Louisiana reference

Louisiana State Record Fish

LOWA rank-one fish for every species, freshwater and saltwater, rod and reel and fly, with weight, angler, water and date.

For weighing a catchPiscifun Lip gripper with digital scale27% OFFSale $39.99 ~~$54.99~~

Photo of Red River: Slab rider45 from en.wikipedia, Public domain

Who keeps them

How Louisiana state fish records work

Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association (LOWA). LDWF does not keep state fish records; LDWF biologists verify species identity for LOWA applications.

This page shows the rank-one fish of every species and division LOWA prints: 166 entries across freshwater, saltwater and private-pond divisions, each split into rod and reel and fly fishing. Weights are pounds in hundredths, as LOWA prints them. LOWA "Louisiana State Fish Records Official Copy", records current through the record awarded September 25, 2026 (PDF created 2026-09-25)

166record entries

115saltwater

43freshwater

50fly rod

LOWA Louisiana State Fish Records, read October 28, 2026.

Freshwater, rod and reel

Louisiana freshwater rod-and-reel record fish

Species	Weight	Angler	Water	Date
Alligator Gar	179.00 lb	Jimmy L. Thompson	Red River	May 1997
Blue Catfish	114.00 lb	Lawson Boyte	Mississippi River	March 2014
Flathead Catfish	95.0 lb	Roland Lasseigne	Wax Lake	July 2007
Bigmouth Buffalo	70.31 lb	Delbert Sisk	Bussy Brake	April 1980
Striped Bass	47.50 lb	James L. Taylor	Toledo Bend	August. 1991
Smallmouth Buffalo	45.00 lb	Glenn Curtis	Toledo Bend	November 2019
Common Carp	35.0 lb	James D. Rodgers, Jr.	Bussy Brake	April 1981
Longnose Gar	31.48 lb	Jacob “Jake” Ormond	Bayou Bartholomew Lake	July 2023
Channel Catfish	30.31 lb	Harold W. Clubb	Minor’s Can./Intracoastal	August 1977
Freshwater (Gaspergou) Drum	28.44 lb	Paul R. Heideman	Bayou Macon Lk.	March 2011
Black Buffalo	22.30 lb	Layne Smalley	Bussy Brake	December 2023
Bowfin (Choupique)	20.50 lb	Brian Fant	Toledo Bend	April 1976
Hybrid Striped Bass	16.25 lb	William D. Hungerford	Lake Pontchartrain	Feb 2000
Largemouth Bass	15.97 lb	Greg Wiggins	Caney Lake	Feb 1994
White Bass	6.81 lb	Corey Crochet	Amite River	August. 2010
Chain Pickerel	5.75 lb	Chris H. Marien	Kincaid Lake	May 1977
Spotted Bass	4.88 lb	Vernon Johnson, Jr.	Tickfaw River	August 1976
Black Crappie	3.84 lb	Randy K. Causey	Poverty Point Res.	April 2010
White Crappie	3.80 lb	Tim Ricca	Lake Verret	May 2010
Hybrid Yellow Bass	3.19 lb	Jerry Thompson	Sabine River	March 2019
Shellcracker) Redear Sunfish (Chinquapin	2.87 lb	Jerry Smelly	Caney Lake	August 1998
Yellow Bass	2.67 lb	Eddie Halbrook	Lake D’Arbonne	January 2014
Goggle-Eye Warmouth	2.13 lb	Frank E. Dean, Jr.	Atchafalaya River	July 1987
Bluegill	1.83 lb	Timothy Delaney	Iatt Lake	May 2016
Flier	.35 lb	Joseph J McGoey IV	Lake Boeuf	August 2020
Bullhead-Black Catfish	0.09 lb	Clayton Downing	Tchefuncte River	June 2024
Sauger	166 lb	Kyle Allgood	Thompson Creek/Miss	June 1999

Saltwater, rod and reel

Louisiana saltwater rod-and-reel record fish

Species	Weight	Angler	Water	Date
Bluefin Tuna	1,152.0 lb	Ron Roland	30 m S of South Pass`	May 2003
Mako Shark	1,149.50 lb	Bill Walters	70m S. of Fourchon, La.	Feb. 2009
Blue Marlin	1018.50 lb	Linda Koerner	not printed	July 1977
Warsaw Grouper	383.13 lb	J J Tabor.	Garden Banks	July 2017
Broadbill Swordfish	310.00 lb	Thomas Dantin	Mississippi Canyon	July 1980
Yellowfin Tuna	272.25 lb	Cole Apeldorn	Gulf of America	February 2026
Tarpon	246.63 lb	David Prevost	W. Delta Blk.	October. 2015
Big-Eye Tuna	213.50 lb	Brian Neil	Mississippi Canyon	Sept 2018
Southern Stingray	192.25 lb	John Acosta	Calliou Boca	June 2018
Spinner Shark	162.0 lb	Dr. Nat Mercante	Midnight Lumps	April 1999
Cobia	149.75 lb	Garnett “Lucky” Caudell	Grand Isle Blk.69	May 1965
Greater Amberjack	140.00 lb	Chris Legrand	Horseshoe Lump	January 2017
Wahoo	139.25 lb	Myron J Fischer	W. Delta Blk. 153	April 1976
White Marlin	134.0 lb	Dennis L. Good	not printed	July 1976
Cubera Snapper	131.31 lb	Joey Maciasz	Garden Banks	June 2026
Black Grouper	109.50 lb	Jacob Peterson	Gulf of America	June 2026
Sailfish	96.0 lb	John Lauricella	not printed	October. 1953
King Mackerel	82.0 lb	W.D. Lamb	not printed	Sept 1980
Black Drum	79.50 lb	Dylan Gonzales	Oak Bayou	May 2007
Longbill Spearfish	78.0 lb	Larry Bulot	not printed	July 1964
Gag Grouper	74.43 lb	Abel Ceja	Venice, La	July 2013
Dolphin	71.25 lb	Robert Prest, IV	not printed	June 1976
Snowy Grouper	68.50 lb	Nicholas Terracina	Ewing Bank	June 2026
Redfish (Red Drum)	61.0 lb	David Weber	not printed	June 1992
Jack Crevalle	57.88 lb	Leon D. Richard	SW Pass	August. 1997
Almaco Jack	50.62 lb	Joe Hanson, II	South Pass Blk. 62	July 2005
Red Snapper	50.25 lb	Capt. “Doc” Kennedy	S. Timbalier Blk. 185	June 1996
Great Barracuda	50.0 lb	A.C. Mills	not printed	August 1970
Yellowedge Grouper	48.00 lb	Steven C Vicknair Jr	Mississippi Canyon	July 2026
Yellowfin Grouper	42.0 lb	Jim Becqeut	Vermilion Blk. 412	July 2002
Blackfin Tuna	41.00 lb	David Loewen	SP-62	January. 2017
African Pompano	40.60 lb	Michael Phillips	S. Timbalier Blk. 139	June 2003
Tripletail	39.50 lb	Mrs. Jimmy Toups	not printed	July 1959
Scamp	33.75 lb	Keith Gulino	30 m. S of S. Pass	June 2003
Marbled Grouper	32.60 lb	Jamie Lehe Polk	Flower Gardens	July 2026
Speckled Hind	32.0 lb	Blake Matherne	S. Pass Blk.	January. 2010
Skipjack Tuna	31.19 lb	Terry Hunter	Green Canyon Blks.	July 2007
Dog Snapper	30.97 lb	Jason Diver	Garden Banks	June 2026
Horse-Eye Jack	27.50 lb	Rayburn Smith	Ship Shoal Blk. 291	August. 2004
Rainbow Runner	26.0 lb	Bryce Cook	Devil’s Tower Platform	April 2008
Yellowmouth Grouper	23.00 lb	Ed Fike	Mississippi Canyon	August 2002
Queen Snapper	22.60 lb	Joel Igama	Gulf of America	August 2025
Mutton Snapper	22.31 lb	Michael Clement	Green Canyon	April 2019
Bluefish	21.88 lb	Steve Van Every	not printed	July1982
Red Grouper	21.40 lb	Steve Jackson	Venice	August 2022
Blackjack	21.31 lb	Wayne McElveen	not printed	July 1982
Sheepshead	21.25 lb	Wayne J. Desselle	not printed	April 1982
Bearded Brotula	20.0 lb	Bernhard Christensen	S. Pass Blk.	Feb. 2010
Gray (Mangrove) Snapper	18.63 lb	Tim Champagne	Ship Shoal	July 2015
Misty Grouper	17.00 lb	Anna Griffith	Gulf of Mexico	April 2014
Little Tunny	16.20 lb	John Waggenspack	S Timbalier Blk 49	May 2019
Silk Snapper	13.40 lb	Charles Andre	Flower Gardens	September 2025
Gray Triggerfish	13.35 lb	Ricky Clement	Green Canyon	May 2022
Southern Flounder	13.06 lb	Gary Hargis	W. of South Pass	June 1998
Speckled (Spotted Sea Trout) Trout	12.38 lb	Leon Mattes	Lake Hermitage	April 1950
Lane (Candy) Snapper	12.08 lb	Chad Polk	Ship Shoal Blks.	August. 2009
Oceanic Triggerfish	11.20 lb	Petar McNiel	Constitution Truss Spar	July 2026
Gafftopsail Catfish	11.06 lb	Elie Pellegrin	Red Fish Bayou	October 1996
Blackfin Snapper	11.00 lb	Gregory Smith	Garden Banks	May 2025
White Trout	11.0 lb	Donald M. Marion	not printed	Sept 1973
Spanish Mackerel	10.56 lb	Mike LeBlanc	not printed	August 1972
Atlantic Spadefish	10.31 lb	Chad L. Vallee	not printed	August 1989
Yellowtail Snapper	10.20 lb	Michael J. Ledet	Eugene Is. Blk. 295	August. 2001
Queen Triggerfish	8.93 lb	Candace Mitchell	Gulf of America	August 2025
Rock Hind	8.74 lb	Prentiss Perkins, DDS	Vermilion Blk. 200	May 2001
Florida Pompano	8.50 lb	Buddy Pons	not printed	Sept 1969
Bermuda Chub	8.06 lb	Jimmie Boothe	S Timbalier 308	June 2013
Atlantic Croaker	8.0 lb	Douglas J. Bernard	S. Timbalier Blk. 130	August 1972
Blue Runner	7.91 lb	Mike James Kreller II	S Timbalier 150	June 2018
Red Hind	6.80 lb	Austin Daigle	Garden Banks
Vermillion Snapper	6.19 lb	Douglas Fussell	South of Grand Isle	June 1999
Permit	5.00 lb	Jordan Folse	Gulf of Mexico	June 2020
Ladyfish	4.82 lb	Royden J Lynch Jr	South Pass	Sept 2015
Knobbed Porgy	4.73 lb	Dr Richard Clement	Green Canyon	February 2021
Bigeye	3.84 lb	Blake Blomkalns	Green Canyon	September 2025
Longtail Bass	3.68 lb	Phillip LeBlanc	Gulf of Mexico	August 2023
Cottonwick Grunt	2.40 lb	Charles Andre	Flower Gardens	September 2025
Gulf (Channel Mullet) Kingfish	2.18 lb	Sidney M Robert Jr	Grand Isle Surf	August 2021
Atlantic Creole Fish	1.54 lb	Charles Moulton	Gulf of Mexico	June 2023
Creole Fish	1.40 lb	Quinton Richard	West Delta 143	March 2019
Southern (Channel Mullet) Kingfish	1.34 lb	Jesse H Shaffer III	China Pass	July 2014
Pinfish	1.33 lb	Ray Huntz	Gulf of Mexico	June 2023
Blackbar Drum	1.10 lb	Wesley Babin	Ewing Bank	June 2021

Freshwater, fly

Louisiana freshwater fly-rod records

Species	Weight	Angler	Water	Date
Alligator Gar	46.04 lb	Victor Tedesco	Fifi Island G.I.	July 2015
Blue Catfish	23.25 lb	Robert Wells	not printed	Nov 1994
Smallmouth Buffalo	12.06 lb	Robert Wells	not printed	Sept 1994
Largemouth Bass	8.75 lb	Vernon H. Sonnier	not printed	March 1979
Hybrid Striped Bass	6.71 lb	Gary W Peterson	Lake Concordia	April 2015
Freshwater Drum	6.67 lb	Robert G. Cormier	not printed	April 1994
Bowfin (Choupique)	6.66 lb	Dustin Semar	Cameron Prairie WMA	Sept 2018
Spotted Gar	6.18 lb	Charlie August.	Ponchitolawa Bayou	July 2002
Bigmouth Buffalo	4.29 lb	Jay Boe	Fountain Bayou	June 2001
White Bass	3.98 lb	Charles Miller	Pearl River	Dec. 2018
Spotted (Kentucky) Bass	2.34 lb	Blake Leblanc	Comite River	August. 2009
White Crappie	2.28 lb	Gary Peterson	Poverty Point	March 2026
Black Crappie	2.23 lb	Tony Boatwright	Kincaid Lake	February 2000
Bluegill	1.64 lb	Tony Boatwright	Kincaid Lake	October. 1999
Chain Pickerel	1.64 lb	Jim E Johnson	Cocodrie Lake	Octoberober 2019
Shellcracker) Redear Sunfish (Chinquapin	1.00 lb	John Pitre	Kincaid Lake	June 2022

Saltwater, fly

Louisiana saltwater fly-rod records

Species	Weight	Angler	Water	Date
Tarpon	130.0 lb	Robert T. Cunningham, Jr.	S.W. Pass	August. 2003
Yellowfin Tuna	74.0 lb	Richard I. Evans	Midnight Lump	Feb. 2000
Cobia	57.50 lb	Rob Blaine	W. Delta Blk. 40	July 2000
Black Drum	54.55 lb	Tom Stevenson	Hopedale, LA	Feb. 2006
Greater Amberjack	43.13 lb	Tony Fontenot	South Timbalier Blks.	April 2004
Redfish (Red Drum)	41.62 lb	Conway X. Bowman	Hopedale, LA	January. 2004
King Mackerel	36.0 lb	Pete Cooper Jr.	Southwest Pass	Dec. 1995
Jack Crevalle	30.56 lb	Theda Little	Port Fourchon, LA	April 2002
Dolphin	29.37 lb	Victor Tedesco, III, M.D.	not printed	May 1993
Blackfin Tuna	27.0 lb	Scott Harness	Midnight Lump	March 1999
Red Snapper	22.0 lb	Susan Gros	Ship Shoal Blk. 204	May 2004
Tripletail	21.48 lb	Stephen Armstrong	Lake Borgne	August. 2011
Great Barracuda	18.38 lb	Harry Hebert	Green Canyon Blk. 184	July 2003
Little Tunny	16.90 lb	Kevin Natali	West Cameron Blk.	June 2004
Blacktip Shark	11.88 lb	David L. Coignet	Grand Isle	August. 2000
Rainbow Runner	9.67 lb	Susan K. Gros	Mars Platform	July 1999
Sheepshead	9.66 lb	Michael Lee Clark	MRGO	January. 2017
Grey (Mangrove) Snapper	9.59 lb	Jeffrey D. Pierce	Ship Shoal Rigs	May 2004
Speckled (Spotted Sea Trout) Trout	9.31 lb	Capt. Jeff Poe	Calcasieu Lake	Sept 1996
Spanish Mackerel	7.40 lb	David L. Coignet	Southwest Pass/Venice	October. 2000
Southern Flounder	7.21 lb	Dr. James J. LaNasa	not printed	Dec. 1994
Gafftopsail Catfish	6.24 lb	Victor E. Tedesco, III, MD	Grand Isle, LA	May 8, 2013
Atlantic Spadefish	5.50 lb	Scott Henry	not printed	July 1994
Bermuda Chub	4.31 lb	Theda Little	Mississippi Canyon	June 2001
Bluefish	3.60 lb	Chip Metz, M.D.	Southwest Pass/Venice	Nov 2000
Ladyfish	3.50 lb	David Coignet	Southwest Pass	Sept 2002
Florida Pompano	3.01 lb	Nicholas Vlahos	Breton Sound	October 2021
Blue Runner	2.01 lb	David Melton	Gulf of Mexico	July 2024
Wahoo	1.95 lb	Roger Del Rio	Gulf of Mexico MC 243	Nov 2003
Southern Kingfish	1.13 lb	Victor Tedesco, III, M.D.	Grand Isle – 4 Bayous	April 2002
Blackjack	0.84 lb	Donald Douglas	not printed	June 1995
White Trout	0.58 lb	Stuart Breaux	Grand Isle	October. 2009

Private ponds

Louisiana private-pond records, rod and reel

Species	Weight	Angler	Water	Date
Largemouth Bass	13.50 lb	Mark Leicher	Waldheim, LA pond	March 1999
White Crappie	3.74 lb	Louis Brupbacher	Greenwood Lake/W.Fel.	August. 2010
Striped Mullet	3.74 lb	Graham Dore’	Vermillion Parish	September 2021
Black Crappie	3.12 lb	Louis Brupbacher	Greenwood Lake/W.Fel.	June 2015
Redear Sunfish	2.31 lb	Lee J. Trahan	not printed	March 1995
Bluegill	2.24 lb	Tim Trahan	Private Pond	May 2022

Private ponds, fly

Louisiana private-pond records, fly rod

Species	Weight	Angler	Water	Date
Bluegill	2.14 lb	Trevor Fry	The Lakes	October 2022
Longear Sunfish	0.11 lb	Trevor Fry	Gray’s Creek	July 2025

Waters

Louisiana waters behind the most record entries

Gulf of Mexico6 records

Mississippi Canyon5 records

Garden Banks5 records

Kincaid Lake4 records

Green Canyon4 records

Gulf of America4 records

Toledo Bend3 records

Bussy Brake3 records

Flower Gardens3 records

Caney Lake2 records

Claiming one

What a Louisiana record application needs

Application with $25 fee (non-refundable), species examined by an LDWF fish biologist or recognized authority (physical examination for a new #1 record), Louisiana Dept. of Agriculture-inspected scales, photos, two witnesses; submit within 60 days of catch. Fish must be caught in Louisiana waters with public access; Toledo Bend/border-water fish must be landed and weighed on the Louisiana side.

LOWA lists top-ten weights only; no catch-and-release category printed.

LOWA fish and hunt records page, read October 28, 2026.

Fish photos