Fishermen love nothing more than pictures of huge fish. So I thought, why not put them all in one post? Well here it is! Below you’ll find the current American record for each major freshwater fish with pictures included! How does your biggest catch stack up? Let us know below!
Largemouth Bass - 22 Pounds, 4 Ounces
Can you believe the record for largemouth bass dates all the way back to 1932? Naturally, with a record that old many people were skeptical. But then in 2006, the family produced original pictures and she is a GIANT!
The bass was caught Georgia, at Montgomery Lake.
Smallmouth Bass - 11 pounds, 15 ounces
The record for largest smallmouth bass is surprisingly old as well, being caught in 1955 at Dale Hollow Lake which borders Kentucky and Tennessee.
Catfish - 143 Pounds
There are actually several different sub-species of catfish, including the channel catfish and flathead catfish. But if you want to look for the biggest overall you can find in America – that would be the blue catfish. And the record shown above was caught in Kerr Lake, Virginia in 2011. It was 57 inches long and had a 44 inch girth.
Carp - 75 Pounds (Maybe)
The largest record carp comes from Mississippi – weighted in 1963 from Pelahatchie Lake. Unfortunately no picutres exist so it’s not known what species of carp it was. If it were a common carp, which is the only native species, then it would be the American record.
Above is the non-native Bighead Carp. These are invasive from Asian waters, but grow to much larger sizes than the common carp. This monster was 97 pounds, caught recently in 2024 from the Mississippi River.
Bluegill - 4 Pounds, 12 Ounces
Back in 1950, the world record bluegill was caught from Ketona Lake in Alabama. Interestingly, the previous world record was caught just two years earlier from that exact same lake!
Crappie - 5 Pounds, 7 Ounces
In 2018, a Tennessean caught the world record crappie which was almost 5 and a half pounds from a private pond. You’ve always heard anglers say that private ponds hold huge fish – now you know it’s true!
Muskie - 69 Pounds, 11 Ounces
Back in 1949, the world’s record for muskellunge was caught in Chippewa Flowage in Wisconsin. However, because it was actually shot during bow-fishing many don’t attribute it as the largest “caught” fish by conventional rod and reel. That prestige lies with another fisherman who caught a 67 and half pound musky with a rod and reel that same year!
Pike - 46 Pounds, 2 Ounces
The largest North American pike was caught in Sacandaga Lake, New York in 1940. Unfortuantley, that was before everyone had a camera in their pocket so no pictures of the mammoth pike exist.
Above, however, is the world record Pike caught in Germany in 1986. For reference, it is over 10 pounds bigger than the record North American Pike.
Walleye - 25 pounds, 3 Ounces
This world record walleye was caught back in 1960 at Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee. There is much back and forth if the fish was weighed and measured correctly, as the angler who caught it didn’t use traditional measuring devices (instead, using his hand spread). But pictures and measurements of the fish’s head after cleaning suggest it was in fact the largest walleye ever caught.
Trout - 48 Pounds
In 2009, a Canadian angler caught the world record rainbow trout. Like many of the species listed here, trout have several sub-species which will all grow to different lengths and weights. For this list, we have included the largest rainbow trout which is the most common species you encounter in North America. If you’re interest in other species, read here.
Striper- 81 Pounds, 13 Ounces
This behemoth was caught off the coast of Conneticut and shattered the previous world record by over 3 pounds!
Sturgeon - Unknown, likely over 1,000 Pounds
We will end this list with the monster of all monsters in American waters – the White Sturgeon. This prehistoric fish can live hundreds of years and archaeologists have found evidence of sturgeons 25 feet long and 1,500 pounds. The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago had a supposed 2,000 pound stuffed sturgeon on display.
However, because they are endangered species they aren’t taken out of the water today and weighed so we are likely to never know what the actual record is. Above is probably the biggest we know of. It was caught in 2012 and estimated to weigh over 1,100 pounds.