Discover the Largest Fish Ever Caught in Arizona

Arizona is a landlocked state in the American Southwest. Although people often think of the arid climate, the state offers great fishing to the anglers who call this state home. Don’t believe us? Well, we’re going to look at the largest fish ever caught in Arizona. Take a look at this list of 8 different fish species that have been captured in parts of the state and see just how massive they were!

8. Blue Catfish

Starting off the list, we have a blue catfish that weighs 31 pounds. Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) can get much larger, though. The biggest blue catfish ever caught weighed 143 pounds! This catfish is the largest of any catfish species in North America. The largest blue catfish caught in Arizona came from a body of water in Randolph Park back in July 1970. The angler was named Richard Lujan.

7. Channel Catfish

Another one of the largest fish ever caught in Arizona belongs to the channel catfish species. Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) live in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. They are some of the most popularly targeted fish in the United States. They can reach weights as high as 58 pounds as evidenced by the largest member of the species ever caught. Chuck Berndt caught Arizona’s largest specimen in Parker Canyon Lake on April 24, 1987.

6. Black Buffalo Fish

Black buffalo fish (Ictiobus niger) typically measure between 20 and 30 inches, but they can reach lengths of about four feet long. Also, these fish can weigh between 10 and 30 pounds. The record-setting black buffalo fish in Arizona weighed 35 pounds and 6.72 ounces. David Hoenshell caught this fish in Canyon Lake on May 24, 1995. While this was not the largest member of the species ever caught, it was a sizable record for the state.

5. Bigmouth Buffalo Fish

Bigmouth buffalo fish (Ictiobus cyprinellus) are a species of fish that can grow large and live for a very long time. In fact, at least one member of the species lived for over 120 years. The fish usually measure between 1.5 and 2.5 feet and weigh between 2 and 14 pounds. The largest fish ever caught in Arizona that belonged to this species weighed 36 pounds 6 ounces! A man named Leon Stewart captured this fish in Roosevelt Lake on March 14, 1995.   

4. Common Carp

The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is an omnivorous fish that lives in streams and rivers. These fish can often measure between 12 and 25 inches and weigh about average, with much higher possible weights of 8 to 10 pounds. In this case, the largest common carp ever pulled from the waters in Arizona weighed 42 pounds. Gary Ramsfield captured this massive specimen in March 1979 while fishing on Lake Havasu.

3. White Amur

The white amur, also called the grass carp, is a non-native fish that the United States brought to the nation to control algae growth. These herbivorous fish can reach sizes of 4 feet long and 75 pounds at their greatest measure. The largest member of this species ever captured in Arizona was 47 pounds 1 ounce. Kevin A. Baylor Jr. captured this fish at Encanto Park Lake on July 12, 2002.

2. Striped Bass

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are a very popular fish for anglers to pursue in Arizona and throughout many parts of the United States. These fish grow between 20 and 34 inches long on average, and they often reach weights between 20 and 40 pounds. The record-setting member of this species in Arizona weighed 67 pounds 1 ounce. Jeff Smith captured this fish from the Colorado River on August 15, 1997.

1. Flathead Catfish

The largest fish ever caught in Arizona was a 74-pound flathead catfish. Chuck Berndt captured this massive fish on April 24, 1987, while fishing in Parker Canyon Lake. These fish usually reach lengths of 20 to 30 inches, but the largest members of this species can reach over 100 pounds and can grow upwards of four feet long!

All in all, the largest fish ever caught in Arizona was a flathead catfish that weighed an incredible 74 pounds. This fish lived in the Colorado River. However, this state’s record-setting fish is not very large compared to other states. For example, anglers in places like Rhode Island have access to fish in the oceans, so they can pull in bluefin tuna that weigh 1,142 pounds and 12 ounces! So, Arizona’s fishing records are good for freshwater, but the fishing records are limited by the waterways in the state.

Summary of the Largest Fish Ever Caught in Arizona