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Arctic Grayling. © 2005 Craig Hergert

Montana Fish Records

I caught a record-breaker! What now?

  • To prevent loss of weight, don't clean or freeze the fish. Keep the fish cool - preferably on ice.
  • Take a picture of the fish.
  • Get the fish weighed as soon as possible on a certified scale (found in grocery or hardware stores, etc.) and witnessed by an observer. Get an affidavit from the store if no FWP official is present. Measure the length.
  • Contact the nearest FWP office to have the fish positively identified and to determine if it is a state record.

Montana Record Table

  • Records are accurate as of June 27, 2008.
  • To view the girth and bait tackle columns, please download the Montana Fish Records (PDF 87 KB).
  • For more information contact the FWP Conservation Education department at: 406-444-3188 or Lorraine Karwaski
  • The * denotes Montana native fish.
Montana Fish Records as of June 27, 2008
Fish Length 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 15.5  2.33 lbs.  4/4/94  Lower Flathead River  Darwin Zemple, Jr.
Black Crappie 16.7"  3.13 lbs.  1973  Tongue River Reservoir  Al Elser
Blue Gill 11'  2.64 lbs.  6/3/83  Peterson's Stock Dam  Brent Fladmo
Blue Sucker 29.75"  11.46 lbs.  10/7/89  Yellowstone River Miles City  Doug Askin
Brook Trout 9.06 lbs.  1940  Lower Two Medicine Lake  John R. Cook
Brown Trout 29 lbs.  1966  Wade Lake  E.H. "Peck" Bacon
Bull Trout (Dolly Varden) * 37" 25.63 lbs. 1916   James Hyer
Burbot * 39"  17.08 lbs.  4/18/89  Missouri River Wolf Point  Jeff Eugene Iwen
Common Carp 38"  40.2 lbs.  5/24/98  Nelson Reservoir  Jared S. Albus
Channel Catfish * 38.75"  29.71 lbs.  5/28/06  Nelson Reservoir Eli Waters/Jim Jones
Chinook Salmon 38"  31.13 lbs.  10/2/91  Fort Peck Reservoir Face of Dam  Carl L. Niles
Cisco 17.25"  1.75 lbs.  5/19/01  Below Ft Peck Powerhouse  Curt Zimmerman
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
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
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 8.6"  0.56 lbs.  6/19/91  Castle Rock Reservoir  Roger Fliger
Kokanee Salmon 26.8"  7.85 lbs  9/23/03  Hauser Lake John Bomar
Lake Trout 42.5"  42.69 lbs.  6/23/04  Flathead Lake Ruth Barber
Lake Whitefish 27" 10.46 lbs. 08/26/06 Flathead Lake Swan T. McDonald V
Largemouth Bass 22"  8.29 lbs.  6/11/99  Many Lakes  Adam Nelson
Largescale Sucker * 23.1"  6.16 lbs.  6/27/08  Woodland Pond  Kevin Fraley
Longnose Sucker * 3.27 lbs.  5/8/88  Marias River Loma  Ray Quigley
Mottled Sculpin * 0.05 lbs.  7/30/01  Belt Creek (North of Neihart MT)  Brad Sullivan
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.  1972  Tongue River Reservoir  Lance Moyer
Northern Pikeminnow * 27 1/8"  7.88 lbs.  5/28/91  Noxon Rapids Reservoir  Darrel Torgrimson
Paddlefish * 6'5"  142.5 lbs.  5/20/73  Missouri River Near Kipp Park  Larry Branstetter
Pallid Sturegon * 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
(tie record) * 		9"  0.23 lbs.  2/27/05  Little Bitterroot Lake Kevin Kadley
Troy Fraley
Rainbow Trout 38.62"  33.1 lbs.  8/11/97  Kootenai River David Thompson Brdg  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 * 6.42 lbs  5/22/00  Intake -- Irrigation Canal  Bill Odenbach
Rock Bass 8.6"  0.57 lbs.  6/1/89  Tongue River Reservoir  Don Holzheimer
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 * 34"  7.02 lbs.  12/22/03 Fort Peck Dredge Cuts Ron Gulbertson
Shovelnose Sturgeon * 39.5"  13.72 lbs.  4/19/86  Missouri River Near Virgelle  Sidney Storm
Smallmouth Bass 21"  6.66 lbs.  7/30/02  Fort Peck Reservoir  Mike Otten
Smallmouth Buffalo * 38"  38 lbs.  4/28/07  Nelson Reservoir  Brady Miller
Stonecat * 10"  0.54 lbs.  6/16/96  Milk River  Dale Bjerga
Tiger Muskellunge 46"  28.87 lbs.  7/10/06  Deadman's Basin Reservoir Marty Storfa
Tiger Trout 20.6"  4.04 lbs.  2/9/97  Bear Lake  Joe Sobczak
Utah Chub 1.81 lbs.  2/5/92  Canyon Ferry Reservoir  Eugene Bastian
Walleye 35"  17.75 lbs.  11/18/07  Tiber Reservoir  Robert "Bob" Hart
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 5/8"  5.33 lbs.  2/10/83  Nelson Reservoir  Fred Perry
Yellow Bullhead 11.8"  0.93 lbs.  5/24/98  Tongue River Reservoir  Carl Radonski
Yellow Perch 14 3/8"  2.39 lbs.  2/19/06  Lower Stillwater Lake Josh Emmert
* Denotes Montana native fish.
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