Statewide
Tennessee State Record Fish
Every Class A state record, the water it came from and the day it was caught. Current as of TWRA’s 17 September 2026 update.
The list
Tennessee Class A state record fish
Class A means the fish was taken by sportfishing methods. TWRA keeps a separate Class B list for fish taken by archery, jug, trotline and commercial gear.
| Species | Weight | Water | Angler | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 15 lb 7.5 oz | Nickajack Reservoir | Darren Nunley | 28 Feb 2026 |
| Smallmouth bass | 11 lb 15 oz | Dale Hollow Reservoir | D. L. Hayes | 9 Jul 1955 |
| Spotted bass | 6 lb 1 oz | Chickamauga Reservoir | Chris Coleman | 22 Feb 2011 |
| Alabama bass | 7 lb 3 oz | Ocoee River | Caleb Bell | 19 Nov 2024 |
| Striped bass | 65 lb 6 oz | Cordell Hull Reservoir | Ralph H. Dallas | 1 May 2000 |
| Cherokee (hybrid) bass | 23 lb 3 oz | Stones River | Ray Pelfrey | 17 Apr 1998 |
| White bass | 5 lb 10 oz | Mississippi River | Bill Nelson | 29 Sep 2003 |
| Yellow bass | 2 lb 9 oz | Duck River, near Waverly | John T. Chappell | 27 Feb 1998 |
| Black crappie | 5 lb 7 oz | Private pond, Loudon Co. | Lionel Ferguson | 15 May 2018 |
| White crappie | 5 lb 1 oz | Garner Brown’s Pond, Dickson Co. | Bill Allen | 20 Apr 1968 |
| Walleye | 25 lb | Old Hickory Reservoir | Mabry Harper | 3 Aug 1960 |
| Sauger | 7 lb 6 oz | Kentucky Reservoir (Pickwick tailwater) | Rayford D. Voss | 19 Feb 1973 |
| Saugeye | 10 lb 12 oz | Melton Hill Reservoir | Chris Vittetoe | 18 Jul 1998 |
| Muskellunge | 43 lb 14 oz | Melton Hill Reservoir | Steven Paul | 2 Mar 2017 |
| Northern pike | 24 lb 8 oz | South Holston Reservoir | Frank Childers | 28 Mar 1995 |
| Chain pickerel | 7 lb 7 oz | Kentucky Reservoir | Burke Williams | 2 Feb 1991 |
| Blue catfish | 122 lb 3 oz | Barkley Reservoir | Micka Burkhart | 28 Jun 2023 |
| Channel catfish | 41 lb | Fall Creek Falls Lake | Clint Walters Jr. | 30 Jul 1982 |
| Flathead catfish | 85 lb 15 oz | Hiwassee River | Larry Kaylor | 25 Jul 1993 |
| Rainbow trout | 18 lb 8 oz | Pond, Polk Co. | John H. Morgan III | 17 Jun 2016 |
| Brown trout | 28 lb 12 oz | Clinch River | Greg Ensor | 30 Aug 1988 |
| Brook trout | 4 lb 12 oz | Caney Fork River | Saša Krezić | 1 Apr 2016 |
| Cutthroat trout | 6 lb 9 oz | Fort Patrick Henry | Charles Fulton | 28 Jun 2024 |
| Lake trout | 22 lb 2 oz | Watauga Reservoir | Jack Forbes | 3 Jul 2008 |
| Ohrid trout | 14 lb 5 oz | Watauga Reservoir | Richard Carter | 28 Mar 1986 |
| Paddlefish | 149 lb | Cherokee Reservoir | Henry Dyer | 13 Apr 2023 |
| Bluegill (tie) | 3 lb | Farm pond, Bledsoe Co. | Brad Pendergrass | 19 Dec 1987 |
| Redear sunfish | 3 lb 6 oz | Private pond | Annelise S. Houston | 1 Sep 1979 |
| Freshwater drum | 54 lb 8 oz | Nickajack Reservoir | Benny Hull | 20 Apr 1972 |
| Bowfin | 15 lb 7 oz | Reelfoot Lake | Charles Aaron | 22 Jun 1983 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | 62 lb | Percy Priest Reservoir | Jeff Wilkins | 1 Apr 2010 |
| Smallmouth buffalo | 62 lb 7 oz | Percy Priest Reservoir | Jerry Young | 28 Apr 2001 |
| Black buffalo | 58 lb | Nickajack Reservoir | Steve Coursey | 20 May 2013 |
| Longnose gar | 38 lb 3 oz | Barkley Reservoir | Mathew Norton | 19 Apr 2002 |
| Yellow perch | 2 lb 5 oz | Ocoee #3 Lake | Jeremy Lorenz | 26 Mar 2019 |
| Silver carp | 37 lb 0.4 oz | Old Hickory Reservoir | Brian Townsend | 8 May 2021 |
| American eel | 8 lb 14 oz | Old Hickory Reservoir | Jason Wilson | 27 Jul 2019 |
| Skipjack herring | 4 lb 3 oz | Watts Bar Reservoir | Marc Cooper II | 17 Feb 2015 |
| White sucker | 1 lb 10 oz | Little War Creek, Hancock Co. | Jim Habera | 26 Apr 2007 |
| Brown bullhead | 3 lb 15 oz | Whiteville Lake, Hardeman Co. | Gary Dean Arthur | 25 Oct 2014 |
| Pumpkinseed | 5 oz | Dogwood Lake, Henderson Co. | Lynn Middleton | 14 Jun 1998 |
| Creek chub | 8 oz | West Blackburn Fork Creek | Jake Wear | 21 Jun 2017 |
| Goldfish | 3 lb 5 oz | Douglas Reservoir | Chase Rich | 10 Mar 2016 |
Source: TWRA fishing records and awards, last updated 17 September 2026.
One record changed this year
The Tennessee record largemouth changed in February 2026
Darren Nunley took a 15 lb 7.5 oz largemouth out of Nickajack Reservoir on 28 February 2026, on a ChatterBait. TWRA confirmed it on 9 May 2026 after genetic testing.
It displaced Gabe Keen’s 15 lb 3 oz fish from Chickamauga, which had itself broken a sixty-year-old mark in 2015. Keen’s fish is still the Chickamauga lake record. A great many Tennessee fishing pages, including TWRA’s own Chickamauga reservoir page, still print the old figure.
Two records with a story
The Dale Hollow smallmouth, thrown out and put back
D. L. Hayes caught an 11 lb 15 oz smallmouth on Dale Hollow on 9 July 1955. It measured 27 inches with a 21 and two-thirds inch girth, and it is still the world record.
Around 1996 the IGFA, the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and the state of Kentucky all struck it from the books on the strength of an affidavit alleging weights had been inserted into the fish. Tennessee alone withheld judgment. The IGFA reinstated it on 12 December 2005 after reviewing polygraph results from the witness who recanted, comparing the fish’s dimensions against later record holders and examining the documentation. Hayes received an IGFA life membership and an apology. The fish was caught on the Kentucky side, though TWRA lists it as the Tennessee record.
The Old Hickory walleye, struck off and restored
Mabry Harper’s 25 lb walleye came out of Old Hickory on 3 August 1960, 41 inches long with a 29 inch girth. The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame removed it in 1996 after a Dick Sternberg article in Outdoor Life challenged its size through photo analysis. It was reinstated in 2019 when the historian John Oliver produced game warden affidavits and previously unseen photographs showing the fish beside objects of known size. The IGFA never struck it in the first place.
TWRA fishing records and awards, last updated 17 September 2026.
Questions
Tennessee record fish questions
What is the Tennessee state record largemouth bass?
15 lb 7.5 oz, caught by Darren Nunley on Nickajack Reservoir on 28 February 2026, confirmed by TWRA on 9 May 2026 after genetic testing.
What is the world record smallmouth bass?
11 lb 15 oz, caught by D. L. Hayes on Dale Hollow Lake on 9 July 1955. It was delisted around 1996 and reinstated by the IGFA on 12 December 2005.
Which Tennessee lake holds the most state records?
Nickajack and Melton Hill both punch well above their size. Nickajack holds the largemouth, the world-record freshwater drum and the black buffalo. Melton Hill holds the muskellunge and the saugeye.
What is the biggest catfish caught in Tennessee?
A 122 lb 3 oz blue catfish from Barkley Reservoir, caught by Micka Burkhart on 28 June 2023. Note that TWRA’s own Fort Loudoun page refers to a 130 lb blue catfish from 1976 as the state record; that is a Class B record taken with commercial gear, not the Class A record.
How do I submit a Tennessee state record fish?
TWRA handles record certification. The fish must be weighed on certified scales, witnessed, and identified by agency staff, and some species now require genetic testing. Contact your TWRA regional office before the fish is frozen or cleaned.
What is the difference between Class A and Class B records?
Class A records are fish taken by sportfishing methods, which is what most people mean by a state record. Class B covers fish taken by other legal methods including archery, jug fishing, trotline and commercial gear. Sites that mix the two produce some very strange numbers.
Go get one
Fish the water that made the list
Nickajack, Dale Hollow, Melton Hill, Cherokee and Barkley all have their own county pages here, with ramps, limits and access.