Record fish caught in West Virginia

Written by:
October 21, 2022
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Record fish caught in West Virginia

Anglers the world over gather regularly for fishing derbies to see who can land the biggest catch. But record-breaking fish can be caught at anytime, weighed on an International Game Fish Association-certified scale at any number of tackle shops or marinas, and compared to the IGFA's online records database. Sport-fishing enthusiasts can even have their own scales certified by the IGFA for a $40 fee.

compiled a list of record fish caught in West Virginia using data from . Fish pictured are not the actual record catch. Keep reading to see which bodies of water in your state hold some of the most massive fish around.

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dcwcreations // Shutterstock

Bluegill Sunfish

- Weight: 2 lbs 12 oz
- Length: 11.7"
- Location: unknown pond
- Record set by Mark A. Lewis in 1986
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Miroslav Halama // Shutterstock

Bowfin

- Weight: 9 lbs 4 oz
- Length: 28.43"
- Location: Ohio River backwater
- Record set by Matt Stender in 2006
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Brook Trout

- Weight: 7 lbs 62 oz
- Length: 21.75"
- Location: Cheat River
- Record set by Robert Anthony Starkey in 2004
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Brown Trout

- Weight: 16 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 32"
- Location: South Branch
- Record set by Paul Barker in 1968
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Eden, Janine and Jim // Wikimedia Commons

Buffalo

- Weight: 38 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 41"
- Location: Little Kanawha River
- Record set by Hobert Null in 1976
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WH_Pics // Shutterstock

Bullhead

- Weight: 6 lbs 1.6 oz
- Length: 22.75"
- Location: Tygart Lake Headwaters
- Record set by Gary R. Freeman in 1977
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Carp

- Weight: 47 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 39.3"
- Location: unknown pond
- Record set by Gary Johnson in 1998
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Michael Sundberg // Shutterstock

Chain Pickerel

- Weight: 6 lbs 3.04 oz
- Length: 27.75"
- Location: Tuckahoe Lake
- Record set by Steven Demma in 2001
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Aleron Val // Shutterstock

Channel Catfish

- Weight: 33 lbs 6.72 oz
- Length: 40.3"
- Location: Patterson Creek
- Record set by Michael Sears in 2005
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dcwcreations // Shutterstock

Crappie

- Weight: 4 lbs 0.8 oz
- Length: 19.75"
- Location: Meathouse Fork
- Record set by Leonard Edgell in 1971
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Brookieland // Shutterstock

Fallfish

- Weight: 3 lbs 8 oz
- Length: 21.25"
- Location: North Fork South Branch Potomac River
- Record set by James Blackwell in 1970
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Flathead Catfish

- Weight: 70 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 52"
- Location: Little Kanawha River
- Record set by L.L. McClung in 1956
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Roxana Gonzalez // Shutterstock

Freshwater Drum

- Weight: 27 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 35.5"
- Location: South Fork Hughes River
- Record set by Charles M. Lott in 1989
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CSNafzger // Shutterstock

Golden Trout

- Weight: 9 lbs 4.96 oz
- Length: 26.4"
- Location: Brushy Fork Lake
- Record set by Danny Crider in 1998
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USFWS Mountain-Prairie // Wikimedia Commons

Goldeye

- Weight: 3 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 18.5"
- Location: Ohio River
- Record set by Delbert McWilliams in 1983
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Vladimir Wrangel // Shutterstock

Grass Carp

- Weight: 71 lbs 11.04 oz
- Length: 50.75"
- Location: Warden Lake
- Record set by William R. Taucher in 2005
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Hybrid Bass

- Weight: 14 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 32.1"
- Location: Kanawha River
- Record set by Frankie Harris in 2000
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Pierre Rebollar // Shutterstock

Largemouth Bass

- Weight: 9 lbs 9.92 oz
- Length: 25.75"
- Location: Dog Run Lake
- Record set by Eli Gain in 2001
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Mikhail Blajenov // Shutterstock

Longnose Gar

- Weight: 19 lbs 1.28 oz
- Length: 50.5"
- Location: Kanawha River
- Record set by Michael S. Casey in 1993
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Muskellunge

- Weight: 49 lbs 12 oz
- Length: 50.37"
- Location: Stonecoal Lake
- Record set by Anna Marsh in 1997
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FedBul // Shutterstock

Northern Pike

- Weight: 22 lbs 0.96 oz
- Length: 42.6"
- Location: Dog Run Lake
- Record set by Boyd O. Pratt Sr. in 1989
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Rainbow Trout

- Weight: 11 lbs 11.84 oz
- Length: 31.7"
- Location: Stonecoal Lake
- Record set by John P. Arnett in 1993
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Steve Brigman // Shutterstock

Rock Bass

- Weight: 1 lbs 12 oz
- Length: 13.8"
- Location: Big Sandy Creek
- Record set by Warren Ryan in 1964
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Steve Oehlenschlager // Shutterstock

Sauger

- Weight: 4 lbs 12 oz
- Length: 23"
- Location: Ohio River
- Record set by Steve Powell in 1985
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RLS Photo // Shutterstock

Saugeye

- Weight: 6 lbs 15.04 oz
- Length: 25.75"
- Location: East Lynn Lake
- Record set by Ferrel Mills in 1996
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Duane Raver // Wikimedia Commons

Skipjack Herring

- Weight: 2 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 18.9"
- Location: Ohio River
- Record set by Christian Pyles in 2000
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CSNafzger // Shutterstock

Smallmouth Bass

- Weight: 9 lbs 12 oz
- Length: 24.25"
- Location: South Branch
- Record set by David Lindsay in 1971
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Sean McVey // Shutterstock

Spotted Bass

- Weight: 4 lbs 12.32 oz
- Length: 19"
- Location: RD Bailey Lake
- Record set by Kevin Dameron in 2000
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Striped Bass

- Weight: 45 lbs 11.2 oz
- Length: 47.16"
- Location: Bluestone Lake
- Record set by James Brooks in 2010
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Sturgeon

- Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz
- Length: 40"
- Location: Ohio River
- Record set by Emmett Wheeler in 1949
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Jennifer de Graaf // Shutterstock

Tiger Muskellunge

- Weight: 36 lbs 8 oz
- Length: 49.25"
- Location: Mountwood Lake
- Record set by Clyde E. Beckett in 1994
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Matt Jeppson // Shutterstock

Tiger Trout

- Weight: 10 lbs 10.4 oz
- Length: 28.7"
- Location: Krodel Lake
- Record set by Mike Connolly in 2011
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wwwarjag //Shutterstock

Walleye

- Weight: 17 lbs .82 oz
- Length: 32"
- Location: Kanawha River
- Record set by Steve Skeens in 2003
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Apostrophe // Shutterstock

White Bass

- Weight: 4 lbs 8.96 oz
- Length: 20"
- Location: New River
- Record set by Louis Puskas in 1985
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John Piekos // Shutterstock

Yellow Perch

- Weight: 1 lbs 0 oz
- Length: 15.25"
- Location: Pond
- Record set by Joshua D. Carr in 2008

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