State Record Fish

State Record Fish Application 

1. All applicable information must be completed. Please print legibly or type when filling out application.
2. Possible state record fish must be identified and verified by a qualified professional ichthyologist or fisheries biologist.
3. Possible state record fish must be weighed on registered scales and weight slip attached if available.
4. Two witnesses other than the angler must be present during the weighing process OR one Department of Game, Fish and Parks Fisheries or Law Enforcement employee must be present. Witness signature(s) must be present on application form.
5. Weight must be rounded down to the nearest ounce. To replace the existing record, a fish must weigh at least one ounce more.
6. A fish must weigh 1 pound (16 ounces) or more to be eligible for state record status.
7. A color photograph of the angler with the fish can be submitted to Game, Fish and Parks personnel along with the completed application (photo can be emailed also).
8. Sturgeon species (shovelnose, pallid and lake sturgeon) and any state threatened or endangered species may not be harvested and are therefore, not eligible for state records.

Definitions of eligibility

1. *Hook and line records must be caught by a licensed angler (anglers younger than 18 years of age exempt from license requirements) by legal means during legal open season and hours with rod, reel and line; pole and line; or any legal ice fishing method (not speared or snagged).
2. *Unrestricted records may be taken by a licensed angler (anglers younger than 18 years of age exempt from license requirements) by any other legal method than hook and line. This includes spearing, snagging, bow and arrow, setline or seining (smelt only).
   *Aid in landing the fish (i.e. netting, gaffing, etc.) is acceptable.
3. Fish should be measured for total length in inches, as measured in a straight line along a flat surface, from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. (Paddlefish should be measured from the front of the eye to the fork in the tail)