This list of West Virginia State Fishing Records includes all major records of the largest fish of each species taken by hook and line in West Virginia waters.[1][2][3][4][5]
Records
edit| Species | Year | Total Length (Inches) | Total Weight (Pounds) | Location | Angler | Record | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 1994 | 24.8 | 12.28 | Grant County | David W. Heeter | Weight | |
| Largemouth bass | 2001 | 25.75 | 9.62 | Dog Run Lake | Eli Gain | Length | |
| Smallmouth bass | 1971 | 24.25 | 9.75 | South Branch | David Lindsay | Weight | |
| Smallmouth bass | 1976 | 25.5 | 7.5 | New River | Franklin J. Elliott | Length | |
| Rock bass | 1964 | 13.8 | 1.75 | Big Sandy Creek | Warren Ryan | ||
| Spotted bass | 1988 | 19 | 3.82 | RD Bailey Lake | Leonard Blankenship | ||
| Spotted bass | 2000 | 19 | 4.77 | RD Bailey Lake | Kevin Dameron | ||
| Striped bass | 2000 | 47.16 | 45.69 | Bluestone Lake | James Brooks | ||
| Hybrid striped bass | 1985 | 31.5 | 16.75 | Kanawha River | Robert Honaker | Weight | |
| Hybrid striped bass | 2000 | 32.1 | 14 | Kanawha River | Frankie Harris | Length | |
| White bass | 1985 | 20 | 4.56 | New River | Louis Puskas | ||
| Bluegill | 1964 | 13.75 | 2.25 | Fayette County | Dennis Criss | Length | |
| Bluegill | 1986 | 11.7 | 2.75 | Randolph County | Mark Allan Lewis | Weight | |
| Bowfin | 1994 | 32.25 | 7.54 | Berkeley County | Donald E. Newcomb, III | Length | [6] |
| Bowfin | 2024 | 30.20 | 10.60 | Ohio River | Lauren Noble | Weight | [6][7] |
| Buffalo | 1976 | 41 | 38 | Little Kanawha River | Hobert Null | ||
| Common carp | 1988 | 41 | 41.5 | Stonecoal Lake | Charles J. Cook | Length | |
| Common carp | 1998 | 39.3 | 47 | Preston County | Gary Johnson | Weight | |
| Grass carp | 2002 | 50.75 | 71.69 | Warden Lake | William R. Taucher | ||
| Blue catfish | 2023 | 50.51 | 69.45 | Ohio River | Michael John Drake | [8][7] | |
| Bullhead catfish | 1977 | 22.75 | 6.1 | Tygart Lake Headwaters | Gary R. Freeman | ||
| Channel catfish | 2005 | 40.3 | 33.38 | Patterson Creek | Michael Sears | ||
| Flathead catfish | 1956 | 52 | 70 | Little Kanawha River | L.L. McClung | ||
| Chain pickerel | 2001 | 27.75 | 6.19 | Tuckahoe Lake | Steven Demma | ||
| Black crappie | 2024 | 17.36 | 2.85 | Woodrum Lake | Craig Webb | [9][10] | |
| Crappie | 1971 | 19.75 | 4.05 | Meathouse Fork | Leonard Edgell | ||
| Eel | 1977 | 44 | 7.25 | Bunker Hill Quarry | Arlie R. Ruble | Weight | |
| Eel | 1983 | 44.25 | 6.27 | Elk River | Steve Woods | Length | |
| Fallfish | 1970 | 21.25 | 3.5 | North Fork of South Branch | James Blackwell | ||
| Freshwater drum | 1954 | 37 | 25 | Little Kanawha River | Bill Dawkins | Length | |
| Freshwater drum | 1989 | 35.5 | 27 | South Fork of Hughes | Charles Mickel Lott | Weight | |
| Longnose gar | 1993 | 50.5 | 19.08 | Kanawha River | Michael Shan Casey | Weight | |
| Longnose gar | 2003 | 50.63 | 16.75 | Fish Creek | Brian Klug | Length | |
| Goldeye | 1983 | 18.5 | 3 | Ohio River | Delbert McWilliams | ||
| Muskellunge | 1997 | 50.37 | 49.75 | Stonecoal Lake | Anna Marsh | Weight | |
| Muskellunge | 2003 | 52.7 | 38.5 | Stonecoal Lake | Glenn Boyd | Length | |
| Northern pike | 1989 | 42.6 | 22.06 | Dog Run Lake | Boyd O. Pratt Sr | ||
| Redbreast sunfish | 2024 | 9.29 | .57 | New Creek Dam | Zach Adkins | [11][7] | |
| Sauger | 1985 | 23 | 4.75 | Ohio River | Steve Powell | ||
| Saugeye | 2000 | 26.0 | 7.25 | Ohio River | Dru Beck | Weight | |
| Saugeye | 2000 | 27.1 | 6.13 | East Lynn Lake | Wendell Williamson | Length | |
| Skipjack herring | 2000 | 18.9 | 2 | Ohio River | Christian Pyles | Length | |
| Skipjack herring | 2002 | 18.4 | 2.61 | Kanawha River | Steve Skeens | Weight | |
| Tiger musky | 1994 | 49.25 | 36.5 | Mountwood Lake | Clyde E. Beckett | ||
| Trout | 1981 | 23.5 | 4.78 | Lost River | Jack E. Foltz | ||
| Brook trout | 2004 | 22.25 | 7.64 | Shavers Fork of Cheat River | Gary M. Chapman | ||
| Brown trout | 1968 | 32 | 16 | South Branch | Paul Barker | ||
| Golden rainbow trout | 1987 | 27.5 | 8.63 | Stonecoal Lake | Gerald Estep | Length | |
| Golden rainbow trout | 1998 | 26.4 | 9.31 | Brushy Fork Lake | Danny Crider | Weight | |
| Rainbow trout | 1993 | 31.7 | 11.74 | Stonecoal Lake | John P. Arnett | ||
| Tiger trout | 2010 | 28.7 | 10.63 | Krodel Lake | Mike Connolly | Length | [11] |
| Tiger trout | 2024 | 26.3 | 11.98 | New Creek Dam | Nathaniel Smith | Weight | [11][7] |
| Walleye | 1976 | 35 | 15 | Kanawha Falls | Fred Cline | Length | |
| Walleye | 2003 | 32.0 | 17.82 | Kanawha River | Steve Skeens | Weight | |
| Yellow perch | 2008 | 15.25 | 1 | Joshua D. Carr | Length | ||
| Yellow perch | 1985 | 14.5 | 1.83 | Tygart Lake | Charles Mayle | Weight |
References
edit- ^ "West Virginia State Fishing Records". WVSportsmen.com. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "Record fish caught in West Virginia". WBOY. October 22, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". West Virginia DNR. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". Land Big Fish. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Kirk, Sam (January 10, 2024). "West Virginia DNR creates 5 new state fishing record categories". WBOY. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Kirk, Sam (March 20, 2024). "West Virginia woman catches state record bowfin". WBOY. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Nolef, George (March 28, 2024). "Four new record fish in three months caught in West Virginia". WBOY. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "Blue catfish state record broken for fourth straight year in West Virginia". WDTV. December 21, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Lynch, John (August 23, 2024). "Two West Virginia fishermen catch record-breaking fish the same day within hours of each other". WBOY. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Lynch, John (August 23, 2024). "Two West Virginia anglers catch record-breaking fish in same morning". WOWK. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c Kirk, Sam (March 19, 2024). "Two West Virginia anglers catch record-breaking fish in same morning". WTRF. Retrieved August 25, 2024.