FWC "Record Fish, Big Catch Program" Florida Freshwater Fish

Certified state record fish must be legally caught using an active hook-and-line method (including a proper license or exemption) by sport fishing methods, identified by a Commission biologist and weighed on a certified scale. Uncertified state records (indicated below by an asterisk) are believed accurate based on reliable witnesses and other evidence but are not certifiable, or they were caught by other than legal sport fishing methods. To set a new record, you just need to exceed the certified records; the uncertified records are provided just for information. The "Big Catch" program gives recognition to anglers who catch fish that exceed the minimum "qualifying weights and lengths". If you catch such a fish, contact the appropriate regional office. These records are updated as soon as they are verified. The links in the below table go to photos of either the record fish or a recent past record fish. Anyone having photos of other state record fish is asked to contact us. More information is provided about the various species on our Freshwater Fishes of Florida pages. It is important to properly measure fish. The record fish application is available on line in PDF format (instructions for PDF use).

SPECIES	WEIGHT	PLACE	COUNTY	DATE	ANGLER
Largemouth bass	17.27	unnamed lake	Polk	07/06/86	Billy O'Berry
* Largemouth bass	*20.13	Big Fish Lake	Pasco	05/00/23	Frederick Friebel
Redeye bass	7.83	Apalachicola River	Gadsden	02/18/89	William Johnston
Spotted bass	3.75	Apalachicola River	Gulf	06/24/85	Dow Gilmore
Suwannee bass	3.89	Suwannee River	Gilchrist	03/02/85	Ronnie Everett
Striped bass	42.25	Apalachicola River	Gadsden	12/14/93	Alphonso Barnes
Butterfly peacock bass	9.08	Kendall Lakes	Dade	03/11/93	Jerry Gomez
Oscar	2.34	Lake Okeechobee	Palm Beach	03/16/94	Jimmy Cook
Skipjack herring	VACANT	Qualifying Weight is 2.5 pounds
White bass	4.69	Apalachicola River	Gadsden	04/09/82	Richard Davis
Sunshine bass	16.31	Lake Seminole	Jackson	05/09/85	Thomas Elder
Black crappie	3.83	Lake Talquin	Gadsden	01/21/92	Ben Curry, Sr.
Flier	1.24	Lake Iamonia	Leon	08/14/92	William Lane, Jr.
Bluegill	2.95	Crystal Lake	Washington	04/19/89	John LeMaster
Redbreast sunfish	2.08	Suwannee River	Gilchrist	04/29/88	Jerrel Dewees, Jr.
Redear sunfish	4.86	Merritts Mill Pond	Jackson	03/13/86	Joseph Floyd
Spotted sunfish	0.83	Suwannee River	Columbia	05/12/84	Coy Dotson
Warmouth	2.44	Yellow River	Okaloosa	10/19/85	Tony Dempsey
Chain pickerel	6.96	Lake Talquin	Gadsden	06/11/04	Jep Dove
*Chain pickerel	*8.00	Lake Talquin	Gadsden	07/05/71	Jimmy James
Redfin pickerel	1.06	New River	Bradford	06/06/93	Mike Wilkerson
Common Carp	VACANT	Qualifying Weight is 35 pounds
*Common Carp	40.56	Apalachicola River	Gadsden	05/24/81	Bernard Rowan
Channel catfish	44.50	Lake Bluff	Lake	05/19/85	Joe Purvis
Flathead catfish	49.39	Apalachicola River	Gulf	04/10/04	Tommy Fowler
*Flathead catfish	*57.50	Hillsborough River	Hillsborough	12/09/75	Tom Norman
White catfish	18.88	Withlacoochee River	Marion	09/21/91	Jim Miller
Blue catfish	61.50	Little Escambia Creek	Escambia	02/11/96	Vincent R. Walston
Brown bullhead	5.72	Cedar Creek	Duval	03/28/95	Robert Bengis
Yellow bullhead	2.75	Little Withlacoochee River	Sumter	05/17/03	Jon Davis
Black bullhead	VACANT	Qualifying Weight is 2 pounds
Bowfin	19.00	Lake Kissimmee	Osceola	11/05/84	Jim Brown
American shad	5.19	St. Johns River	Seminole	02/15/90	Bud Dankert
American shad	5.19	St. Johns River	Volusia	03/18/92	Albert Judy
Longnose gar	41.00	Lake Panasoffkee	Sumter	04/14/85	Evan Merritt
Alligator gar	123.00	Choctawhatchee River	Walton	07/08/95	Zachary Phillips
Florida gar	9.44	Lake Lawne	Orange	03/25/01	Patric A. McDaniel
Blue tilapia	VACANT	Qualifying Weight is 10 pounds

Take Me Fishing.org is a great general information site for recreational anglers and boaters.

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