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FISH MENU

A trout underwater in a Montana stream.

Report Your Catch Fish Records

I caught a record-breaker! What now?

  • 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

Montana Record Table

  • 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

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

14.37

2.60 lbs.

6/2/09

Smiley Slough

Birrell

Black Crappie

16.7

3.13 lbs.

1973

Tongue River Reservoir

Al Elser

Bluegill

11

2.64 lbs.

6/3/83

Peterson's Stock Dam

Brent Fladmo

Blue Sucker

34.56

13.29 lbs.

4/19/19

Marias River 

Jason Karls

Brook Trout

 

9.06 lbs.

1940

Lower Two Medicine Lake

 John R. Cook

Brown Trout

37

32.42 lbs.

3/3/21

Marias River

Robbie Dockter

* Bull Trout

37

25.63 lbs.

1916

 

James Hyer

* Burbot

39

17.08 lbs.

4/18/89

Missouri River Wolf Point

Jeff Eugene Iwen

* Channel Catfish

38.75

35.18 lbs.

7/7/19

Colstrip Surge Pond

John D. Smith

Chinook Salmon

38

32.65 lbs.

08/08/24

Fort Peck Reservoir

Jim Fauth

Cisco

18.2

2.08 lbs.

6/2/14

Missouri River

Troy Holstein

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

Creek Chub

11

0.52 lbs.

5/12/13

Harbaugh Bass Pond

William Bibeau

* 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

Fathead Minnow

 

2.7 .01 lbs.

5/30/14

Dollar Lake

Chris Gustine

* 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 Shiner 7-3/8 0.18 lbs. 7/29/22 Gardner Reservoir Kelson Hickman

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

10.0

0.85 lbs.

5/27/23

Gartside Reservoir

Garin Hicks

Kokanee Salmon

26.8

7.85 lbs. 

9/23/03 

Hauser Lake

John Bomar

Lake Chub*

5.9

0.075 lbs.

7/23/10

Corner Lake

James Cashell

Lake Trout

42.5

42.69 lbs.

6/23/04

Flathead Lake

Ruth Barber

Lake Whitefish

27

10.46 lbs.

8/26/06

Flathead Lake

Swan T. McDonald V

Largemouth Bass

22.5

9.58 lbs.

4/24/21

Lake Elmo

Brandon Wright

* Largescale Sucker

25.25

6.72 lbs.

6/19/24

Noxon Rapids Reservoir

Wade Merschat

* Longnose Sucker

22.25

4.78 lbs.

5/10/22

Hauser Reservoir

Jonathan Miller

Mottled Sculpin -- See Rocky Mountain Sculpin

* 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.

8/29/1971

Tongue River Reservoir

Lance Moyer

* Northern Pikeminnow

27.125

7.88 lbs.

5/28/91

Noxon Rapids Reservoir

Darrel Torgrimson

* Paddlefish

77

142.5 lbs.

5/20/73

Missouri River Near Kipp Park

Larry Branstetter

* Pallid Sturgeon

 

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

10

0.995 lbs.

4/26/22

Fennon Slough Pete Jellar

Pygmy Whitefish

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

Rainbow Trout

38.62

33.1 lbs.

8/11/97

Kootenai River David Thompson Bridge

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

26.1875

7.915 lbs

4/16/22

Yellowstone River

Jaxson Franklin

Rock Bass

10.8

1.31 lbs.

4/26/14

Lower Crazy Head Springs Pond

Karson Campbell

* Rocky Mountain Sculpin

5.0

0.063 lbs.

3/15/22

Yellowstone Co. Canal

Bridger Burrows

* 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

35

7.41 lbs.

5/16/13

Fort Peck Dredge Cuts

Brandon Hansard

* Shovelnose Sturgeon

39.75

14.125 lbs.

5/21/10

Missouri River

Chad Buck

Smallmouth Bass

22.4

8.4 lbs.

9/24/24

Fort Peck Reservoir

Joshua Johnson

* Smallmouth Buffalo

42-2/8

40 lbs.

5/27/23

Nelson Reservoir

Deborah Henry

Spottail Shiner

3

0.02 lbs.

8/14/10

Tiber Reservoir

Joe Hagengruber

* Stonecat

10

0.54 lbs.

6/16/96

Milk River

Dale Bjerga

Tiger Muskellunge

50

38.75 lbs.

9/2/11

Deadman's Basin Reservoir

Leo Cantin

Tiger Trout

20.6

4.04 lbs.

2/9/97

Bear Lake

Joe Sobczak

Utah Chub

15.9

2.39 lbs.

3/7/2022

Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Steve Hagen

Walleye

32.25

18.02 lbs.

5/10/21

Holter Lake

Trevor Johnson

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

21.625

5.33 lbs.

2/10/83

Nelson Reservoir

Fred Perry

Yellow Bullhead

15.5

1.910 lbs.

12/17/20

Tongue River Reservoir

Roberta Legge

Yellow Perch

14.375

2.39 lbs.

2/19/06

Lower Stillwater Lake

Josh Emmert