To prevent loss of weight, do not clean or freeze the fish. Keep the fish cool—preferably on ice.
Take a picture of the fish.
Weigh the fish on a certified scale (found in grocery store or hardware store, etc.), witnessed by a store employee or other observer. Obtain a weight receipt and an affidavit from the store personnel if no FWP official is present. Measure the length and girth.
Contact the nearest FWP office to have the fish positively identified by a Fisheries Biologist or Manager.
Fill out the Fish Record Form and send it to:
Attn: State Records
Fisheries Division
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
PO Box 200701
Helena, MT 59620-0701
To view the girth and bait tackle columns, please download Montana Fish Records
For more information contact the FWP Fisheries Division at: (406) 444-2449 or email FWPFishAdmin@mt.gov
The * denotes Montana native fish.
Fish |
Length (inches) |
Weight |
Date |
Site |
Angler |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 |
3.63 lbs. |
6/28/03 |
Washtub Lake |
Glenn Owens |
|
40.7 |
57.75 lbs. |
6/4/94 |
Nelson Reservoir |
Craig D. Grassel |
|
14.37 |
2.60 lbs. |
6/2/09 |
Smiley Slough |
Birrell |
|
16.7 |
3.13 lbs. |
1973 |
Tongue River Reservoir |
Al Elser |
|
11 |
2.64 lbs. |
6/3/83 |
Peterson's Stock Dam |
Brent Fladmo |
|
34.56 |
13.29 lbs. |
4/19/19 |
Marias River |
Jason Karls |
|
|
9.06 lbs. |
1940 |
Lower Two Medicine Lake |
John R. Cook |
|
37 |
32.42 lbs. |
3/3/21 |
Marias River |
Robbie Dockter |
|
37 |
25.63 lbs. |
1916 |
|
James Hyer |
|
39 |
17.08 lbs. |
4/18/89 |
Missouri River Wolf Point |
Jeff Eugene Iwen |
|
38.75 |
35.18 lbs. |
7/7/19 |
Colstrip Surge Pond |
John D. Smith |
|
38 |
32.65 lbs. |
08/08/24 |
Fort Peck Reservoir |
Jim Fauth |
|
18.2 |
2.08 lbs. |
6/2/14 |
Missouri River |
Troy Holstein |
|
25.5 |
4.88 lbs. |
5/29/73 |
Fort Peck Reservoir Face of Dam |
Irven F. Stohl |
|
38 |
40.2 lbs. |
5/24/98 |
Nelson Reservoir |
Jared S. Albus |
|
11 |
0.52 lbs. |
5/12/13 |
Harbaugh Bass Pond |
William Bibeau |
|
|
16 lbs |
1955 |
Red Eagle Lake |
Wm. D. Sands |
|
3.43 |
0.01 lbs. |
6/9/06 |
Park Grove Bridge |
Ike Braaten |
|
2.7 .01 lbs. |
5/30/14 |
Dollar Lake |
Chris Gustine |
||
11.2 |
0.59 lbs. |
4/29/01 |
Thornton Pond |
Douglas Jordan |
|
29.5 |
21.59 lbs. |
5/3/03 |
Fort Peck- Ghost Coulee |
Matt Washut |
|
Golden Shiner | 7-3/8 | 0.18 lbs. | 7/29/22 | Gardner Reservoir | Kelson Hickman |
23.5 |
5.43 lbs. |
7/16/00 |
Cave Lake |
Mike Malixi |
|
|
3.18 lbs. |
7/4/00 |
Nelson Reservoir |
Don Nevrivy |
|
10.0 |
0.85 lbs. |
5/27/23 |
Gartside Reservoir |
Garin Hicks |
|
26.8 |
7.85 lbs. |
9/23/03 |
Hauser Lake |
John Bomar |
|
5.9 |
0.075 lbs. |
7/23/10 |
Corner Lake |
James Cashell |
|
42.5 |
42.69 lbs. |
6/23/04 |
Flathead Lake |
Ruth Barber |
|
27 |
10.46 lbs. |
8/26/06 |
Flathead Lake |
Swan T. McDonald V |
|
22.5 |
9.58 lbs. |
4/24/21 |
Lake Elmo |
Brandon Wright |
|
25.25 |
6.72 lbs. |
6/19/24 |
Noxon Rapids Reservoir |
Wade Merschat |
|
22.25 |
4.78 lbs. |
5/10/22 |
Hauser Reservoir |
Jonathan Miller |
|
Mottled Sculpin -- See Rocky Mountain Sculpin |
|||||
6.2 |
1.60 oz. |
4/23/01 |
Beaver Creek Reservoir |
Robert Garwood |
|
23 |
5.11 lbs. |
10/10/07 |
Hauser Reservoir |
Walt Goodman |
|
|
37.5 lbs. |
8/29/1971 |
Tongue River Reservoir |
Lance Moyer |
|
27.125 |
7.88 lbs. |
5/28/91 |
Noxon Rapids Reservoir |
Darrel Torgrimson |
|
77 |
142.5 lbs. |
5/20/73 |
Missouri River Near Kipp Park |
Larry Branstetter |
|
|
60 lbs. |
5/13/79 |
Yellowstone River Near Sidney |
Gene Sattler |
|
16 1/8 |
1.52 lbs. |
7/29/07 |
Clark Fork River |
Mike Jensen |
|
10 |
0.995 lbs. |
4/26/22 |
Fennon Slough | Pete Jellar | |
9.84 |
0.36 lbs. |
2/13/10 |
Little Bitterroot Lake |
Richard Geldrich |
|
Rainbow Smelt | 7.1 | 0.08 lbs. | 2/18/20 | Fort Peck Dredge Cuts | Nathan Cooper |
38.62 |
33.1 lbs. |
8/11/97 |
Kootenai River David Thompson Bridge |
Jack G. Housel, Jr. |
|
35.75 |
30.25 lbs. |
5/16/82 |
Ashely Lake |
Pat Kelley |
|
6.5 |
0.10 lbs. |
8/21/01 |
Lost Lake |
Josh Ahles |
|
26.1875 |
7.915 lbs |
4/16/22 |
Yellowstone River |
Jaxson Franklin | |
10.8 |
1.31 lbs. |
4/26/14 |
Lower Crazy Head Springs Pond |
Karson Campbell |
|
5.0 |
0.063 lbs. |
3/15/22 |
Yellowstone Co. Canal |
Bridger Burrows |
|
28.2 |
8.805 lbs. |
12/12/94 |
Fort Peck Reservoir |
Gene Moore |
|
|
15.66 lbs. |
1/11/95 |
Fort Peck Reservoir Squaw Creek |
Myron Kibler |
|
20.25 |
4.68 lbs. |
4/14/85 |
Marias River Near Loma |
Ray Quigley |
|
35 |
7.41 lbs. |
5/16/13 |
Fort Peck Dredge Cuts |
Brandon Hansard |
|
39.75 |
14.125 lbs. |
5/21/10 |
Missouri River |
Chad Buck |
|
22.0 |
7.84 lbs. |
10/3/20 |
Fort Peck Reservoir |
Theron Thompson |
|
42-2/8 |
40 lbs. |
5/27/23 |
Nelson Reservoir |
Deborah Henry |
|
3 |
0.02 lbs. |
8/14/10 |
Tiber Reservoir |
Joe Hagengruber |
|
10 |
0.54 lbs. |
6/16/96 |
Milk River |
Dale Bjerga |
|
50 |
38.75 lbs. |
9/2/11 |
Deadman's Basin Reservoir |
Leo Cantin |
|
20.6 |
4.04 lbs. |
2/9/97 |
Bear Lake |
Joe Sobczak |
|
15.9 |
2.39 lbs. |
3/7/2022 |
Canyon Ferry Reservoir |
Steve Hagen |
|
32.25 |
18.02 lbs. |
5/10/21 |
Holter Lake |
Trevor Johnson |
|
17 |
2.8 lbs. |
10/13/07 |
Missouri River South of Bainville |
Vernon Pacovsky |
|
18.5 |
3.68 lbs. |
5/10/96 |
Tongue River |
Gene Bassett |
|
|
96 lbs. |
1968 |
Kootenai River |
Herb Stout |
|
21.625 |
5.33 lbs. |
2/10/83 |
Nelson Reservoir |
Fred Perry |
|
15.5 |
1.910 lbs. |
12/17/20 |
Tongue River Reservoir |
Roberta Legge |
|
14.375 |
2.39 lbs. |
2/19/06 |
Lower Stillwater Lake |
Josh Emmert |