These Are the Biggest Fish in Each State

The biggest fish in each state tells a story about local ecosystems and angling history. Massive freshwater giants lie beneath the depths of sprawling lakes, while record-breaking saltwater species swim through open oceans. Across the country, fishermen and wildlife agencies have documented extraordinary catches that reveal just how large certain species can grow when conditions are right. These impressive fish remind us of the diversity within U.S. waterways.

Each state has its own aquatic heavyweight, whether a plump catfish weighing more than the average household pet or a huge game fish. Exploring these record-holders gives us a unique look at regional biodiversity, conservation efforts, and the thrill that comes with reeling in a truly sizable specimen from the deep.

Alabama

The largest fish caught in Alabama belongs to Richard Johnson. This record was set back in 2009. He grabbed an alligator gar that weighed a massive 151 pounds, 10 ounces. Richard caught the fish at the Tensaw River.

Alaska

The largest fish ever caught in Alaska was a 459-pound halibut. Jack Tragiss caught the fish in the Unalaska Bay. For a fish this size, they had to capture the fish and bring it to the side of the boat, so a crane could lift it into the boat.

Arizona

Arizona’s largest fish was a flathead catfish. Eddie Wilcoxson caught the fish back in April 2013. Eddie caught it at the Bartlett Lake just north of Phoenix. It weighed 76 pounds, 8 ounces. It broke the state’s previous record, which belonged to a 74-pound flathead catfish caught in 1988 at the Colorado River.

Arkansas

Arkansas’s largest fish belongs to another alligator gar. To this day, it is the biggest trophy fish in Arkansas. This species of fish gets its name from its alligator-like snout. The fish was caught on July 31, 1964. Alvin Bonds was the man to capture the fish in the Arkansas River. Nowadays, no other angler has been able to catch a fish of that size in Arkansas.

California

The largest fish caught in California is a shortfin mako shark. This massive beauty weighed 1,323 pounds. It was actually the world record tackler catch. Matt Porter caught the 11-foot fish in 2013. Porter said it took two hours to reel in the large shark.

Colorado

Colorado’s biggest fish belongs to a huge trout. The trout weighed 73.29 pounds and measured almost 4 feet. Scott Enloe was the angler who reeled in the massive trout on May 5, 2025. The catch was estimated to be 60 years old. Reports said it could be an original trout from when the state impounded the Blue Mesa Reservoir. The world record for the largest trout ever caught was set in Canada in 2007 at 72 pounds.

Connecticut

A 770-pound bluefish tuna is the largest fish caught in Connecticut. In 1990, Lester Debettea captured the fish in the Block Island Sound. The Block Island Sound is a 10-mile-wide sound near Rhode Island.

Delaware

Delaware’s largest fish caught belongs to a 358-pound swordfish. It is the largest saltwater fish and fish overall in Delaware’s angling history. Kurt Lorenz captured this fish in 2013 in Poor Man’s Canyon near the Virginia-Maryland border. The record catch topped the previous record, which was set in 1978 and was also for a swordfish that weighed 276 pounds, 12 ounces.

Florida

Florida is famous for its beaches and vast waters like the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The Sunshine State’s largest fish belongs to a 1,069.06 behemoth of a tiger shark. Tiger sharks are some of the most aggressive fish in the entire world. They are one of the three main sharks that cause the most attacks on humans. On June 20, 1981, Richard Braggs caught the shark off Pensacola in the panhandle.

Georgia

Georgia is a beautiful place for fishing, with many waters for anglers to explore. Bass is a popular fish species in the state, but people can also find several catfish species in the state’s waters. The largest fish caught in Georgia is a 110-pound, 6-ounce blue catfish. Tim Trone was fishing in the Chattahoochee River on October 17, 2020. Tim was fishing at the upper end of Lake Eufaula. He said reeling it in was easy as it didn’t fight the fisherman. But pulling it into the boats was much more difficult, akin to pulling a log out of water. The prior record for the largest catch in Georgia was a tie for two 83-pound catfish.

Hawaii

Hawaii has some beautiful waters across its 137 islands. It’s also in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The state’s largest catch is a 1,805-pound blue marlin. The blue marlin was caught off Oahu on June 10, 1970. Captain Cornelious Choy and his daughter Gail both caught the sea monster. Because they needed help to capture the blue marlin, it was disqualified for the IGFA world record for the largest fish caught. However, it is still the largest fish in Hawaii’s records.

Idaho

Idaho isn’t famous for having many bodies of water. They’re more famous for their mountains and forests. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have some large fish. Idaho’s record for the largest fish belongs to a 675-pound white sturgeon. These beauties can grow 20 feet long and weigh over 1,500 pounds in most areas. White surgeons are found on the Pacific side of the United States, as far north as Alaska and as far south as Southern California. An anonymous fisherman caught the 20-foot monster with a set line at the Snake River.

Illinois

Illinois is rich with bodies of water surrounding and running through the state. Because of that, it’s no surprise that it is an angler’s favorite place to fish. Today, the largest fish caught in Illinois is still a 45-pound, 4-ounce channel catfish. An average channel catfish grows to 12 inches and can weigh 2 to 4 pounds. South Carolina holds the current record for the largest channel catfish at 58 pounds.

Indiana

Indiana is another state with plenty of water running through it. The state’s largest fish caught is a blue catfish weighing 104 pound. This record was set back in 1999. Fisherman Bruce Midkiff caught the massive blue catfish on the Ohio River. The Ohio River runs through the Mississippi River and several states including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Iowa

Iowa’s largest fish is a massive bighead carp. The bighead carp stands out from the rest of the state’s previous large catches as it weighed 112 pound. The previous record was a 64.38-pound bigmouth buffalo fish caught in 2007. Angler Randy Conver caught the 112-pound bighead carp on May 28, 2018, at the Des Moines River between Red Rock and Ottumwa.

Kansas

The largest fish ever caught in Kansas was a smallmouth buffalo fish. Thayne Miller captured the smallmouth buffalo at the Clinton Reservoir, about five miles west of Lawrence. Thayne’s catch weighed 64.75 pounds. To add to its massive size, it was 45.25 inches long with a 35-inch circumference.

Kentucky

Kentucky’s largest fish caught belongs to a gigantic blue catfish. Glynn Gorgan broke the record on October 20, 2018. His catch weighed 106.9 pounds. Glynn made his catch on the Ohio River.

Louisiana

Louisiana’s largest fish caught was a massive blue catfish that weighed an impressive 114 pounds. A 12-year-old caught the fish in the Mississippi River while fishing with his relatives. It’s among one of the largest catfish caught in the United States, joining the ranks with a 143-pound behemoth you might see later in this list.

Maine

Maine has a rich fish ecosystem filled with tuna, salmon, bass, halibut, and cod. Its biggest catch was a 1,155-pound bluefish tuna. The record was set in 1981 by Tim Tower and Percy Stevens Jr. They caught the massive tuna at Perkins Cove.

Maryland

Maryland is famous for its crabcakes, oysters, and seafood. It contains Chesapeake Bay and many different bodies of water. Maryland’s largest fish caught was a 1,210-pound tiger shark. It was reeled in at Ocean City in 1983.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts’s largest fish caught was a shortfin mako back in 1999. The fish was an astounding 1,324 pounds. Mako sharks rarely weigh 1,200 pounds, so this beast was rare.

Michigan

Michigan’s current record holder is a 193-pound sturgeon. The behemoth of a fish was caught back in 1974. No other fish that held the record weighed more than 70 pounds. So, this fish was almost triple the size of the previous record holder. The sturgeon was at Cheboygen’s Mullet Lake and was 88 inches long.

Minnesota

Minnesota’s largest fish belongs to a 94-pound, 70-inch-long sturgeon. The fish was caught in 1994 at the Kettle River.

Mississippi

Mississippi’s largest fish on record is a 131-pound blue catfish. The angler got the fish early in 2025.

Missouri

Catfish is one of the most common fish species in Missouri. It is also a common fish for some of the largest fish in the state’s history. However, a catfish isn’t the largest fish caught in Missouri. The largest fish caught in the state was a 140-pound paddlefish. Angler Jim Dain caught the fish on March 18, 2022. This fish was also the largest paddlefish in the state’s history.

Montana

Montana’s biggest catch is a 38-pound tiger muskellunge. The fish was caught at Deadman’s Basin Reservoir by angler Leo Cantin in 2011.

Nebraska

Angler Tom Keller caught a 113-pound, 4-ounce paddlefish back in 2015. He was fishing at the tailwaters of the Gavins Point Dam when he caught what would become Nebraska’s largest fish.

Nevada

Nevada is more famous for its desert climate than its bodies of water, but there are several lakes and rivers throughout the driest state in America. The state’s biggest fish is a striped bass that weighed 63 pounds. Allan S. Cole caught the fish on the Nevada side of Lake Mohave. The lake is 100 miles south of Las Vegas and runs along the state’s border with Arizona.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire has many natural sights, such as forests, lakes, and rivers. The largest New Hampshire fish caught was a 37-pound lake trout that measured 42.75 inches. This record-setting fish was caught back in 2020. On average, a lake trout grows between 17 to 27 inches. Sometimes, they can grow to 50 inches.

New Jersey

New Jersey is one of the most urban states in America. But it’s alongside the Atlantic Ocean. The residential anglers can enjoy catching some pretty good and large fish. The largest New Jersey fish is a 1,046-pound blue marlin. It’s the largest fish of any species. The fish was caught in the Hudson Canyon back in 1986.

New Mexico

Although New Mexico is more famous for its deserts and timberland forest areas, it has some bodies of water for good fishing. The largest catfish caught in New Mexico was a 78-pound flathead catfish. Jim Wilson caught the fish back in 1979. Wilson reeled in the fish at the Elephant Butte Reservoir.

New York

When people think of New York, they don’t think about fish. They think about the Big Apple, a nickname for one of America’s greatest cities or the majestic Niagara Falls. However, New York City has seen some large catches of more than 1,000 pounds. In fact, the largest fish caught in New York state was reeled in not far from the bright lights of the Big Apple. And the record is for a 3,427-pound great white shark caught by Donnie Braddick in 1986 near Montauk. The IUCN now prohibits fishing for great white sharks.

North Carolina

The Tarheel state is a popular fishing state, especially by the beachside. The North Carolina record is for a 127-pound blue catfish caught on the Roanoke River in 2021. Blue catfish can weigh between 20 and 40 pounds but can bulk up to 100 pounds.

North Dakota

North Dakota is famous for its plain lands and rich Native American history, but they have some unique catches. The largest North Dakota catch was a 131-pound paddlefish. In 2018, Grant Werkmeister snatched the fish at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers on May 7, 2018.

Ohio

A 76.5-pound flathead catfish caught in Clendening Lake on July 28, 1979, by Richard Affolter was Ohio’s largest (read: heaviest) catch until 15-year-old Jaylynn Porter caught a 101.11-pound blue catfish in Twelve Mile Creek on the Ohio River on April 7, 2024. She caught the record fish using a jugline, a method by which anglers use baited lines attached to floating containers, like milk jugs, that drift or stay anchored in water. This method is not legal in all states.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s largest catch was a 254-pound alligator gar. It was caught at Lake Texoma in April 2015. It was an 8-foot-long alligator gar.

Oregon

The Pacific Northwest is home to some fantastic fish species. The area also has great fishing waters thanks to its many rivers, lakes, and the Pacific Ocean. Oregon’s largest fish caught was a chinook salmon. The chinook salmon that made the record books was 83 pounds. Chinook salmon is referred to as king salmon because it is the largest subspecies of salmon.

Pennsylvania

The Keystone State has many natural sights like the Appalachian Mountains as well as many forests and parks. It is also home to several lakes and rivers. Pennsylvania’s largest fish ever caught was for a flathead catfish that weighed 66 pounds, 6 ounces. The fish was 50 inches in length and had a girth of 35 inches.

Rhode Island

The largest catch in Rhode Island is for an enormous bluefish tuna. It weighed 1,142 pounds. It’s one of the oldest records on this list, set in 1971.

South Carolina

South Carolina’s rod and reel record has stood now for more than 60 years. On the Saturday afternoon of June 13, 1964, Walter Maxwell reeled in a 1,780-pound tiger shark from the Cherry Grove pier, north of Myrtle Beach.

South Dakota

South Dakota’s largest fish ever caught belongs to a paddlefish. Caught on May 17, 2014, Bill Harmon snagged his record 127-pound, 9-ounce paddlefish on Lake Francis Case in south-central South Dakota. Snagging refers to a fishing technique where the angler intentionally hooks a fish in a non-mouth area, such as the body or fin. Previously, the record was held by another paddlefish, this one caught by Don Gregg in 1979 in the Fort Randall tailwaters. The fish weighed 120 pounds, 12 ounces.

Tennessee

Tennessee’s largest fish ever caught is a 149-pound paddlefish. Henry Dyer caught the record fish in April 2025 on the Cherokee Reservoir in upper East Tennessee.

Texas

You know what they say: Everything is bigger in Texas. Texas’s largest fish ever caught was a 279-pound alligator gar. Bill Valverde caught the fish in 1951 on the Rio Grande River.

Utah

Utah’s record-setting fish is a 48-pound, 11-ounce striped bass caught at Lake Powell in 1991.

Vermont

Vermont got a recent entry into their records. In 2022, a fisherman caught a 63-pound carp.

Virginia

Virginia’s largest catch in their state’s history is a 143-pound blue catfish.

Washington

A 288-pound Pacific halibut is Washington’s largest caught fish.

West Virginia

West Virginia’s largest caught fish was a grass carp. It weighed 71 pounds, 11 ounces.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s largest fish was a 170.5-pound sturgeon.

Wyoming

Wyoming’s largest caught fish is a lake trout that weighed 50 pounds.

CORRECTION: This article was updated on December 27, 2025, to correctly identify the new Ohio state record-holder for heaviest or largest fish ever caught in the state. A 15-year-old girl shattered the previous record, which had stood for 45 years.