List of West Virginia State Fishing Records
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This list of West Virginia State Fishing Records includes all major records of the largest fish of each species taken by hook and line in West Virginia waters.[1] All records are obtained from official West Virginia Department of Natural Resources sources.
| Species | Year | Total Length (Inches) | Total Weight (Pounds) | Location | Angler | Record | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 1994 | 24.8 | 12.28 | Pond - Grant Co. | David W. Heeter | Weight | [1] |
| 2025 | 26.26 | 9.85 | Pond - Harrison Co. | Seth Spry | Length | [1] | |
| Smallmouth Bass | 1971 | 24.25 | 9.75 | South Branch | David Lindsay | Weight | [1] |
| 1976 | 25.5 | 7.5 | New River | Franklin J. Elliott | Length | [1] | |
| Rock Bass | 1964 | 13.8 | 1.75 | Big Sandy Creek | Warren Ryan | [1] | |
| Spotted Bass | 1988 | 19.0 | 3.82 | R.D. Bailey Lake | Leonard Blankenship | Length -Tie | [1] |
| 2000 | 19.0 | 4.77 | R.D. Bailey Lake | Kevin Dameron | Weight | [1] | |
| Striped Bass | 2010 | 47.16 | 45.70 | Bluestone Lake | James Brooks | [1] | |
| Hybrid Striped Bass | 1985 | 31.5 | 16.75 | Kanawha River | Robert Honaker | Weight | [1] |
| 2000 | 32.1 | 14 | Kanawha River | Frankie Harris | Length | [1] | |
| White Bass | 1985 | 20.0 | 4.56 | New River | Louis Puskas | [1] | |
| Bluegill / Hybrid Bluegill | 1964 | 13.75 | 2.25 | Pond - Fayette Co. | Dennis Criss | Length | [1] |
| 1986 | 11.7 | 2.75 | Pond - Randolph Co. | Mark Allan Lewis | Weight | [1] | |
| Redbreast Sunfish | 2024 | 9.29 | 0.57 | New Creek Lake | Zach Adkins | [1] | |
| Redear Sunfish | 2025 | 12.44 | 1.6 | Plum Orchard Lake | John Plott | Length | [1] |
| 2024 | 12.0 | 1.75 | Plum Orchard Lake | John Plott | Weight | [1] | |
| Pumpkinseed | BE THE FIRST (minimum of 9 inches) new category as of 2026 [1] | ||||||
| Bowfin | 1994 | 32.25 | 7.54 | Pond - Berkeley Co. | Donald E. Newcomb, III | Length | [1] |
| 2024 | 30.2 | 10.6 | Ohio River | Lauren Noble | Weight | [1] | |
| Buffalo | 1976 | 41.0 | 38.0 | Little Kanawha River | Hobert Null | [1] | |
| Common Carp | 2022 | 41.2 | 45.2 | Summersville Lake | Ayden Minick | Length | [1] |
| 1998 | 39.3 | 47.0 | Pond - Preston Co. | Gary Johnson | Weight | [1] | |
| Grass Carp | 2020 | 54.75 | 67.4 | Warden Lake | John Miller | Length | [1] |
| 2005 | 50.75 | 71.69 | Warden Lake | William R. Turner | Weight | [1] | |
| Blue Catfish | 2025 | 51.49 | 66.3 | Kanawha River | Justin Connor | Length | [1] |
| 2023 | 50.51 | 69.45 | Ohio River | Michael John Drake | Weight | [1] | |
| Bullhead Catfish | 1977 | 22.75 | 6.1 | Tygart Lake Headwaters | Gary R. Freeman | [1] | |
| Channel Catfish | 2024 | 43.51 | 46.7 | Pond - Wayne Co. | John Tyler Rutherford | [1] | |
| Flathead Catfish | 1956 | 52.0 | 70.0 | Little Kanawha River | L.L. McClung | [1] | |
| Chain Pickerel | 2019 | 27.87 | 4.0 | Upper Deckers Lake | Matt Born | Length | [1] |
| 2001 | 27.75 | 6.19 | Tuckahoe Lake | Steven Demma | Weight | [1] | |
| Black Crappie | 2024 | 17.76 | 3.15 | Woodrum Lake | Dwight Priestly | Length | [1] |
| 2025 | 17.7 | 3.6 | East Lynn Lake | Jerry Porter | Weight | [1] | |
| White Crappie | 1971 | 19.75 | 4.05 | Meathouse Fork | Leonard Edgell | [1] | |
| Eel | 1983 | 44.25 | 6.27 | Elk River | Steve Woods | Length | [1] |
| 1977 | 44.0 | 7.25 | Bunker Hill Quarry | Arlie R. Ruble | Weight | [1] | |
| Fallfish | 1970 | 21.25 | 3.5 | North Fork of South Branch | James Blackwell | [1] | |
| Freshwater Drum | 1954 | 37 | 25 | Little Kanawha River | Bill Dawkins | Length | [1] |
| 2021 | 35.59 | 27.88 | Kanawha River | John A. Gibson | Weight | [1] | |
| Longnose Gar | 2023 | 53.62 | 15.0 | Ohio River | Rich Chapman | Length | [1] |
| 1993 | 50.5 | 19.08 | Kanawha River | Michael Shan Casey | Weight | [1] | |
| Goldeye | 1983 | 18.5 | 3.0 | Ohio River | Delbert McWilliams | [1] | |
| Muskellunge | 2022 | 55.0625 | 51.00 | Little Kanawha River | Lucas King | [1] | |
| Northern Pike | 1989 | 42.6 | 22.06 | Dog Run Lake | Boyd O. Pratt, Sr. | [1] | |
| Redhorse | 2025 | 24.57 | 5.75 | Ohio River | Jason Floyd | [1] | |
| Sauger | 1985 | 23.0 | 4.75 | Ohio River | Steve Powell | Length | [1] |
| 2012 | 22.50 | 5.06 | Ohio River | David L. Vance | Weight | [1] | |
| Saugeye | 2006 | 27.68 | 8.73 | East Lynn Lake | Everett Chapman | [1] | |
| Skipjack | 2021 | 20.15 | 3.1 | Ohio River | Ethan Moss | [1] | |
| Tiger Musky | 1994 | 49.25 | 36.5 | Mountwood Lake | Clyde E. Beckett | [1] | |
| Brook Trout | 1981 | 23.5 | 4.78 | Lost River | Jack E. Foltz | Length | [1] |
| 2004 | 22.25 | 7.64 | Shavers Fork of Cheat River | Gary M. Chapman | Weight | [1] | |
| Brown Trout | 1968 | 32.0 | 16.0 | South Branch | Paul Barker | [1] | |
| Golden Rainbow Trout | 1987 | 27.5 | 8.63 | Stonecoal Lake | Gerald Estep | Length | [1] |
| 2023 | 26.25 | 9.72 | Little Beaver Lake | Charles Lilly, Jr. | Weight | [1] | |
| Rainbow Trout | 2014 | 33.11 | 19.40 | Pond - Berkely Co. | Eric Files, Sr. | [1] | |
| Tiger Trout | 2011 | 28.7 | 10.65 | Krodel Lake | Mike Connolly | Length | [1] |
| 2025 | 27.6 | 12.55 | Mannington Lake | Robert Riggs | Weight | [1] | |
| Walleye | 1976 | 35.0 | 15.0 | Kanawha Falls | Fred Cline | Length | [1] |
| 2004 | 30.87 | 18.97 | Elk River | Jerry Rose | Weight | [1] | |
| Yellow perch | 2010 | 15.44 | 1.20 | Summersville Lake | Craig Hollandsworth | Length | [1] |
| 2018 | 14.5 | 2.04 | Summersville Lake | Clinton Mills | Weight | [1] | |
