Record fish caught in Illinois

Written by:
October 21, 2022
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Record fish caught in Illinois

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.

Stacker compiled a list of record fish caught in Illinois using data from Land Big Fish. 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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Ilya Marchenko // Shutterstock

Atlantic Salmon

- Weight: 18 lbs 11.25 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Robert Lueckhoff in 1979
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Bighead Carp

- Weight: 43 lbs 3 oz
- Location: Lyerla Lake
- Record set by Larry Hileman in 1995
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USFWS National Image Library // Wikimedia Commons

Black Buffalo

- Weight: 23 lbs 12 oz
- Location: Rock River
- Record set by Ron Smith in 1984
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Black Bullhead

- Weight: 5 lbs 6 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Justin White in 1988
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Steve Oehlenschlager // Shutterstock

Black Crappie

- Weight: 4 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Rend Lake
- Record set by John Hampton in 1976
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Blue Catfish

- Weight: 124 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by Tim Pruitt in 2005
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dcwcreations // Shutterstock

Bluegill Sunfish

- Weight: 3 lbs 8 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Darren May in 1987
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Miroslav Halama // Shutterstock

Bowfin

- Weight: 16 lbs 6 oz
- Location: Rend Lake
- Record set by Charles R. Keller in 1984
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Brook Trout

- Weight: 7 lbs 5 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Daniel Frazier in 1998
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Brown Bullhead

- Weight: 1 lbs 10 oz
- Location: Weldon Springs
- Record set by Shane Richardson in 1993
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Brown Trout

- Weight: 36 lbs 11.5 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Deva Vranek in 1997
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Eden, Janine and Jim // Wikimedia Commons

Buffalo

- Weight: 48 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by C.B. Merritt in 1936
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Carp

- Weight: 51 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Lake Hillcrest
- Record set by Steve K. Davis in 1994
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Aleron Val // Shutterstock

Channel Catfish

- Weight: 45 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Baldwin Lake
- Record set by Todd Baumeyer in 1987
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Kevin Cass // Shutterstock

Chinook (King) Salmon

- Weight: 37 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Marge Landeen in 1976
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Troutnut // Shutterstock

Coho Salmon

- Weight: 20 lbs 9 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Carry VandeVusse in 1972
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Flathead Catfish

- Weight: 78 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Carlyle Lake
- Record set by Jody Harris in 1995
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Roxana Gonzalez // Shutterstock

Freshwater Drum

- Weight: 35 lbs 0 oz
- Location: DuQuoin City Lake
- Record set by Joe Rinella in 1960
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USFWS Mountain-Prairie // Wikimedia Commons

Goldeye

- Weight: 2 lbs 1 oz
- Location: Embarras River
- Record set by Steven D. Unzicker in 1998
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Vladimir Wrangel // Shutterstock

Grass Carp

- Weight: 66 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Lake Petersburg
- Record set by Mark S. Metzger in 1998
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Green Sunfish

- Weight: 2 lbs 1 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by John Stein in 1981
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Hybrid Bass

- Weight: 20 lbs 0.32 oz
- Location: Lake of Egypt
- Record set by David B. Gjelsvik in 1993
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Hybrid Sunfish

- Weight: 2 lbs 4.48 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Georgia M. Holland in 1990
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Pi-Lens // Shutterstock

Lake Trout

- Weight: 38 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Theodore W. Rullman in 1999
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Pierre Rebollar // Shutterstock

Largemouth Bass

- Weight: 13 lbs 1 oz
- Location: Stone Quarry Lake
- Record set by Edward J. Walbel in 1976
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Muskellunge

- Weight: 37 lbs 13 oz
- Location: Shabbona Lake
- Record set by Chris Kim in 1997
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FedBul // Shutterstock

Northern Pike

- Weight: 26 lbs 15 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Walter Klenzak in 1989
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SnapTPhotography // Shutterstock

Pink (Humpback) Salmon

- Weight: 3 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Neil J. Duba in 1992
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Rainbow Trout

- Weight: 31 lbs 6.72 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Kyle C. Johnson in 1993
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Clint H // Shutterstock

Redear Sunfish

- Weight: 2 lbs 12.3 oz
- Location: Marion CC Lake
- Record set by Mike DeMattei in 1985
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Steve Brigman // Shutterstock

Rock Bass

- Weight: 1 lbs 10 oz
- Location: Aux Sable Creek
- Record set by George Nielson in 1987
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Steve Oehlenschlager // Shutterstock

Sauger

- Weight: 5 lbs 12.5 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by Bill Rolando in 1967
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RLS Photo // Shutterstock

Saugeye

- Weight: 8 lbs 7.68 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by Thomas Drovesky in 1998
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GUNAWAN SIDIK // Shutterstock

Shortnose Gar

- Weight: 5 lbs 1 oz
- Location: Vermilion River
- Record set by William Meyer in 1999
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Andrea Izzotti // Shutterstock

Shovelnose Sturgeon

- Weight: 5 lbs 2.56 oz
- Location: Rock River
- Record set by Allen Trout Jr. in 1988
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CSNafzger // Shutterstock

Smallmouth Bass

- Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Mark Samp in 1985
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Sean McVey // Shutterstock

Spotted Bass

- Weight: 7 lbs 3.12 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Richard Leonard in 1992
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Vladimir Wrangel // Shutterstock

Spotted Gar

- Weight: 7 lbs 13.4 oz
- Location: Horseshoe Lake
- Record set by Danny Peters in 2004
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Striped Bass

- Weight: 31 lbs 7 oz
- Location: Sangchris Lake
- Record set by Eric Shivers in 1994
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Jennifer de Graaf // Shutterstock

Tiger Muskellunge

- Weight: 26 lbs 9 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Joseph Veronda in 1999
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Matt Jeppson // Shutterstock

Tiger Trout

- Weight: 8 lbs 12.5 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Robert W. Zimmy in 1977
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wwwarjag //Shutterstock

Walleye

- Weight: 14 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Kankakee River
- Record set by Fred Goselin in 1961
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Bclegg77 // Wikimedia Commons

Warmouth

- Weight: 1 lbs 13 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Wesley Mills in 1971
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Apostrophe // Shutterstock

White Bass

- Weight: 4 lbs 14 oz
- Location: Kaskaskia River
- Record set by Bruce Wilson in 1981
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Jennifer White Maxwell // Shutterstock

White Crappie

- Weight: 4 lbs 7 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Kevin Dennis in 1973
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Kevin H Knuth // Shutterstock

Yellow Bass

- Weight: 2 lbs 0 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Jimmy Kostoff Jr. in 1994
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jpreat // Shutterstock

Yellow Bullhead

- Weight: 5 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Fox River
- Record set by Bill Snow in 1955
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John Piekos // Shutterstock

Yellow Perch

- Weight: 2 lbs 8.75 oz
- Location: Arrowhead Club Lake
- Record set by Joseph Grega in 1974

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