Updated: September 2024
The following are the state record game fish caught on a rod and line in Oklahoma.
(Oklahoma also keeps records for some fish caught by other means, known as unrestricted, but being a fishing website, we’re sticking to the rod and line catches.)
| Bass, Hybrid Black 8 lbs, 5.6 oz | Veterans Lake | Dru Kinslow Mar 27, 2006 |
| Bass, Hybrid Striped 23 lbs, 3.68 oz | Altus-Lugert Lake | Paul Hollister Apr 1, 1997 |
| Bass, Hybrid Yellow 2 lbs, 5 oz | Kiamichi River | George R. Edwards Mar 26, 1991 |
| Bass, Largemouth 14 lbs, 13.7 oz | Cedar Lake | Dale Miller Mar 13, 2013 |
| Bass, Smallmouth 8 lbs, 7 oz | Lake Lawtonka | Ryan Wasser Mar 31, 2012 |
| Bass, Spotted 8 lbs, 2 oz | Pittsburg Co. Pond | O. J. Stone Jun 27, 1958 |
| Bass, Striped 47 lbs, 8 oz | Lower Illinois River | Louis Parker Jun 10, 1996 |
| Bass, White 5 lbs, 1 oz | Verdigris River | R.R. Karch Apr 1, 1976 |
| Bowfin 11 lbs, 2 oz | Hugo | Thomas Joner Feb 27, 1983 |
| Buffalo, Bigmouth 59 lbs, 15 oz | Greenleaf | Leroy Broaddrick Nov 12, 1988 |
| Buffalo, Black 42 lbs, 8 oz | W.R. Holway | Jeff D. Olinger Nov 17, 2013 |
| Buffalo, Smallmouth 66 lbs, 3 oz | Broken Bow Lake | Hugh M. Newman May 3, 2019 |
| Bullhead, Black 6 lbs, 13 oz | Jackson Co. Pond | Gary Cole May 24, 1984 |
| Bullhead, Yellow 2 lbs, 5 oz | Okfuskee Co. Pond | Nathan Williams May 3, 2014 |
| Carp, Bighead 118 lbs, 13 oz | (Not reported) | Bryan Lee Baker May 10, 2023 |
| Carp, Common 39 lbs, 10.4 oz | Grady Co. Pond | Brandon Hughes Apr 23, 2002 |
| Carp, Grass 68 lbs, 15.2 oz | Chelsea City Lake | Jereme Budgick Apr 5, 2008 |
| Carpsucker, River 8 lbs, 11 oz | Canton | Jarrett Sinclair Mar 18, 2022 |
| Catfish, Blue 98 lbs, 0 oz | Lake Texoma | Billy Nabors Nov 11, 2004 |
| Catfish, Channel 35 lbs, 15 oz | Taft Lake | Gary Doak Jr. Sep 11, 2005 |
| Catfish, Flathead 78 lbs, 8 oz | Lake El Reno | Richard Williams May 11, 2010 |
| Crappie, Black 4 lbs, 10 oz | Ottawa Co. Pond | Rollie Williams Jun 16, 1974 |
| Crappie, White 4 lbs, 15 oz | Kingfisher Co. Pond | Frank Robinson May 4, 1991 |
| Drum, Freshwater 38 lbs, 0 oz | Tenkiller Lake | Harold Phillips May 23, 1976 |
| Eel, American 5 lbs, 7 oz | Lower Illinois River | Dolores Munsell Jun 3, 1995 |
| Gar, Alligator 254 lbs, 12 oz | Lake Texoma | Paul Easley Apr 23, 2015 |
| Gar, Longnose 43 lbs, 8 oz | Eufaula Lake | Howard Zummer Aug 28, 2012 |
| Gar, Shortnose 7 lbs, 0 oz | Atoka | Mark D. Benson Jul 1, 2017 |
| Gar, Spotted 7 lbs, 4.8 oz | Double Creek | Ryan Fryar Jul 15, 2016 |
| Goldeye 2 lbs, 8 oz | Arkansas River | James R. Smith Apr 27, 1996 |
| Herring, Skipjack 3 lbs, 7.5 oz | Canadian River, Lower | William E. Scott May 1, 2023 |
| Paddlefish (Spoonbill) 164 lbs, 0 oz | Keystone Lake | Grant Rader Jun 22, 2021 |
| Pickerel, Chain 2 lbs, 10 oz | Mt. Fork River | Eric Lowe Apr 22, 1982 |
| Pickerel, Grass 0 lbs, 7 oz | Beaver Creek | Barry Bryant Mar 17, 1995 |
| Pike, Northern 36 lbs, 8 oz | Lake Carl Etling | Raymond Fernandez Jun 13, 1976 |
| Redhorse, River 8 lbs, 5.5 oz | Illinois River | Willis Pippin Feb 11, 1977 |
| Sauger 5 lbs, 5 oz | Robert S. Kerr | Chet Munds Jan 18, 1981 |
| Saugeye 10 lbs, 0 oz | Ft. Cobb Lake | Curt Wilkerson Feb 24, 2006 |
| Shad, Gizzard 3 lbs, 7.00 oz | Little Beaver | Rusty Dye Apr 20, 2022 |
| Shiner, Golden 0 lbs, 5.28 oz | Grady Co. Pond | Orlando Cheadle May 1, 2022 |
| Sturgeon, Shovelnose 1 lbs, 10 oz | Arkansas River | Tommy Jenkins May 7, 1996 |
| Sunfish, Bluegill 2 lbs, 6.4 oz | Kay Co. Pond | Tom Shorter May 8, 1987 |
| Sunfish, Green 2 lbs, 7 oz | Pontotoc Co. Pond | Eddie Shulanberger Oct 16, 1972 |
| Sunfish, Hybrid 2 lbs, 5.68 oz | Craig Co. Pond | Dixie Lee May 31, 2021 |
| Sunfish, Redear 2 lbs, 5.6 oz | Strong City Pond | Cord Smith Apr 25, 2023 |
| Trout, Brown 17 lbs, 4.64 oz | Mountain Fork River | Jason Archie Apr 10, 2005 |
| Trout, Rainbow 11 lbs, 4.32 oz | Lower Illinois River | Paul Glover Apr 4, 2015 |
| Walleye 12 lbs, 13 oz | Robert S Kerr | Kerry Carter May 8, 2004 |
Did You Catch a Record Fish?
For a record in the rod and line division, fish must be caught by legal means using the stated equipment in an eligible waterway.
Keep the fish in a way that preserves its original weight until it can be weighed on a certified scale as required. Don’t clean it or let it dry out. Putting a dead fish on ice until weighing it is one of the better approaches.
You’ll need to have witnesses, an accredited measuring tape, a camera for photos, and submit the appropriate affidavit form, among other instructions that you’ll find on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation website.
Records Waiting to be Caught?
Note that the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation also would consider listing new state records for the following species (with a minimum weight):
- Catfish, Brown Bullhead (2 lbs, 14 oz)
- Sunfish, Longear (1/2 lb)
- Sunfish, Rock Bass (1 lb)
- Sunfish, Warmouth (1 lb)