🎣 Montana State Record Fish

Official state rod & reel records maintained by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Updated as new records are certified.

* Asterisk indicates the record is also a world record or was caught using a special method. Click any fish name to view the Montana Field Guide species profile.

Arctic Grayling

20 in • Washtub Lake • Glenn Owens

3.63 lbs

6/28/03

* Big Mouth Buffalo

40.7 in • Nelson Reservoir • Craig D. Grassel

57.75 lbs

6/4/94

Black Bullhead

14.37 in • Smiley Slough • Birrell

2.60 lbs

6/2/09

Black Crappie

16.7 in • Tongue River Reservoir • Al Elser

3.13 lbs

1973

Bluegill

11 in • Peterson’s Stock Dam • Brent Fladmo

2.64 lbs

6/3/83

Blue Sucker

34.56 in • Marias River • Jason Karls

13.29 lbs

4/19/19

Brook Trout

Lower Two Medicine Lake • John R. Cook

9.06 lbs

1940

Brown Trout

37 in • Marias River • Robbie Dockter

32.42 lbs

3/3/21

* Bull Trout

37 in • James Hyer

25.63 lbs

1916

* Burbot

39 in • Missouri River Wolf Point • Jeff Eugene Iwen

17.08 lbs

4/18/89

* Channel Catfish

38.75 in • Colstrip Surge Pond • John D. Smith

35.18 lbs

7/7/19

Chinook Salmon

38 in • Fort Peck Reservoir • Jim Fauth

32.65 lbs

08/08/24

Cisco

18.2 in • Missouri River • Troy Holstein

2.08 lbs

6/2/14

Coho Salmon

25.5 in • Fort Peck Reservoir Face of Dam • Irven F. Stohl

4.88 lbs

5/29/73

Common Carp

38 in • Nelson Reservoir • Jared S. Albus

40.2 lbs

5/24/98

Creek Chub

11 in • Harbaugh Bass Pond • William Bibeau

0.52 lbs

5/12/13

* Cutthroat Trout

Red Eagle Lake • Wm. D. Sands

16 lbs

1955

Emerald Shiner

3.43 in • Park Grove Bridge • Ike Braaten

0.01 lbs

6/9/06

Fathead Minnow

Dollar Lake • Chris Gustine

0.01 lbs

5/30/14

* Flathead Chub

11.2 in • Thornton Pond • Douglas Jordan

0.59 lbs

4/29/01

* Freshwater Drum

29.5 in • Fort Peck – Ghost Coulee • Matt Washut

21.59 lbs

5/3/03

Golden Shiner

7-3/8 in • Gardner Reservoir • Kelson Hickman

0.18 lbs

7/29/22

Golden Trout

23.5 in • Cave Lake • Mike Malixi

5.43 lbs

7/16/00

* Goldeye

Nelson Reservoir • Don Nevrivy

3.18 lbs

7/4/00

Green Sunfish

10.0 in • Gartside Reservoir • Garin Hicks

0.85 lbs

5/27/23

Kokanee Salmon

26.8 in • Hauser Lake • John Bomar

7.85 lbs

9/23/03

* Lake Chub

5.9 in • Corner Lake • James Cashell

0.075 lbs

7/23/10

Lake Trout

42.5 in • Flathead Lake • Ruth Barber

42.69 lbs

6/23/04

Lake Whitefish

27 in • Flathead Lake • Swan T. McDonald V

10.46 lbs

8/26/06

Largemouth Bass

22.5 in • Lake Elmo • Brandon Wright

9.58 lbs

4/24/21

* Largescale Sucker

25.25 in • Noxon Rapids Reservoir • Wade Merschat

6.72 lbs

6/19/24

* Longnose Sucker

22.25 in • Hauser Reservoir • Jonathan Miller

4.78 lbs

5/10/22

Mottled Sculpin — See Rocky Mountain Sculpin

* Mountain Sucker

6.2 in • Beaver Creek Reservoir • Robert Garwood

1.60 oz

4/23/01

* Mountain Whitefish

23 in • Hauser Reservoir • Walt Goodman

5.11 lbs

10/10/07

Northern Pike

Tongue River Reservoir • Lance Moyer

37.5 lbs

8/29/1971

* Northern Pikeminnow

27.125 in • Noxon Rapids Reservoir • Darrel Torgrimson

7.88 lbs

5/28/91

* Paddlefish

77 in • Missouri River Near Kipp Park • Larry Branstetter

142.5 lbs

5/20/73

* Pallid Sturgeon

Yellowstone River Near Sidney • Gene Sattler

60 lbs

5/13/79

* Peamouth

16 1/8 in • Clark Fork River • Mike Jensen

1.52 lbs

7/29/07

Pumpkinseed

10 in • Fennon Slough • Pete Jellar

0.995 lbs

4/26/22

Pygmy Whitefish

9.84 in • Little Bitterroot Lake • Richard Geldrich

0.36 lbs

2/13/10

Rainbow Smelt

7.1 in • Fort Peck Dredge Cuts • Nathan Cooper

0.08 lbs

2/18/20

Rainbow Trout

38.62 in • Kootenai River David Thompson Bridge • Jack G. Housel, Jr.

33.1 lbs

8/11/97

Rainbow-Cutthroat Hybrid Trout

35.75 in • Ashley Lake • Pat Kelley

30.25 lbs

5/16/82

* Redside Shiner

6.5 in • Lost Lake • Josh Ahles

0.10 lbs

8/21/01

* River Carpsucker

26.1875 in • Yellowstone River • Jaxson Franklin

7.915 lbs

4/16/22

Rock Bass

10.8 in • Lower Crazy Head Springs Pond • Karson Campbell

1.31 lbs

4/26/14

* Rocky Mountain Sculpin

5.0 in • Yellowstone Co. Canal • Bridger Burrows

0.063 lbs

3/15/22

* Sauger

28.2 in • Fort Peck Reservoir • Gene Moore

8.805 lbs

12/12/94

Saugeye

Fort Peck Reservoir Squaw Creek • Myron Kibler

15.66 lbs

1/11/95

* Shorthead Redhorse

20.25 in • Marias River Near Loma • Ray Quigley

4.68 lbs

4/14/85

* Shortnose Gar

35 in • Fort Peck Dredge Cuts • Brandon Hansard

7.41 lbs

5/16/13

* Shovelnose Sturgeon

39.75 in • Missouri River • Chad Buck

14.125 lbs

5/21/10

Smallmouth Bass

22.4 in • Fort Peck Reservoir • Joshua Johnson

8.4 lbs

9/24/24

* Smallmouth Buffalo

42-2/8 in • Nelson Reservoir • Deborah Henry

40 lbs

5/27/23

Spottail Shiner

3 in • Tiber Reservoir • Joe Hagengruber

0.02 lbs

8/14/10

* Stonecat

10 in • Milk River • Dale Bjerga

0.54 lbs

6/16/96

Tiger Muskellunge

50 in • Deadman’s Basin Reservoir • Leo Cantin

38.75 lbs

9/2/11

Tiger Trout

20.6 in • Bear Lake • Joe Sobczak

4.04 lbs

2/9/97

Utah Chub

15.9 in • Canyon Ferry Reservoir • Steve Hagen

2.39 lbs

3/7/2022

Walleye

32.25 in • Holter Lake • Trevor Johnson

18.02 lbs

5/10/21

White Bass

17 in • Missouri River South of Bainville • Vernon Pacovsky

2.8 lbs

10/13/07

White Crappie

18.5 in • Tongue River • Gene Bassett

3.68 lbs

5/10/96

* White Sturgeon

Kootenai River • Herb Stout

96 lbs

1968

* White Sucker

21.625 in • Nelson Reservoir • Fred Perry

5.33 lbs

2/10/83

Yellow Bullhead

15.5 in • Tongue River Reservoir • Roberta Legge

1.910 lbs

12/17/20

Yellow Perch

14.375 in • Lower Stillwater Lake • Josh Emmert

2.39 lbs

2/19/06