Records
18 additional fish species records now offer records
Applications now are being accepted so fish listed below can join flathead catfish, lake sturgeon, muskellunge and northern pike on the catch and release records list.
- Bigmouth buffalo
- Blue sucker
- Bowfin
- Brook trout
- Brown trout
- Channel catfish
- Freshwater drum
- Lake trout
- Largemouth bass
- Longnose gar
- Rainbow trout
- Sauger
- Shortnose gar
- Shovelnose sturgeon
- Smallmouth bass
- Smallmouth buffalo
- Tiger muskellunge
- Walleye
Find a record
Fish listed below were documented using catch and release application materials submitted by the anglers who caught them. See the rules section to submit an application for a catch and release record.
| Fish | Length 1 | Girth 1 | Caught | Place caught | County | Angler | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flathead catfish | 52½ | 2 | 8/2/2017 | St. Croix River | Washington | Mark Mosby, St. Anthony | View |
| Muskellunge | 58¼ | N/P 2 | 6/11/2022 | Mille Lacs Lake | Mille Lacs | Eric Bakke, Princeton | View |
| Lake sturgeon | 78 | 29½ | 2/9/2019 | St. Croix River | Washington | Darren Troseth, Jordan | View |
| Northern pike - tie | 46¼ | 23⅔ | 1/22/2023 | Mille Lacs Lake | Aitkin | Brad Lila, Hudson, Wis. | View |
| Northern pike - tie | 46¼ | N/P 2 | 6/19/2021 | Basswood Lake | Lake | Brecken Kobylecky, Geneva, Ill | View |
1 Listed in inches • 2 N/P: Not provided
Rules
Download, review, save and print the complete rules and application package before you go fishing.
If you catch a fish that you think could be a record, follow these steps:
- To ensure your catch qualifies:
- For a catch and release record that exists, find and review the listing in the table above to ensure your fish is at least ¼-inch longer than the existing record.
- For a new record, review the minimum lengths for submissions.
Fish Minimum length Bigmouth buffalo 32 inches Blue sucker 28 inches Bowfin 31 inches Brook trout 18 inches Brown trout 24 inches Channel catfish 38 inches Freshwater drum 31 inches Lake trout 4o inches. Largemouth bass 22 inches Longnose gar 46 inches Rainbow trout 23 inches Sauger 22 inches Shortnose gar 3o inches Shovelnose sturgeon 32 inches Snallmouth bass 22 inches Smallmouth buffalo 31 inches Tiger musskellunge 44 inches Walleye 32 inches
- Download the catch and release record fish application.
- An observer must witness your catch and release and is required to sign and date your application in the appropriate area.
- Complete the application, follow the application's detailed instructions on taking photographs and send all application materials to the address listed on the application.
- Fish may not be caught using any methods other than angling and may not be snagged.
- Fish caught from any fish hatchery (private, club or government) are not eligible to be considered for a state record.
- Fish caught on a body of water without a public access are not eligible to be considered for a state record.
- Fish must be caught during the legal open season and hours in Minnesota waters, including those boundary waters where a Minnesota fishing license is valid, by a person licensed or otherwise legally entitled to angle in Minnesota.
- The girth of the fish, measured around the thickest portion of the body, is desired but optional.
- Applications must be submited within 90 days of the date on which the fish was caught.