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.

Stacker compiled a list of record fish caught in West Virginia 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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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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