Updated: February 2024
The following table lists the current fishing records caught and certified in Vermont.
Most of the records below are for fish caught on a rod and reel, although we’ve included a few from the state where bow-fishing is legal and records also are kept. (For example, check out that tank of a carp harvested with a bow.)
If you hope to claim your own Vermont sport fishing record, check out the resources I’ve linked at the bottom of this page.
Vermont Fishing Records
| Bass, Largemouth 10 lbs, 4 oz | Lake Dunmore | Tony Gale Jan 17, 1988 |
| Bass, Rock 2 lbs, 0 oz | Lake Champlain | Brad French Jul 16, 1981 |
| Bass, Smallmouth 6 lbs, 13 oz | Lake Eden | Issac Spaulding Sep 10, 2003 |
| Bowfin 14 lbs, 8 oz | Lake Champlain | Randall J. Savage Jul 13, 1977 |
| Bowfin (bow) 12 lbs, 1.5 oz | Lake Champlain | Louis Phelps IV Aug 7, 2015 |
| Burbot 11 lbs, 0.48 oz | Lake Champlain (South Hero) | Stephen Estes Apr 9, 2022 |
| Carp 35 lbs, 1.6 oz | Lake Champlain | Kyle Charron May 19, 2019 |
| Carp (Bow) 63 lbs, 5.6 oz | Lake Champlain (Alburgh) | Jacob Kinney May 7, 2022 |
| Catfish, Bullhead 3 lbs, 6 oz | Hubbardton Pond | Frank Barker Sep 21, 1976 |
| Catfish, Channel 35 lbs, 14.7 oz | Lake St. Catherine | Robert Scott Jun 28, 2012 |
| Cisco (Lake Herring) 2 lbs, 13.9 oz | Lake Champlain | Alan Franchot Aug 26, 2018 |
| Crappie, Black and White 3 lbs, 8.5 oz | Lake Hortonia | Francis T. Geoffroy May 28, 2005 |
| Drum, Freshwater 25 lbs, 8.6 oz | Lake Champlain | Joseph Whalen Sep 18, 2016 |
| Eel, American 6 lbs, 4 oz | Lake Champlain | Robert Tatro, Jr. Feb 19, 1989 |
| Fallfish 3 lbs, 1 oz | Otter Creek | Robert Scarborough Nov 12, 2013 |
| Gar, Longnose 18 lbs, 12 oz | Lake Champlain | Texas A. Aiken Aug 11, 2007 |
| Gar, Longnose (Bow) 18 lbs, 9 oz | Lake Champlain (Benson) | Jeremy Bicking May 6, 2023 |
| Mooneye 2 lbs, 7 oz | Lake Champlain | Thomas J. LaVigne Aug 26, 1985 |
| Muskellunge 38 lbs, 3.5 oz | Missisquoi River | Chris Beebe Sep 9, 2005 |
| Muskellunge, Tiger 17 lbs, 13.3 oz | Connecticut River | Daniel W. Magoon Apr 25, 1987 |
| Perch, White 2 lbs, 9.3 oz | Lake Champlain | Anthony Austin Feb 17, 2014 |
| Perch, Yellow 2 lbs, 6.4 oz | Caspian Lake | Keith Sherwood Mar 7, 2015 |
| Pickerel, Chain 6 lbs, 4 oz | Harriman Reservoir | Robert Purdy Feb 2, 1974 |
| Pickerel, Chain 6 lbs, 4 oz | Harriman Reservoir | Wendy St. Laurence Jan 21, 1989 |
| Pike, Northern 30 lbs, 8 oz | Glen Lake | Bernard M. Golob Feb 19, 1977 |
| Pike-Pickerel, Hybrid 8 lbs, 7 oz | Lake Champlain | Kurin Friend Feb 10, 2010 |
| Salmon, Landlocked Atlantic 12 lbs, 10.4 oz | Lake Champlain | Brian Latulippe Oct 18, 1994 |
| Sauger 3 lbs, 2.5 oz | Lake Champlain | David Paya Feb 3, 1980 |
| Sculpin, Slimy 0 lbs, 0.5 oz | Houghton Brook | Darren Pierce May 7, 1989 |
| Smelt, Rainbow 0 lbs, 12 oz | Lake Champlain | Bernadine Maranville Mar 6, 1978 |
| Sucker, Redhorse 10 lbs, 13 oz | Winooski River | Mike Elwood Apr 24, 2018 |
| Sucker, Redhorse (Bow) 10 lbs, 3.5 oz | Missisquoi River | Timothy Coleman May 2, 1987 |
| Sucker, White and Longnose 6 lbs, 5.4 oz | Sucker Brook | Drew Price Apr 27, 2011 |
| Sunfish, Bluegill 1 lbs, 15.7 oz | Miller Pond | John Konya Aug 29, 2016 |
| Sunfish, Pumpkinseed 1 lbs, 4 oz | Lake Bomoseen | Logan Bathalon Jul 8, 2012 |
| Trout, Brook 5 lbs, 12 oz | Paran Creek | Dennis Harwood Apr 24, 1977 |
| Trout, Brown 22 lbs, 2.5 oz | Sherman Reservoir | Barry Bouker Aug 10, 1990 |
| Trout, Lake 35 lbs, 3.2 oz | Lake Willoughby | Shawn Dutil Jul 20, 2003 |
| Trout, Rainbow 13 lbs, 12 oz | Lake Dunmore | Harry E. Hunt Mar 14, 2006 |
| Walleye 14 lbs, 8.8 oz | Lake Champlain | Richard Levesque Feb 10, 2010 |
| Whitefish, Lake 9 lbs, 7 oz | Lake Champlain | Victor Raymond Feb 24, 1999 |
Setting a Vermont Fishing Record
If you think you’ve set a new record for a Vermont game fish, be sure to check out the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s Fish Records page. There you will find the process for making your claim official, including a link to download the official application.