Anglers the world over gather regularly for fishing derbies to see who can land the biggest catch. But record-breaking fish can be caught at anytime, weighed on an International Game Fish Association-certified scale at any number of tackle shops or marinas, and compared to the IGFA’s online records database. Sport-fishing enthusiasts can even have their own scales certified by the IGFA for a $40 fee.
Stacker compiled a list of record fish caught in Massachusetts using data from Land Big Fish. Fish pictured are not the actual record catch. Keep reading to see which bodies of water in your state hold some of the most massive fish around.
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American Shad
– Weight: 11 lbs 4 oz
– Location: Connecticut River
– Record set by Bob Thibodo in 1986
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Atlantic Salmon
– Weight: 22 lbs 15 oz
– Location: Lake Mattawa
– Record set by Donald Savoy in 1997
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Black Crappie
– Weight: 4 lbs 10 oz
– Location: Jakes Pond
– Record set by James Crowley in 1980
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Brook Trout
– Weight: 10 lbs 0 oz
– Location: Ashfield Lake
– Record set by Peter Harand in 2008
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Brown Trout
– Weight: 19 lbs 10 oz
– Location: Wachusett Reservoir
– Record set by Dana Deblois in 1966
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Bullhead
– Weight: 6 lbs 4 oz
– Location: Forest Lake
– Record set by Roger Aziz Jr in 2008
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Bullhead
– Weight: 3 lbs 8 oz
– Location: Stiles Reservoir
– Record set by Roger Aziz Jr. in 1985
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Carp
– Weight: 44 lbs 2 oz
– Location: Connecticut River
– Record set by Roger Pyzocha in 1993
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Chain Pickerel
– Weight: 9 lbs 5 oz
– Location: Laurel Lake
– Record set by Mrs. James Martin in 1954
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Channel Catfish
– Weight: 26 lbs 8 oz
– Location: Ashfield Lake
– Record set by Dana Dodge in 1989
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Lake Trout
– Weight: 24 lbs 0 oz
– Location: Wachusett Reservoir
– Record set by Michael Sienkiewicz in 2004
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Largemouth Bass
– Weight: 15 lbs 8 oz
– Location: Sampson Pond
– Record set by Walter Bolonis in 1975
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Northern Pike
– Weight: 35 lbs 0 oz
– Location: South Pond
– Record set by Don Greenwood Jr. in 1988
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Rainbow Trout
– Weight: 13 lbs 13 oz
– Location: Wachusett Reservoir
– Record set by Jeffrey Greco in 1999
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Smallmouth Bass
– Weight: 8 lbs 2 oz
– Location: Wachusett Reservoir
– Record set by Barbara Sasen in 1991
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Tiger Muskellunge
– Weight: 27 lbs 0 oz
– Location: Pontoosuc Lake
– Record set by James Lambert in 2001
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Tiger Trout
– Weight: 9 lbs 7 oz
– Location: Peters Pond
– Record set by Michael Shelton in 2004
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Walleye
– Weight: 11 lbs 0 oz
– Location: Quabbin Reservoir
– Record set by Robert Methot in 1975
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White Catfish
– Weight: 9 lbs 3 oz
– Location: Baddacook Pond
– Record set by Michael Payne in 1987
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White Perch
– Weight: 3 lbs 2 oz
– Location: Wachusett Reservoir
– Record set by Ray Richford in 1994
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Yellow Perch
– Weight: 2 lbs 12 oz
– Location: South Watuppa Pond
– Record set by James OConner in 1979