Record fish caught in Illinois

Written by:
October 21, 2022
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Record fish caught in Illinois

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.

compiled a list of record fish caught in Illinois using data from . 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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Ilya Marchenko // Shutterstock

Atlantic Salmon

- Weight: 18 lbs 11.25 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Robert Lueckhoff in 1979
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Bighead Carp

- Weight: 43 lbs 3 oz
- Location: Lyerla Lake
- Record set by Larry Hileman in 1995
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USFWS National Image Library // Wikimedia Commons

Black Buffalo

- Weight: 23 lbs 12 oz
- Location: Rock River
- Record set by Ron Smith in 1984
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Black Bullhead

- Weight: 5 lbs 6 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Justin White in 1988
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Steve Oehlenschlager // Shutterstock

Black Crappie

- Weight: 4 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Rend Lake
- Record set by John Hampton in 1976
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Blue Catfish

- Weight: 124 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by Tim Pruitt in 2005
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dcwcreations // Shutterstock

Bluegill Sunfish

- Weight: 3 lbs 8 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Darren May in 1987
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Miroslav Halama // Shutterstock

Bowfin

- Weight: 16 lbs 6 oz
- Location: Rend Lake
- Record set by Charles R. Keller in 1984
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Brook Trout

- Weight: 7 lbs 5 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Daniel Frazier in 1998
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Brown Bullhead

- Weight: 1 lbs 10 oz
- Location: Weldon Springs
- Record set by Shane Richardson in 1993
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Brown Trout

- Weight: 36 lbs 11.5 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Deva Vranek in 1997
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Eden, Janine and Jim // Wikimedia Commons

Buffalo

- Weight: 48 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by C.B. Merritt in 1936
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Rostislav Stefanek // Shutterstock

Carp

- Weight: 51 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Lake Hillcrest
- Record set by Steve K. Davis in 1994
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Aleron Val // Shutterstock

Channel Catfish

- Weight: 45 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Baldwin Lake
- Record set by Todd Baumeyer in 1987
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Kevin Cass // Shutterstock

Chinook (King) Salmon

- Weight: 37 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Marge Landeen in 1976
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Troutnut // Shutterstock

Coho Salmon

- Weight: 20 lbs 9 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Carry VandeVusse in 1972
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Flathead Catfish

- Weight: 78 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Carlyle Lake
- Record set by Jody Harris in 1995
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Roxana Gonzalez // Shutterstock

Freshwater Drum

- Weight: 35 lbs 0 oz
- Location: DuQuoin City Lake
- Record set by Joe Rinella in 1960
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USFWS Mountain-Prairie // Wikimedia Commons

Goldeye

- Weight: 2 lbs 1 oz
- Location: Embarras River
- Record set by Steven D. Unzicker in 1998
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Vladimir Wrangel // Shutterstock

Grass Carp

- Weight: 66 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Lake Petersburg
- Record set by Mark S. Metzger in 1998
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Green Sunfish

- Weight: 2 lbs 1 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by John Stein in 1981
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Hybrid Bass

- Weight: 20 lbs 0.32 oz
- Location: Lake of Egypt
- Record set by David B. Gjelsvik in 1993
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Hybrid Sunfish

- Weight: 2 lbs 4.48 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Georgia M. Holland in 1990
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Pi-Lens // Shutterstock

Lake Trout

- Weight: 38 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Theodore W. Rullman in 1999
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Pierre Rebollar // Shutterstock

Largemouth Bass

- Weight: 13 lbs 1 oz
- Location: Stone Quarry Lake
- Record set by Edward J. Walbel in 1976
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M Huston // Shutterstock

Muskellunge

- Weight: 37 lbs 13 oz
- Location: Shabbona Lake
- Record set by Chris Kim in 1997
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FedBul // Shutterstock

Northern Pike

- Weight: 26 lbs 15 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Walter Klenzak in 1989
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SnapTPhotography // Shutterstock

Pink (Humpback) Salmon

- Weight: 3 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Neil J. Duba in 1992
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Rainbow Trout

- Weight: 31 lbs 6.72 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Kyle C. Johnson in 1993
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Clint H // Shutterstock

Redear Sunfish

- Weight: 2 lbs 12.3 oz
- Location: Marion CC Lake
- Record set by Mike DeMattei in 1985
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Steve Brigman // Shutterstock

Rock Bass

- Weight: 1 lbs 10 oz
- Location: Aux Sable Creek
- Record set by George Nielson in 1987
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Steve Oehlenschlager // Shutterstock

Sauger

- Weight: 5 lbs 12.5 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by Bill Rolando in 1967
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RLS Photo // Shutterstock

Saugeye

- Weight: 8 lbs 7.68 oz
- Location: Mississippi River
- Record set by Thomas Drovesky in 1998
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GUNAWAN SIDIK // Shutterstock

Shortnose Gar

- Weight: 5 lbs 1 oz
- Location: Vermilion River
- Record set by William Meyer in 1999
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Andrea Izzotti // Shutterstock

Shovelnose Sturgeon

- Weight: 5 lbs 2.56 oz
- Location: Rock River
- Record set by Allen Trout Jr. in 1988
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CSNafzger // Shutterstock

Smallmouth Bass

- Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Mark Samp in 1985
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Sean McVey // Shutterstock

Spotted Bass

- Weight: 7 lbs 3.12 oz
- Location: strip mine lake
- Record set by Richard Leonard in 1992
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Vladimir Wrangel // Shutterstock

Spotted Gar

- Weight: 7 lbs 13.4 oz
- Location: Horseshoe Lake
- Record set by Danny Peters in 2004
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slowmotiongli // Shutterstock

Striped Bass

- Weight: 31 lbs 7 oz
- Location: Sangchris Lake
- Record set by Eric Shivers in 1994
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Jennifer de Graaf // Shutterstock

Tiger Muskellunge

- Weight: 26 lbs 9 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Joseph Veronda in 1999
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Matt Jeppson // Shutterstock

Tiger Trout

- Weight: 8 lbs 12.5 oz
- Location: Lake Michigan
- Record set by Robert W. Zimmy in 1977
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wwwarjag //Shutterstock

Walleye

- Weight: 14 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Kankakee River
- Record set by Fred Goselin in 1961
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Bclegg77 // Wikimedia Commons

Warmouth

- Weight: 1 lbs 13 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Wesley Mills in 1971
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Apostrophe // Shutterstock

White Bass

- Weight: 4 lbs 14 oz
- Location: Kaskaskia River
- Record set by Bruce Wilson in 1981
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Jennifer White Maxwell // Shutterstock

White Crappie

- Weight: 4 lbs 7 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Kevin Dennis in 1973
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Kevin H Knuth // Shutterstock

Yellow Bass

- Weight: 2 lbs 0 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Jimmy Kostoff Jr. in 1994
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jpreat // Shutterstock

Yellow Bullhead

- Weight: 5 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Fox River
- Record set by Bill Snow in 1955
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John Piekos // Shutterstock

Yellow Perch

- Weight: 2 lbs 8.75 oz
- Location: Arrowhead Club Lake
- Record set by Joseph Grega in 1974

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