This article was updated in February 2024.
The following records charts list the North Dakota record sport fish legally caught and verified in the state. There are charts for both game and non-game fish species.
For more information about how to claim your own record fish in North Dakota, find more information below the records charts.
Game Fish Species
| Bluegill 2 lbs, 12 oz | Strawberry Lake, McLean | Budd Hystad Oct 17, 1963 |
| Brown Trout 31 lbs, 11 oz | Missouri River, Garrison Dam Tailrace | Timmy Johansen Feb 1, 2005 |
| Burbot (Ling) 19 lbs, 8 oz | Missouri River, Garrison Dam Tailrace | Shane Johnson Jan 3, 2023 |
| Channel Catfish 42 lbs, 1 oz | Moon Lake, Barnes | Tina Willis Jul 25, 2009 |
| Chinook Salmon 31 lbs, 2 oz | Missouri River, Garrison Dam Tailrace | Thomas Schwartz Jun 10, 1986 |
| Crappie 3 lbs, 4 oz | Lake Oahe | Don Newcomb Feb 7, 1998 |
| Crappie 3 lbs, 4 oz | Jamestown Reservoir, Boat Club Bay | Chris Rick Jan 19, 2013 |
| Cutthroat Trout 10 lbs, 1 oz | Missouri River, Garrison Dam Tailrace | Chris Vernon Aug 4, 2003 |
| Lake Trout 16 lbs, 6 oz | Missouri River, Garrison Dam Tailrace | Royce (Pete) Johnston Mar 6, 2012 |
| Largemouth Bass 8 lbs, 8 oz | Nelson Lake, Oliver | Leon Rixen Feb 11, 1983 |
| Northern Pike 37 lbs, 8 oz | Lake Sakakawea | Melvin Slind Jun 21, 1968 |
| Paddlefish 131 lbs, 0 oz | Upper Missouri River, Confluence Area | Grant Werkmeister May 7, 2016 |
| Pure Muskellunge 46 lbs, 8 oz | New Johns Lake, Burleigh | Cory Bosch Jul 3, 2007 |
| Rainbow Trout 21 lbs, 4 oz | Missouri River, Garrison Dam Tailrace | Wade Weltz Mar 26, 1998 |
| Sauger 8 lbs, 12 oz | Lake Sakakawea | Mike Fischer Oct 6, 1971 |
| Saugeye 12 lbs, 0 oz | Yellowstone River | Dave Faiman Jan 6, 2013 |
| Smallmouth Bass 6 lbs, 13 oz | Lake Darling, Renville | Bruce Elberg Apr 14, 2007 |
| Tiger Muskellunge 40 lbs, 0 oz | Gravel Lake, Rolette | Marvin Lee Jun 26, 1975 |
| Walleye 16 lbs, 6 oz | Lake Oahe, Eckroth Bottoms | Jared Shypkoski Mar 13, 2021 |
| White Bass 4 lbs, 10 oz | Devils Lake, Six Mile Bay | Charlie Vang Jun 10, 2012 |
| Yellow Perch 2 lbs, 15 oz | Devils Lake | Kyle Smith Mar 28, 1982 |
Non-Game Fish Species
| Black Bullhead (Catfish) 4 lbs, 1 oz | Devils Lake | Riley Zavada May 26, 1988 |
| Buffalo Species 54 lbs, 0 oz | Heart River | Keith Huschka Jun 19, 2011 |
| Buffalo Species (bow) 60 lbs, 8 oz | Heart Butte Reservoir, Grant | Mitch Estabrook May 16, 2022 |
| Cisco 2 lbs, 9 oz | Lake Oahe, Beaver Bay | Jack Fletcher Feb 28, 2015 |
| Common Carp 31 lbs, 0 oz | Sheyenne River | Austin Loberg May 16, 2003 |
| Common Carp (bow) 31 lbs, 9 oz | Etta-Alkaline Complex, Kidder | Derek Barnick Apr 21, 2017 |
| Freshwater Drum 26 lbs, 2 oz | Lake Sakakawea, Bear Den Bay | Larry Harris Jul 20, 1988 |
| Goldeye 4 lbs, 3 oz | Lake Audubon, Three Mile Corn | Brayden Selzler Jul 25, 2014 |
| Lake Whitefish 8 lbs, 11 oz | Missouri River, Garrison Dam Tailrace | Bill Mitzel Mar 29, 1984 |
How to Set a Fishing Record
In order to set a new record for a game or non-game fish caught in North Dakota, it’s best to know what to do before you ever put a hook into that trophy.
Besides being lawfully caught in the state, you’ll need to get an accurate weight on a certified scale (not the hand-held device in your tackle box), which is often easiest to accomplish at a grocery store.
Make sure you have a camera or smart phone handy to snap a good photo to submit to help prove your catch, and you’ll need at least one witness to sign off on the accurate weight.
You should also know that you’ll need to get that fish to a North Dakota Game and Fish Department employee for species verification within a month. So don’t eat it for dinner and call it good.
Finally, you’ll need to fill out the state’s Whopper Club application, or at least get all of that information on another piece of paper. You’ll sign your document before submitting it.
Read the Game and Fish’s State Record Fish page to review the requirements, and also check out this link to the Whopper Club application.