead Redhorse 20.25 4.68 lbs. 4/14/85 Marias River Near Loma Ray Quigley
* Shortnose Gar 35 7.41 lbs. 5/16/13 Fort Peck Dredge Cuts Brandon Hansard
* Shovelnose Sturgeon 39.75 14.125 lbs. 5/21/10 Missouri River Chad Buck
Smallmouth Bass 22.0 7.84 lbs. 10/3/20 Fort Peck Reservoir Theron Thompson
* Smallmouth Buffalo 38 38 lbs. 4/28/07 Nelson Reservoir Brady Miller
Spottail Shiner 3 0.02 lbs. 8/14/10 Tiber Reservoir Joe Hagengruber
* Stonecat 10 0.54 lbs. 6/16/96 Milk River Dale Bjerga
Tiger Muskellunge 50 38.75 lbs. 9/2/11 Deadman’s Basin Reservoir Leo Cantin
Tiger Trout 20.6 4.04 lbs. 2/9/97 Bear Lake Joe Sobczak
Utah Chub 15.9 2.39 lbs. 3/7/2022 Canyon Ferry Reservoir Steve Hagen
Walleye 32.25 18.02 lbs. 5/10/21 Holter Lake Trevor Johnson
White Bass 17 2.8 lbs. 10/13/07 Missouri River South of Bainville Vernon Pacovsky
White Crappie 18.5 3.68 lbs. 5/10/96 Tongue River Gene Bassett
* White Sturgeon   96 lbs. 1968 Kootenai River Herb Stout
* White Sucker 21.625 5.33 lbs. 2/10/83 Nelson Reservoir Fred Perry
Yellow Bullhead 15.5 1.910 lbs. 12/17/20 Tongue River Reservoir Roberta Legge
Yellow Perch 14.375 2.39 lbs. 2/19/06 Lower Stillwater Lake Josh Emmert
  • To view the girth and bait tackle columns, please download Montana Fish Records
  • For more information contact the FWP Fisheries Division at: (406) 444-2449 or email FWPFishAdmin@mt.gov
  • The * denotes Montana native fish.
Photo credit: Trevor Johnson with state record walleye from Holter Lake in 2021; by Trevor Johnson
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